Piroxicam

Piroxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medication that belongs to the oxicam class. The drug is often prescribed to treat certain cancers like bladder, colon, and prostate cancer in cats and dogs. The medication is also effective against arthritis pain, but there are better, more effective medications available for this purpose. While the exact cause is not known as to how Piroxicam battles cancers like squamous cell carcinoma, TCC, and mammary adenocarcinoma, among others, its effectiveness in shrinking tumors is well documented. In a study conducted on 76 dogs with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) treated with Piroxicam, the tumor went into complete remission in 2 dogs, reduced in size by over 50 percent in 14 dogs, remained stable in 45 dogs, and increased in size in 15 dogs. Therefore, there are solid pieces of evidence that Piroxicam does indeed reduces tumor size in dogs.

Piroxicam is advised to be administered orally with food to avoid issues like stomach upset daily or every other day. The dosage and frequency differ from dog to dog, and since it comes with a set of severe side effects, the dosage shouldn't be just eyeballed. More importantly, don't ever double dose to make up for a missed dose. Therefore, you must administer the pet Piroxicam exactly as suggested or prescribed by your veterinarian. The medication is pretty fast-acting and should show pain relief in your pet within an hour or two of administering medication. And while there's no set timeline as to how long a dog can take Piroxicam, it's said to show the full benefits and effects in eight to twelve weeks. In some dogs, it may take up to six months to show the impact.

If pet parents see their dog or cat in pain, it warrants a trip to the veterinarian. The pain could be caused by anything from arthritis to cancer. If the pet has an inflammatory condition, vets often prescribe Piroxicam as it's fast-acting and treats pain in like a couple of hours from the time of administering. The drug manages pain by reducing the COX-2 enzyme, which is responsible for forming prostaglandins. Notably, prostaglandins is what causes swelling and inflammation in dogs. It's this ability to reduce COX-2 enzyme that Piroxicam is used to treat many types of tumors in dogs. These include nasal epithelial tumors, mammary tumors, prostatic carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder, oral squamous cell carcinoma, oral melanoma, and more. This is mainly because COX-2 is quite often unregulated in such tumors. Therefore, yes, Dogs can be given Piroxicam, but it's only to be given if prescribed to your pet. The medication is known to be troublesome for the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore it should be used with caution in pets with known GI and renal issues.

Piroxicam is given orally to the dog, typically with the food to reduce any chance of stomach upset or GI issues. Piroxicam is a fast-acting medicine, which means you will likely see improvement in your dog within one or two hours of administering the medication. The improvement in clinical symptoms follows throughout the treatment. Usually, it takes eight to twelve weeks or longer before your pet exhibits the full benefits of the Piroxicam.

Since Piroxicam is known for causing severe GI tract-related issues in dogs, it's no longer often used as an anti-inflammatory medication. Instead, the drug is now more commonly used as part of a chemo treatment program. Some of the most common side effects of Piroxicam include GI irritation, appetite loss, reduced energy, weakness, diarrhea, and vomiting. In more severe cases, it might cause ulceration in the gastrointestinal tract or nephrotoxicity. To avoid any complications with Piroxicam treatment, make sure to tell your vet about any other medication or supplement your pet might be on. This will help the vet to determine the dose accordingly and avoid any possible interaction with Piroxicam. The drug interacts with quite a few medications like corticosteroids, antibiotics, aspirin, and anticoagulants, among many other medications.

Yes, Piroxicam is known for causing high blood pressure in humans and could do the same in pets. The medication is likely to increase the chance of a fatal heart attack or stroke. Therefore, it's advised not to administer Piroxicam to dogs with known cardiac issues. Moreover, ensure that you don't increase dosage quantity and frequency without consulting your veterinarian first.