Splitting Rimadyl dosage in half

[bc4ever]

Scooter's been on 100 mg. of Rimadyl once a day for about six weeks now for HD. Ran out over the holiday weekend so picked up another prescription for it yesterday afternoon. He was hurting so I asked if I gave him one last night, could I give him another one in the morning or would we be locked into an evening dosage after that, since it was to be given once daily? They suggested I give him 1/2 pill last night, then another half this morning. We then gave him 1/2 a pill this evening, usually his worst time. He seems much less symptomatic. Just wondering if, by splitting the pill and giving it twice a day if that's easier on his stomach and also working better for him by keeping more of a steady level of meds in his system?

[juliepoudrier]

I do that with a lot of my dogs' meds because to me the important thing is to keep the amount in the bloodstream at as constant a level as possible. I imagine it makes sense to always ask your vet first in case the effectiveness of a drug is lowered by not having it dosed all at once, but for example, the two dogs I have on thyroxine get dosed twice a day, though the original prescription was for twice as much once a day--it just seemed more logical to me to do it that way and my vet agreed it was okay to do so. As for the rimadyl, if Scooter's symptoms are well controlled at the half-dose twice a day, then I see no harm in doing it that way. I don't know that it will make a difference WRT to potential side effects as his liver will still have to handle the full dose every 24 hours. I know with doxycycline for TBDs, if the dog is having trouble tolerating the meds, it's acceptable to split it into smaller doses and spread it out evenly throughout a 24 hour period, so the theory is sound in general, but like I said, I'd always check with the vet first in case a particular medication needs to be recieved by the animal at the full dose all at once.

 

J.

[bc4ever]

Thanks Julie. He really does seem much better this evening. Will call vet tomorrow to make sure it's okay to administer the Rimadyl that way. The vet tech was the one who suggested it originally, but won't hurt to double check.

[bc friend]

When Sara's Rimadyl dosage got upped to 100mg, giving her half in the a.m. and half in the p.m. was my vet's instructions , she said it would help keep the pain relief consistent.

[bc4ever]

Checked with vet. Says it's fine to split the dosage that way if it seems to be working better. And it really does. He's been running up and down the stairs, took a short walk this morning and is having no stiffness after lying down. I was getting very concerned last week, as it seemed like he was getting worse instead of better. Who knew a simple thing like splitting the dosage would make such a difference? Sure stumbled on to that one! Thank doG! It hurts me to the core to see him hurting.

[Rave]

Is Scooter 100 pounds? That seems like a high dosage if he's not, especially long-term. Granted I'm no vet, but I know the usual Rimadyl dosage is 1mg per pound for acute pain. Is he on other strong supplements to treat the cause? I'd just worry about relying on high doses of Rimadyl long-term.

[bc4ever]

Is Scooter 100 pounds? That seems like a high dosage if he's not, especially long-term. Granted I'm no vet, but I know the usual Rimadyl dosage is 1mg per pound for acute pain. Is he on other strong supplements to treat the cause? I'd just worry about relying on high doses of Rimadyl long-term.

No, he isn't 100 pounds (more like 58--he's also on a weight loss plan). Actually, when I went in to pick up his refill, they had made up a bottle with 8 25mg. tablets to be taken twice a day, which would have been half the dose he's taking now. And would have lasted only four days if my math is correct. He's also taking a Glucosamine/Chondroitin tablet and 1,000 mg. fish oil cap a day. What is considered "long term?"

 

I'm thinking this is another problem with two different vets prescribing for him, and two different ideas of what he needs.

 

Thanks. Looks like it's time for another call to the vets, just to be safe.

 

Pam

[2 Devils]

My acd had a 25mg dosage for rimadyl and weighs about 28 lbs. 100mg does seem awfully high of a dosage. I have moved to deramxx and it seems to do a great job and is easier on the dog supposedly.

[bc friend]

Sara at 44 lbs. was prescribed 50 mg for a couple of years; it was upped to 100 mg @ yr ago due to increased arthritic symptoms. If your dog is on Rimadyl long-term, I do strongly recommend bloodwork @ 6 months since Rimadyl does have some liver side effects that can show up w/long term usage (Sara's liver cancer is not related to the Rimadyl side effects).

[elegy]

I've had it prescribed for my 45 lb pit bull both ways - 100mg once daily and 50 mg twice daily. She only takes it on an as needed basis right now (bad knees) but I do think it works better with the twice a day dosing. The package insert says 2 mg/lb once daily or 1 mg/lb twice daily. You do want to use as low a dose as possible while still being effective.

[bc4ever]

Sara at 44 lbs. was prescribed 50 mg for a couple of years; it was upped to 100 mg @ yr ago due to increased arthritic symptoms. If your dog is on Rimadyl long-term, I do strongly recommend bloodwork @ 6 months since Rimadyl does have some liver side effects that can show up w/long term usage (Sara's liver cancer is not related to the Rimadyl side effects).

The vet did bloodwork before prescribing the Rimadyl and if he remains on it, we'll certainly continue to have him checked for any liver changes. I understand this is no drug to take lightly and actually resisted using it for a while. He missed his evening dose last night due to husband being in the hospital (twice in twelve hours!), and this morning he was showing signs of stiffness. He obviously is getting some benefit from it, at least for now.