Managing Arthritis in Tripawd Dogs with Galliprant

If your dog or cat is missing a leg, osteoarthritis will probably become an issue at some point in time. If and when it does, you may want to look into Galliprant^®, a new tool for managing arthritis in Tripawd dogs. Just months after its release, initial feedback from veterinary pain management experts and other Tripawd families indicate that it’s worth looking into. 

A New Tool for Managing Arthritis in Tripawd Dogs

Whether you’re a dog, cat or human, osteoarthritis works the same way. This painful swelling of the joints leads to decreased mobility and poor quality of life. People and pets with osteoarthris don’t enjoy moving around as much, and as a result they gain weight. The excess pounds cause even more joint swelling and the vicious cycle continues.

As Tripawd pet parents we have many tools for managing arthritis in Tripawd dogs such as:

• Weight control
• Appropriate Tripawd exercise
• Acupuncture
• Chiropractic care
• Conventional NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Rimadyl)

During our week at #WVC2017 we heard about a new tool to manage canine osteoarthritis, called Galliprant^®. In his learning session called “Updates in Pain Management: New Tools in the Toolbox and What’s in the Pipeline,” renowned veterinary pain management expert Dr. Mark Epstein, DVM DABVP CVPP shared his excitement over this new canine osteoarthritis remedy. After the talk we discovered at the Galliprant website that: 

Galliprant^® (grapiprant tablets) is a new class of anti-inflammatory that targets pain, so you can start targeted pain relief from the earliest diagnosed stages of canine OA. 

• Galliprant is NOT a NSAID. It’s a “first-in-class piprant; a non-COX-inhibiting prostaglandin receptor antagonist (PRA)”
• Galliprant “blocks the EP4 receptor, the primary mediator of canine OA pain and inflammation”

In a nutshell, here’s why Galliprant is such a huge breakthrough: it is a great alternative for ogs who cannot tolerate NSAIDs. Galliprant’s remarkable study results show it’s the biggest canine osteoarthritis drug breakthrough in years:

• Studied at up to approximately 15X the labeled 2 mg/kg dose for a 9-month duration in healthy dogs
• No clinically significant changes in liver, kidney or coagulation parameters
• No noticeable effects on food consumption, body weight, ECG, organ weight or hematology
• In most situations, gastrointestinal disturbances were mild or slight and fairly infrequent
• Neither treatment nor GI disturbance was associated with changes in appetite, appearance or demeanor of dogs
• Suitable for dogs as young as 9 months of age

In the nine month study, not one dog was eliminated because of serious gastrointestinal issues. All 287 dogs completed the study successfully.

Galliprant Gives Tripawd Austin His Sparkle Back

Before Dr. Epstein’s WVC talk was even over, we texted our Tripawd friends, the Oaktown Pack about it. Their four dogs always experienced gastrointestinal blowouts with NSAIDs. Being the great advocates that they are, Oaktown Pack’s leaders Martha and Ralph had already started using it on three of their four dogs with osteoarthritis. 

“Out of three dogs that we tried it on, it worked on one,” says Austin’s mom, Martha. The lucky dog is Austin, a 68-pound, eight year old rear leg Tripawd. Before he started Galliprant, Austin had signs of osteoarthritis, despite his humans’ vigilant weight management and exercise moderation. His sensitive belly always had trouble with NSAIDs. Just over a month after starting Galliprant, he clearly got his sparkle back.

“It’s working great. Austin is a new dog. He’s been walking more, he’s perky! He seems to be much happier,” says Martha.

The other dogs didn’t indicate they were benefiting from Galliprant, so at $110 per month, per dog, Martha stopped treatment for them. Austin is now the only Oaktown Pack member enjoying a new leash on life because of Galliprant.

Got a Tripawd with Osteoarthritis? Talk to Your Vet about Galliprant

We’re just so excited that this new non-NSAID drug comes with far less risk for dogs. Galliprant is currently being studied in cats and we hope they can benefit from it soon. There’s no guarantee it will work for every dog, but if you give it a try, let us know how it works for your Tripawd.