For years, veterinarians treating dogs with osteoarthritis have reached for the opioid painkiller tramadol. In the face of a growing body of evidence that both long- and short-term treatment with tramadol is not only ineffective, but actually harmful, interest in alternative treatments is on an upward trend.
Tramadol became the canine arthritis treatment of choice because it was convenient. It seemed to be effective in small doses, has fewer side effects than non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, and has a lower potential for human abuse than narcotics like oxycodone.
Today, most veterinarians recognize that tramadol becomes ineffective at controlling a dog's pain after just a few days of use.1 As the U.S. struggles with an epidemic of human opioid abuse, many doctors are hesitant to send home bottles of potent painkillers.
