Trocoxil – the once monthly treatment for arthritis in dogs
Trocoxil is a major breakthrough in the treatment of arthritis in dogs. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in the same class of drugs as Rimadyl, Metacam and Previcox but because of its very slow rate of elimination from the body it only needs to be given once a month! This is great news because it means your pet gets continuous pain relief without the risk of you forgetting to give a daily dose. Even with the best intentions whenever a drug needs to be given daily it is easy to forget the occasional dose. You may think it doesn’t matter if an occasional dose is missed but recent studies have shown otherwise.
It has been found that arthritic pain can itself perpetuate the progression of arthritis and that continuous pain relief without a break helps slow this progression. The reason for this is that chronic pain causes central sensitisation of the nervous system which leads to the release of factors that increase joint inflammation and cartilage breakdown. Continuous pain relief helps prevent this from happening. You will find for this reason that the symptoms of arthritis continue to improve over several months if pain relief is given continuously. Giving pain relief intermittently will do nothing to help slow the progression of arthritis.
Some important points about using Trocoxil:-
- Trocoxil must be given with a full meal to ensure that the maximum amount is absorbed so that a full month’s pain relief is achieved. Giving it with a small treat is not sufficient.
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After the initial dose of Trocoxil the second dose is given 14days later to ensure therapeutic levels are reached in the tissues. The dose is then given once a month for 5 more doses. It is then important to miss a month’s treatment before starting a new round of treatment. This is to ensure the level of drug does not accumulate to above therapeutic levels. In most dogs Trocoxil will continue to provide pain relief during this ‘month off’ period and extra pain relief is not needed. A few dogs however may need to have daily dosing with an alternative NSAID during this ‘month off’ period in order to stay pain free.
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As with all NSAID therapy it is recommended that routine blood monitoring is performed every 6 months. This is because drug body clearance rates change if there is any liver or kidney disease and for this reason drug dose rates may need to be altered or even stopped.
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Trocoxil has an excellent safety profile similar to other NSAID’s but as a precaution it should not be used in breeding, pregnant or lactating bitches or in dogs less than one year of age or if heart, liver, kidney or gastrointestinal disease is present.
We think Trocoxil is a great option for treatment of arthritis and we will be encouraging people who already have their arthritic dog’s on other NSAID’s to consider changing over to Trocoxil. Yes we really do think it is worth it! There is also the advantage that in most cases Trocoxil works out to be slightly cheaper than daily dosing with Rimadyl, Metacam or Previcox so it’s a win win situation!
Make sure you also read our article on the exciting use of stem cell therapy for the treatment of arthritis.
Please contact us if you would like to book an appointment with one of our vets
to discuss options for your pet.