We have the dog version of NSAIDs that are safer than most of the human medications that we can give as far as NSAIDs go. We can also do some other stronger pain medications, such as Gabapentin and Tramadol. Those are going to be things that we can do for more of the human side of medications. And then, we also have other medications that we can do long-term to help control the pain.

You can give doggy NSAIDs to your dog. Still, I do not recommend giving any human medications to your dog as far as aspirin or NSAIDs go without first consulting your veterinarian. Most of them will do more harm than good.

In short, yes. While there are medications out there that are relatively safe for dogs, most of the time, you do want to reach out to your veterinarian because not every dog is the same.

You generally do. Many dogs will require different types of pain medication, be on different dosages or for additional periods, so making sure you bring your dog in to establish the best pain medication and management route for your dog would be great.

As far as giving the medication, there are many little helpful treats out there. There are pill pockets, the type that will mold around the treat. You can use cheese, peanut butter, marshmallows, or something like that to stuff the pill into. But you also may have to end up getting a pill popper or even popping it down your dog's throat if they are absolutely against taking it.

There are some that you can give. Things like Gabapentin and Tramadol do cross over and are pretty similar, but the dosing is different. Again, you want to make sure you contact your vet before giving any medications.