Carprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is used by veterinarians as a supportive treatment for the relief of arthritic symptoms in geriatric dogs. It can be used both short term, for joint pain or post-operative inflammation, or long term. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, usually abbreviated to NSAIDs, are drugs with analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects - they reduce pain, fever and inflammation. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Arthritis(from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation) is a group of conditions that affect the health of the bone joints in the body. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) Puppy redirects here. ...

Brand names include Rimadyl®, and Zenecarp® in the UK. It is made by Pfizer. Pfizer, Incorporated (NYSE: PFE), is a global pharmaceutical company, with headquarters in New York City. ...

Administration

Carprofen is available in 20, 75 and 100 mg tablets. An injectable formula is available in the UK. Injection has multiple meanings: In mathematics, the term injection refers to an injective function. ...

Health issues

Although most dogs respond well to carprofen, it is capable of causing liver toxicity in some animals, and in the early days of introduction there were significant anecdotal reports of sudden animal deaths arising from its use. The liver is the largest internal organ of the human body. ... Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

It could often not be determined to what extent these were carprofen-related however. Indeed, many may not have been connected to use of the drug, as carprofen is often prescribed to older or sick animals, or in cases of significant pain and illness.

Several years later, a more realistic view is that it is safe and tested for the vast majority of animals, however some will react, and therefore regular blood tests (monthly, or at least twice a year) are often recommended if an animal is to be placed on carprofen for long term use. These tests check for liver toxicity byproducts, and confirm that the animal is not suffering an adverse reaction.

Other symptoms which can indicate a problem, and which are worth raising with a vet include excessive drinking or urination, blood or dark tar-like material in urine or stools, jaundice (yellowing of eyes), unusual lethargy and so on. Urine is liquid waste excreted by the kidneys and is produced by the process of filtration. ... Rabbit feces are usually 0. ... Jaundice, also known as icterus (attributive adjective: icteric), is a yellowing of the skin, sclera (the white of the eyes) and mucous membranes caused by increased levels of bilirubin in the human body (or the body of another red blooded animal). ... Fatigue is a feeling of excessive tiredness or lethargy, with a desire to rest, perhaps to sleep. ...