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My senior dog has severe joint pain. Is there safe OTC relief?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Boston Terrier | Male | neutered | 13 years and 4 months old | 25 lbs

Hello, I have a 13 year old Boston Terrier named Louie and I love very much. It breaks my heart to say that he is in very bad pain. His joints have weakened in the past weeks and his hips are in very bad shape. He is whining constantly and it's worse to tonight. I looked it up and I know it says any OTC is bad for dogs but I was wondering if there was safe over the counter pain relief medicine I could give him for the night just so he can make it without hurting as much tonight. Please help !

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2 Answers

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Answered By Sarah Derksen, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 8th, 2017

Hi. I am so sorry to hear this! I wish there was a safe over the counter pain medication for pets, but there isn't. Human over the counter meds can be toxic to pets so those aren't an option. If he is having trouble resting, you can give him 25mg benadryl ( 1 adult tab). It will not help pain, but may help him rest till tomorrow. If you have a near by ER, I would recommend that.

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    Answered By Lauren Barry, BVSc, MRCVS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 10th, 2017

    Poor Oscar, that is a very good question. There are no over the counter pain medicines I can safely recommend- most human pain medicines are toxic to dogs so please do not use them. That said, there are many joint supplements for dogs like cosequin and dasuquin that can make him a little more comfortable. I am also worried that if he's drinking a lot of water, he may have some age related kidney disease, and that can rule out even some veterinary prescription medicines. A blood test would help determine the best medicine to keep him comfortable in his older age.

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