Giving your canine aspirin is a good way to deal with specific issues that he may face and which cause him chronic pain or inflammation. It's important to realize, however, that aspirin is a human formulated medicine, and it may be unhealthy or even toxic for your pet in certain situations. Never give a canine aspirin without first consulting with your veterinarian. Because there are specific pain relief medicines that are created to be used for dogs in particular, it's preferable to use these instead.
Aspirin and Dogs
Aspirin has relatively the same effects in dogs as it does in humans. It is used as a pain reliever and an inflammation reducer. This makes it a great choice of medicine to use for pets that experience bone and joint pain and inflammation, as in cases of arthritis. It is most commonly used to address this issue, although it may be used for other conditions as well.
Risks of Aspirin
There are a few risks of using aspirin with your dog. First, aspirin can be deadly to your pet in certain dosages. Anything above about 25 milligrams of aspirin per pound of your dog will be very dangerous and even lethally toxic. Thus, it's absolutely vital that you know exactly how much aspirin to give to your pet before you begin a canine aspirin treatment. The amount of aspirin that you use is directly related to your dog's weight. Check with your vet before you give the dog any aspirin, to be sure that you're giving him a healthy and appropriate amount of the medicine.
Long term aspirin use can also lead to certain damage and conditions. Specifically, long term aspirin use has been linked with stomach problems and damage to the intestinal tract. It's not a good choice of a pain reliever to be used for an extended period of time. If your pet has a chronic issue that will require a long term pain relieving medicine, it's a much better idea to consult with your vet for a pet formulated medicine instead.
Benefits of Aspirin
Aspirin works quickly to relieve your pet of pain and inflammation. It is effective at these two tasks and will work in just a short period of time. Thus, if your pet is experiencing a great deal of discomfort, aspirin is a good choice in that it can be put to work more quickly than many other types of pain relievers.
Aspirin is also readily available. It can be purchased without a veterinary prescription and at a wide variety of grocery and drug stores, because it is a common human medication. This means that you'll be able to track it down and purchase it easily and for a small amount of money.