Librela - a new option for pain relief for dogs with osteo arthritis

Chris

Chris

Well, today is day 4 since Smithy had his first Librela jab and there is a big improvement in his front lameness. He has hardly limped at all this morning . I'm holding my breath to see if it lasts. He has also tried a few steps of trot, which he hasn't been able to do for ages. He is still having the Tramadol (5 or 6 per day) and the Carprieve. The vet seemed to think we would be able to do away with them both eventually but we will have to see. First I would like to ditch the Tramadol. Anyway, good news (after a bit of a sad evening of footie last night :weary:). Let's hope this is the start of Smithy having less pain. Then we have to worry about the hind legs being a bit wobbly - of course the hydro and physio will help that. Onwards & upwards !
 
O

Old woman

Our two year old lab cross rescue has been stopping on walks, sitting down and licking right hind leg. Sleeping much more during day than usual and generally not his normal bouncy self. Asked vet for a full MOT check, bloods, urine, Xray, etc. We rescued him at 5months and at 7months he had a life saving livershunt op(thank god he was insured!)
Vet gave all clear on all tests but found historic pelvic damage that means his pelvis is slightly twisted affecting right hip. The dreaded Metacam was mentioned. Due to his former liver issues we did not want him on longterm NSAIDS as he also had kidney crystals associated with liver not removing toxins. Vet then recommended Libera. He had his first jab 8days ago and has not stopped on a walk since. I also need to stop spoiling him as he needs to loose 3kg( medium sized dog) challenged in stature dept😊. Am very interested to see how other dogs get on with this alternative pain relief as Cooper is so young to have such sad issues
 
Natalie

Natalie

Old woman said:
Our two year old lab cross rescue has been stopping on walks, sitting down and licking right hind leg. Sleeping much more during day than usual and generally not his normal bouncy self. Asked vet for a full MOT check, bloods, urine, Xray, etc. We rescued him at 5months and at 7months he had a life saving livershunt op(thank god he was insured!)
Vet gave all clear on all tests but found historic pelvic damage that means his pelvis is slightly twisted affecting right hip. The dreaded Metacam was mentioned. Due to his former liver issues we did not want him on longterm NSAIDS as he also had kidney crystals associated with liver not removing toxins. Vet then recommended Libera. He had his first jab 8days ago and has not stopped on a walk since. I also need to stop spoiling him as he needs to loose 3kg( medium sized dog) challenged in stature dept😊. Am very interested to see how other dogs get on with this alternative pain relief as Cooper is so young to have such sad issues
Click to expand...
that's great news - a sad story with that damage in such a young dog but good he's found his forever home with you! A few of our dogs on here have had joint issues from a very early age, and it's astonishing how well they manage on a day to day basis. 3kg isn't massive but will make a difference - maybe it will slowly drop off as you can think about increasing his exercise just a little even if it's low impact?
 
UncleBob

UncleBob

Administrator
Staff member
Natalie said:
... A few of our dogs on here have had joint issues from a very early age ...
Click to expand...
I seem to recall, when researching for my Canine Arthritis Bible blog post after Harvey was diagnosed, that it is estimated that roughly 20% (1 in 5) of dogs over one year of age will have arthritis. It is, sadly, far more common than we think. And if you then factor in ED and HD ...

However, as you say, for many it is quite possible to manage the issue and for the dog to continue to have an active and happy life :dug:
 
Loraseal

Loraseal

Location
The Hague, The Netherlands
Hi @Old woman and welcome. Very interested to hear how a younger dog responds to Librela.
Hunter started with elbow problems at 4 months and we have managed to control the pain using minimum painkillers and various other natural methods . We have now noticed that we are approaching another level of pain control and my vet mentioned Librela. So I think after the weather starts to get cooler we will try Librela. Weight is very important. I think Hunter is on a permanent diet!
Good news that he is walking better.
 
