Muscle Relaxers for Dogs

"One day Mark and Sherley were coming home from a movie at 8 pm, when they saw their Maltese dog, Spike was whining, moaning, and unable to walk. While walking Spike could only use his front paws and was painfully dragged his limp back legs along the ground. When they touched him to see if he had any cuts, stickers or broken bones, Spike cried a horrendous scream. They tried feeding and comforting him but he was unable to eat and drink, and continued showing intermittent signs of excruciating pain. At first, they thought their dog must be having a bowel blockage or some kidney or liver problem, but later when they took him to the animal hospital for an X-ray, he was diagnosed with an injured back and was having spine pain and muscle spasms..."

Quite surprising isn't it? Well, just like us humans, even dogs suffer muscle spasms, pain, cramps, etc., and so there are many muscle relaxers available these days to alleviate their pain and discomfort.

Muscle relaxers are drugs that relieve pain, stiffness or swelling from strains, muscle cramps or other muscle injuries. These medications don't heal the injuries or disorders but help in relaxing the muscles and alleviating the pain. They relieve the pain by modifying the stretch reflex arc or by interfering with the excitation-coupling process in the muscle itself. These relaxers work by blocking the inter-neuronal pathways in the spinal cord and in the mid-brain reticular activating system, and hence, are highly beneficial for dogs in intense pain.

Methocarbamol: It's a centrally acting muscle relaxer that works as an adjunct therapy of acute inflammatory and traumatic conditions of skeletal muscles, and reduces muscle spasms. Though it has no direct relaxant effect on the striated muscle, nerve fibers, or the motor endplate, over-dosage of methocarbamol is characterized by central nervous system (CNS) depression, emesis, salivation, weakness and ataxia in many animals.

Guaifenesin: Also called glyceryl guaiacolate, it's a centrally acting muscle relaxant that blocks the nerve impulse transmission at the intern-uncial neuron level of the subcortical areas of the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord. It's a given IV to induce muscle relaxation as an adjunct to anesthesia for short procedures or surgeries. Guaifenesin is used for treating strychnine intoxication in dogs and relaxes both laryngeal and pharyngeal muscles, without causing much effect on the diaphragm and respiratory function.

Benzodiazepine: It's a spinal cord depressant that affects polysynaptic reflexes at the supraspinal level and inhibit presynaptic acetylcholine release. Diazepam, a type of benzodiazepine, is used as an adjunct to anesthesia for short procedures.

Dantrolene: Unlike other skeletal muscle relaxants, it's a hydantoin derivative that has a direct effect on the muscle, by interfering with the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. It has no observable effects on the respiratory and cardiac function, but may lead to dizziness and sedation. As a veterinary medicine, dantrolene is used to treat malignant hyperthermia and porcine stress syndrome in different species.

Rimadyl: It's a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to alleviate pain and inflammation due to osteoarthritis in dogs. Carprofen, the active ingredient in Rimadyl, provides a supportive treatment for the relief of arthritic symptoms in dogs. It can be used for both short term or day-to-day relief from the joint pain and inflammation associated with hip dysplasia, and other forms of joint deterioration.

Phenytoin, diazepam, tramadol HCL, etc., are some other muscle relaxers meant for dogs, that can be used to cure moderate to severe muscle pain in dogs. Although they are highly effective and apparently have no side effects, it's recommended to consult a veterinarian before giving these medications to your dog.