Can I give my dog aspirin for pain?

While it is safe to give dogs aspirin, and they even make aspirin that is easier for dogs' tummies, it is important that you take your dog to the vet.

Here's why:

Dogs usually mask their pain from us. It is their instinct. Pack and herd animals, even cats, hide pain, even extreme pain and illness, so that they do not appear vulnerable to predators and endanger their family groups. That's something that is built in deep....hard-wired, so to speak.

If a dog has a recent injury and is visibly favoring it for more than 10 minutes, something may be seriously wrong.

Your vet may very well tell you to use aspirin, or have the dog do crate rest for 24 hours, and come in if that does not work...but if a tiny bone is broken, or a tendon ruptured, you need to know. So call the vet, and tell him or her what is going on.

My beloved dog Jake had just had his annual physical...and been declared in great shape for an old man...when one week later, I saw a limp on his right foreleg. My vet, having just seen him, called in Rimadyl thinking it was a touch of arthritis. After 3 days with no response to the anti-inflammatory, I took him (on a Saturday) to a 24 hour place and found out my Jake had bone cancer. His annual did not catch it because he was hiding it, and it did not show on the bloodwork. But the pain from bone cancer is excruciating. [ He was too old for amputation. After a 2-week hospice (during which Jake was pain-free on Tramadol and got visits by all his friends bearing bacon), I put him down. My only regret is not taking him back in instead of calling when it first happened...but we could not have known.]

The point is: pets can and will hide great pain. We have to watch them closely. When we see symptoms, things are often further advanced than they would be with human beings. Many of my Vacay clients have come home to be told things I noticed that they needed to check with their vets about....I have caught a few malignant tumors.

Good luck!

Please don't. Call your vet, like the other person said.

If you think your dog is in pain from an injury, you should call his vet, who can advise you on next steps while looking at his medical file.

NO! I am a vet tech and we hear about clients giving aspirin often, problem is that it can lead to ulcers as well as other complications such as liver and kidney damage. There are many safe and affordable NSAIDS for dogs. Talk to your vet.