Chris

Chris

Just over a week since Smithy had his first Librela and so far all indications are good. He is still on the Carprieve and Tramadol but the vet is suggesting maybe in two or three weeks we could try to cut down the Tramadol and see what happens. The lady that does the hydrotherapy seems to be of the view that he will need to keep taking the Tramadol . Librela is totally new to my vet so he is watching with interest but hasn't got any prior experiences of it to go on. x2 hydros this week and a physio on Monday, plus the Librela, plus the meds. It's all go here !
 
Natalie

Natalie

Just had a call from my vet... They are out of Librela and can't order any! I had read an article earlier in the week on this, but hadn't given it much thought as it said they were prioritising existing dogs on treatment. We are only two weeks from the last one, so have at least 16 to 18 days before we are overdue, but how frustrating.

I think we need to add in another pain relief drug anyway, so I've booked a long consultation with the vet to take a good look at his hips and elbows, do a gait analysis and explore Meloxicam alternatives.
 
Natalie

Natalie

Chris said:
Just over a week since Smithy had his first Librela and so far all indications are good. He is still on the Carprieve and Tramadol but the vet is suggesting maybe in two or three weeks we could try to cut down the Tramadol and see what happens. The lady that does the hydrotherapy seems to be of the view that he will need to keep taking the Tramadol . Librela is totally new to my vet so he is watching with interest but hasn't got any prior experiences of it to go on. x2 hydros this week and a physio on Monday, plus the Librela, plus the meds. It's all go here !
Click to expand...
Brilliant news Chris, going in the right direction!
 
J

Jeanette and Barney 🐶

Hi, I've literally just found this site as the vet has just called me and recommended my 15 year old dog stops Metacalm and starts on Librela monthly injections now. I was looking for reviews, and so sad to hear of the lady who lost her best friend but am going to take a chance on it after reading the comments and his first jab next week xx
 
Natalie

Natalie

Jeanette and Barney 🐶 said:
Hi, I've literally just found this site as the vet has just called me and recommended my 15 year old dog stops Metacalm and starts on Librela monthly injections now. I was looking for reviews, and so sad to hear of the lady who lost her best friend but am going to take a chance on it after reading the comments and his first jab next week xx
Click to expand...
Best of luck with it, and pleased that you've got a vet that has it in stock. Let us know how it goes.
 
snowbunny

snowbunny

Location
Andorra and Spain
Ginny had her second Librela injection yesterday. I can’t say I’ve seen any significant improvement so far, but she’s a bit more complicated than your average stiff doggo. That said, she’s taken to digging in Nisha’s holes when we go to visit Talia, and yesterday loved a trip to a different part of the river for a good wallow. I talked to my vet about laser therapy and they’re starting offer it at the clinic next month, which is awesome because I was looking into buying a machine because it’s too much to go to Barcelona regularly now we have Talia.
I don’t know about there, but the Librela costs significantly more than the Osteopen (Cartrophen) - €65 per month compared to €10 every three months - but it’s still not much in the grand scheme of things, so we’ll keep on with both and anything else we can do to keep her as comfortable as possible.

18848739-518F-4A9A-9C1F-B510F1C10F94.jpeg
 
Natalie

Natalie

snowbunny said:
I don’t know about there, but the Librela costs significantly more than the Osteopen (Cartrophen) - €65 per month compared to €10 every three months - but it’s still not much in the grand scheme of things
Click to expand...
Librela worked out to be almost exactly the same cost as a month's worth of Meloxicam, give or take. (£60 to £65) It looks like we are now going to have to put a daily painkiller back into the equation, but cost isn't really an issue as it's nearly all claimed back anyway via insurance. A cartrophen injection here was around £20, I think.

We used to have regular laser sessions with Monty when he was a lot younger, and often before a hydro session. For us, it worked a bit for acute flare ups, but little impact on long term pain management.

We have an hour long consult booked in for Thursday, so we might have a chat about any value in retrying some of these therapies, perhaps even the acupuncture. Though Monty really was not keen on those sessions at all.

We've been feeling a little sad this week that we are noticing a definite deterioration, which isn't linked to a knock or a flare up, but more likely an worsening of his conditions.


I'm glad Ginny seems to be getting some improvement from the Librela @snowbunny. She seems such a happy dog in the photos you post 😍
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top