We first learned of Zubrin ten years ago when our border collie, Sadie, started limping on one of her front legs. She was always a very active dog logging an average of 25 miles/week with on and off leash walks, hikes, and runs. Having her start limping one day with no known incident of accident wasn’t too surprising but still cause for concern.
We went through the normal routine of first having her rest, and when it appeared she was better started slow and easy walks. Each time we did, however, she’d immediately start limping again. Taking her to our vet we learned that one of the main tendons running across the front of her chest/shoulder region was rubbing on the bone and becoming inflamed. The more it became inflamed the more it would rub in a vicious self-perpetuating cycle not allowing for her to heal.
The treatment was Zubrin. It is known as Tepoxalin and is administered orally in rapidly disintegrating tablets. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The first day we gave her two (one in the morning and another in the evening), but then we were instructed to administer one of the 200 mg tablets every day with food for 30 days. The recommended dosage is 10 mg/kg (4.5 mg/lb) or 20 mg/kg (9.1 mg/lb). Sadie was between 45-50 lbs.
It worked great. She almost immediately stopped limping just after the first day of treatment and showed no recurring signs for over a year. We saw no adverse effects of her taking the medicine and it was easy enough to slip between a slice of cheese or other treat. It did reoccur once and we went through a similar process but for a slightly shorter period of time. Again, the treatment worked and it was the last time we had to treat the condition.
As with all treatments and drugs your vet should always be consulted and your dog should be closely monitored to make sure they don’t have any problems with the treatment.
(Creative Commons photo courtesy sheesalt, Flickr)
