Librela for canine arthritis

[LabLuvR]

Gunner will be 11 in January and was starting to show signs of moderate arthritis. Took him to the vet and she recommended we try Librela. I had already researched and was good to go with her recommendation.
Damnit, what a remarkable difference in just a weeks time. Three weeks later he is running around like I haven't seen in some time. The vet also said the 1st shot is 80% effective, I can't wait to see what effects the second shot has.

If you guys have a dog with arthritis you truly need to check it out!! It's like a damn miracle drug and I'm not over exaggerating!

[Drylok]

Yes. It is something else.

Librela likely saved my wife’s terrier from being put down six months ago.

Amazing difference in the dog’s quality of life.

Costs us 70 a month I think.

[boondoggle]

Made my Mara’’s last year far better than it could have been thanks to the recommendation of our resident doggy doc


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[hunt em down]

Started my 10.5 y/o lab on it...and will say also it has put a pep in her step....

[DuvnDux]

Ivy turned 11 on Saturday and she’s been taking it for several months. It has been remarkable. She had gotten up to 98 pounds and has been on prescription Pro Plan overweight management for over two years and wasn’t losing any weight. Since taking the Librela she’s down to about 75 pounds and acts like a puppy. I said this in another thread but I swear this stuff has meth in it.

[mudminnow]

My 13 yo lab has been on it for a year. He will probably make it to 14 now. He cant walk with my other dogs because he cant keep up. but we walked a half mile this cool fall morning and i was thankful for more mornings like this one with the old knucklehead

[Old River Rat]

I've read a lot of good things about Librela, and it sounds like it's made a huge difference for Gunner already. My dog started showing signs of arthritis around the same age, and we’ve been managing it with medication, but I’ve been curious about Librela. It's really encouraging to hear how well it worked for you, and I’m hoping it continues to help Gunner feel even better with the second shot.

[LabLuvR]

Thanks buddy, it has truly been a great med!

[ecu1984]

Injection only or can it be pill form?
Paging Glenn
My 10 year old female Golden is getting stiff in the hips

[Glenn]

Injection only or can it be pill form?
Paging Glenn
My 10 year old female Golden is getting stiff in the hips

Injection only done in clinic/hospital once a month.

Librela has been a miracle drug for the right patients for sure. I/we use it mainly as a rescue drug for old geriatric pets with severe osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease (DJD). I have a lot of old dogs on it and old cats on the feline version, Solensia. I've had some clients bring in their old dogs who were either A) maxed out on NSAIDs and other pain meds and they weren't effective any longer or B) they could no longer take NSAIDs due to liver or kidney issues and we were having the end of life talk. Tried Librela and it drastically improved quality of life and extended their lives.

I've also had a few patients with known arthritis and DJD with concurrent neurological issues such as degenerative disc disease and/or spondylosis where the Librela had little to no improvement effect and actually made the dogs worse. If it's a neurological issue Librela will make it worse.

Another thing to remember. Librela is a pain blocker ONLY. It does NOT have anti inflammatory effects. You take a dog with muscle atrophy, weak joints, severe arthritis and DJD and all of a sudden remove that pain and those dogs will start doing things on those joints they aren't ready to do and will rupture/break/tear those weakened ligaments and tendons leading to joint dislocations and full on mechanical instability and inability to stand/walk. Short version; no pain response = more joint damage due to over use.

We don't use or recommend it in younger dogs with mild arthritis especially if well controlled by an NSAID and other joint protectors like adequan or any of the glucosamines out there. We also do NOT use it for post op pain, minor joint injuries etc. It has a VERY specific application for all the reasons listed above.

Last thing. Because of how this medication is used in dogs who are at or close to their end of life age it only extends their life by putting off euthanasia d/t arthritis and DJD. I've seen Karen reports (not in my practice thankfully) of "My vet gave my 15 yr old dog librela and 6 months later it killed it." No. Your dog was 15+ and it was time. Be thankful for the great pain free 6 months it had. But people gonna people.

[ecu1984]

Injection only done in clinic/hospital once a month.

Librela has been a miracle drug for the right patients for sure. I/we use it mainly as a rescue drug for old geriatric pets with severe osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease (DJD). I have a lot of old dogs on it and old cats on the feline version, Solensia. I've had some clients bring in their old dogs who were either A) maxed out on NSAIDs and other pain meds and they weren't effective any longer or B) they could no longer take NSAIDs due to liver or kidney issues and we were having the end of life talk. Tried Librela and it drastically improved quality of life and extended their lives.

I've also had a few patients with known arthritis and DJD with concurrent neurological issues such as degenerative disc disease and/or spondylosis where the Librela had little to no improvement effect and actually made the dogs worse. If it's a neurological issue Librela will make it worse.

Another thing to remember. Librela is a pain blocker ONLY. It does NOT have anti inflammatory effects. You take a dog with muscle atrophy, weak joints, severe arthritis and DJD and all of a sudden remove that pain and those dogs will start doing things on those joints they aren't ready to do and will rupture/break/tear those weakened ligaments and tendons leading to joint dislocations and full on mechanical instability and inability to stand/walk. Short version; no pain response = more joint damage due to over use.

We don't use or recommend it in younger dogs with mild arthritis especially if well controlled by an NSAID and other joint protectors like adequan or any of the glucosamines out there. We also do NOT use it for post op pain, minor joint injuries etc. It has a VERY specific application for all the reasons listed above.

Last thing. Because of how this medication is used in dogs who are at or close to their end of life age it only extends their life by putting off euthanasia d/t arthritis and DJD. I've seen Karen reports (not in my practice thankfully) of "My vet gave my 15 yr old dog librela and 6 months later it killed it." No. Your dog was 15+ and it was time. Be thankful for the great pain free 6 months it had. But people gonna people.

Makes a lot of sense, thank you!