I have a geriatric dog (Shasta, a 14-year-old Goldendoodle) on Librealla. She had doggie dementia before she began the injections, but it's clearly a bit worse now. I might take a break to see if the cognition improves. After reading, I'm wondering - is it the shot? Or just old age? I'll need to decide if keeping her as pain-free as possible is still the highest priority. (She's much bigger than Gidget McFiesty- so there's more strain on her hips, + we're already on oral pain meds) It's something to consider anyway.
I'm sorry your pupper is having trouble. It's so hard to know what to do. I still don't 100% know if it was the injections that did it to her, but she is doing better now, other than the surprise poops. She still isn't completely back to herself, but this may be her new normal, whether from the injections or just due to age. I did make an appointment to take her to the doggie chiropractor next Monday. I used to take my old Beagle Annabelle there when she had vestibular disease and it really seemed to help. I'm hoping they might be able to improve her stiffness and limping.
Glad to hear Gidget recovered. I have worked in pharma for 20 years and was working in animal health when Librela launched. It was marketed as a "natural" drug because of the word "antibody." Unfortunately, this drastically underestimates the actions of monoclonals. They've been around for 20 years in human medicine and are used widely, but only after multiple other medications have failed. And the side effects can be varied and severe. Librela was one of the first monoclonals available in veterinary medicine and Zoetis really dumbed down the mechanism of action to make vets more comfortable using something new.
For transparency, I worked on a rival drug that is oral and works directly on the pain receptor in the joint. It's called Galliprant. It has similar efficacy to metacam, but is more targeted so less side effects (mainly GI) and can be used long term. I have my 11 year old psycho terrier on it and have been really happy. Again, so sorry you had to go through this.
That's good to know. I was given Galliprant for my Beagle Annabelle when she had spleen removal surgery for cancer. She lived for nearly 2.5 years after her surgery when the vet only gave her six months. Gidget had an episode of pancreatitis over Christmas 2023, so I can't use meloxicam. Is Galliprant contraindicated for dogs with pancreatitis? Right now, Gidget is getting a version of oxycodone - hydroxy-something. It seems to work well for her.
Great news she has something that works—that’s all the matters! Any kind of opioid will be stronger than Galliprant so stick with that. It is easier on the system than meloxicam so always an option if she needs additional relief.
The vet chose this pain med because she also has an issue with collapsing trachea and used to have terrible coughing fits, especially at night. I've been giving her the opioid before bed and she sleeps through the night and seems to be more energetic and well rested in the morning. It also improves my sleep and morning energy when she sleeps through the night.
I just want to reiterate that this my personal experience with the drug. Other dogs may have other results. A Johnson above has some very good input on the topic.
I'm so glad you got your Gidget back!
Me too!
“Mama’s little psychopath.” 😂😂
She is! Not so much as when she was younger, but she still has her moments.
First of all - I love the name! So cute.
I have a geriatric dog (Shasta, a 14-year-old Goldendoodle) on Librealla. She had doggie dementia before she began the injections, but it's clearly a bit worse now. I might take a break to see if the cognition improves. After reading, I'm wondering - is it the shot? Or just old age? I'll need to decide if keeping her as pain-free as possible is still the highest priority. (She's much bigger than Gidget McFiesty- so there's more strain on her hips, + we're already on oral pain meds) It's something to consider anyway.
I'm sorry your pupper is having trouble. It's so hard to know what to do. I still don't 100% know if it was the injections that did it to her, but she is doing better now, other than the surprise poops. She still isn't completely back to herself, but this may be her new normal, whether from the injections or just due to age. I did make an appointment to take her to the doggie chiropractor next Monday. I used to take my old Beagle Annabelle there when she had vestibular disease and it really seemed to help. I'm hoping they might be able to improve her stiffness and limping.
Gidget McFiesty
Glad to hear Gidget recovered. I have worked in pharma for 20 years and was working in animal health when Librela launched. It was marketed as a "natural" drug because of the word "antibody." Unfortunately, this drastically underestimates the actions of monoclonals. They've been around for 20 years in human medicine and are used widely, but only after multiple other medications have failed. And the side effects can be varied and severe. Librela was one of the first monoclonals available in veterinary medicine and Zoetis really dumbed down the mechanism of action to make vets more comfortable using something new.
For transparency, I worked on a rival drug that is oral and works directly on the pain receptor in the joint. It's called Galliprant. It has similar efficacy to metacam, but is more targeted so less side effects (mainly GI) and can be used long term. I have my 11 year old psycho terrier on it and have been really happy. Again, so sorry you had to go through this.
That's good to know. I was given Galliprant for my Beagle Annabelle when she had spleen removal surgery for cancer. She lived for nearly 2.5 years after her surgery when the vet only gave her six months. Gidget had an episode of pancreatitis over Christmas 2023, so I can't use meloxicam. Is Galliprant contraindicated for dogs with pancreatitis? Right now, Gidget is getting a version of oxycodone - hydroxy-something. It seems to work well for her.
Great news she has something that works—that’s all the matters! Any kind of opioid will be stronger than Galliprant so stick with that. It is easier on the system than meloxicam so always an option if she needs additional relief.
The vet chose this pain med because she also has an issue with collapsing trachea and used to have terrible coughing fits, especially at night. I've been giving her the opioid before bed and she sleeps through the night and seems to be more energetic and well rested in the morning. It also improves my sleep and morning energy when she sleeps through the night.
Glad to hear your baby’s okay!
She is mostly better. We're still having some poop issues but it's easy enough to clean up her tiny oopsies.
This is very important to all of us devotees of "the nation within the nation (dogs.) Thank you for sharing!
I just want to reiterate that this my personal experience with the drug. Other dogs may have other results. A Johnson above has some very good input on the topic.