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shortiesport23 · Aug 2, 2007, 09:00 AM

Are there any "dog vitamins" that I can place her on that aren't to expensive?
I took her to the vet and he gave her a shot that relaxed her muscles, some anti-inflamatory pills, and some muscle relaxant pills. It came up to $75 and didn't last over 2 weeks. I can't afford to keep taking her back to the vet, but it breaks my heart when she has muscle spasms.
I know dachshunds aren't supposed to jump off couches or go up and down stairs so I try to carry her whenever she wants upstairs or off a couch. If anybody has advice on how to relax her muscles, or vitamins that will strengthen a dachshunds back and keep her healthy, it would be much appreciated! Thanks!

rankrank55 · Aug 2, 2007, 09:05 AM

Have you spoken with your vet about other options besides the expensive treatment? I'm sure he/she will be able to give you the needed advice. In the meantime, wait and see if labman has any advice for you!

labman · Aug 2, 2007, 11:35 AM

The body needs a minimum of vitamins to function. Anymore, they go to waste, or even in some cases, become toxic. About the only cheap, safe thing is plain old buffered aspirin, aspirin, not Advil, Ibuprofen, etc. Give 5 mg per pound of body weight every 8 hours. You may find baby aspirin more convenient than the 325 mg adult dose. They are fine for Labs.

bushg · Aug 2, 2007, 12:34 PM

Shortiesport Make sure that she is not overweight. If I were you I would block her access to the stairs if possible. I would get her a little doggy bed to sit by the couch maybe she would be less likely to try and get on it. I really hate to hear of someone's pet in such pain. Hopefully labmans suggestion will bring her relief. Good Luck

RubyPitbull · Aug 2, 2007, 01:30 PM

Aspirin is good but I don't know how much relief it will actually bring her if she needs a muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory. Shortie, did the medication cost $75 or was the office visit included in that price? You don't have to bring the dog back to the vet just to get a new prescription if the meds appear to be helping her. Vet's rarely charge for phone calls and I have never heard of them charging for a follow up phone call on a specific problem. Why don't you try calling him/her, tell them about the expense problem, and ask if there are any cheaper/generic alternatives.

shortiesport23 · Aug 2, 2007, 08:46 PM

Thanks so much... I never knew that you could give dogs ibuprofen... I am going to tell the vet about my expense problems with the medication when I take her to get spayed next week. Thanks again!

RubyPitbull · Aug 3, 2007, 04:47 AM

Shortie! NOOOOOOOOOO! NO IBUPROFEN!! NO! labman was suggesting regular buffered ASPIRIN. Ibuprofen is different and should never be given to a dog.

By the way, thank you for doing the responsible thing in getting her spayed. With her back problems, she is most certainly not a candidate for breeding. It is a shame how these poor little dogs are so overbred that they have become one of the breeds with major back issues. By the way, I should have mentioned this before. Bushg is right. Try to keep your baby as slim as possible. It will help relieve some of the pain she is in.

Let us know how she is doing.

pompano · Aug 3, 2007, 05:49 AM

There is a product that you can buy called cosoquin,it is for dogs with joint and other inflamatory problems.You can probably order it from Foster's,which is a pet supply company.I have see dogs that were unable to move from pain get up and walk.It takes about 2 weeks to see improvement.You can use asprin for pain,but it is best to give the safety coated brand to keep the asprin from eating the lining of your dogs stomach.There is a low dose made for humans to take ,which should work for your small dog.:)

RubyPitbull · Aug 3, 2007, 05:58 AM

Pompano, is cosoquin a brand name? What are the active ingredients? Does it have glucosomine in it?

*EDIT: Never mind P, I found it. Cosequin is the brand name. Although I too give my dog an OTC glucosamine tablet daily for her back & joints, I did so after a full discussion with my vet. It would be wise for shortie to discuss this with her vet prior to purchasing. Since we don't know how old the dog is, what the extent of her condition is, and what her vet prescribed for her dogs condition, the vet would be the best person to advise her as to whether this will aid in resolving the problem in place of stronger medication.

Shortie, here are links to the information that Pompano was referring to. I think you should print it out and show it to your vet at your appointment next week.

Cosequin glucosamine chondroitin sulfate for pets

Cosequin: Dog Arthritis Joint Supplement Combines Glucosamine and Chondroitin

PharmTEch · Aug 16, 2008, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by shortiesport23

Are there any "dog vitamins" that I can place her on that aren't to expensive?
I took her to the vet and he gave her a shot that relaxed her muscles, some anti-inflamatory pills, and some muscle relaxant pills. It came up to $75 and didn't last over 2 weeks. I can't afford to keep taking her back to the vet, but it breaks my heart when she has muscle spasms.
I know dachshunds aren't supposed to jump off couches or go up and down stairs so I try to carry her whenever she wants upstairs or off a couch. If anybody has advice on how to relax her muscles, or vitamins that will strengthen a dachshunds back and keep her healthy, it would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Go to the Target or Walmart website and download a copy of their $4 generic drug list, whichever store is convenient for you. Take the list to your vet and see if there is anything appropriate that would do what your current meds are doing. You may find that your meds are on the list already and that your vet just charges more for them. At our pharmacy, our intake form says:
"Male___ Female___ Pet___"
We have many dogs and cats get their meds from people pharmacies.