Big bone cancer dog is doing well with pain meds but he’s gassy and stomach is upset. He’s on the combo. What would Previcox do and should I consider switching. My vet clinic has never used it so they had no opinion on Prev.
We suspect dog will last at least another two or three months so cost may be a factor.
Previcox is similar to Rimadyl, in theory it may be easier on the gut. Unless something has changed, there is no generic version available, so it may be more costly. Some additional options include vicodin (have to be careful of the acetaminophen levels), gabapentin, and increased dosing of the tramadol.
My lab
Mine is on Duramax and Tramadol combo.
Works well managing the pain.
I was able to get Duramax at Fostor & Smith $60 less a month than my vet.
Good luck.
I didn’t think to mention that Smartpak has generic Rimadyl at a reasonable price
I have an older guy on Previcox & Tramadol. He is on his last weeks/months too (advanced back arthritis) and this seems to be the magic combo for him - no tummy probs, seems to be fairly content, though of course slow & stiff… I read that some dogs had adverse reactions to the Prev, but its working beautifully for him.
I’ve been buying 2 week supply of Prev at a time, $60 each.
have experience with both combinations with my last dog with arthritis and cancer. Previcox is a lot gentler on the stomach (and the nose) especially at the end-stage. It does not remain as effective for as long as Rimadyl but they work. Do not believe your dog - they are not better 
We typically recommend metacam + tramadol. Just personal preference over previcox, dermaxx or rimadyl - however, each vet has their own preference and ultimately each effect dogs differently.
Best of luck finding some good analgesia for him. If he is on his last few days, maybe you could request a fentanyl patch for him?
The thing about NSAIDs is that you can debate until the cows come home the relative effectiveness of each of them, BUT how an individual patient will respond depends on the individual patient. If one NSAID isn’t working, or isn’t tolerated, another may be (with an appropriate washout).
If the dog has bone cancer though and is essentially terminal (think of someone in hospice) there are other medications you can add instead of switching NSAIDs - how about Pepcid for the upset stomach, what about pamidronate, what about hydrocodone/acetominophen, why not add in gabapentin (way cheap) and/or amantadine?
Lots of options…
My big dog who got bone cancer also had an upset stomach from the NSAIDs, she was on Misoprostal to protect her gut and it worked really well. I’m sorry, I can’t remember the cost, she’s been gone almost 2 yrs now. I feel ya worrying about it though, I was spending at least 200 dollars a month on medication for her (even pre cancer, she had bad hip and elbow dysplasia)
I posted this on the other bone cancer thread (Fish’s dog) but we were able to keep her reasonably comfortable (and still smiling) with this drug regimen:
Deramaxx, tramadol, misoprostal, amantadine (thanks animal Doc, I had forgotten about that one), gabapentin and later Fentanyl patches. She also got adequan and legend for general arthritis as she could not tolerate oral glucosimine etc…
Good luck with keeping your big dog comfy We had to try a lot of NSAIDs before we found the right one.
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