My 3 year old Labrador Retriever has Osteoarthritis. Will human OTC medications help him, if so which one(s)?

you can NOT give him OTC pain meds, they will harm him. (might even kill him)
BUT you can give him Glucosimine (and chondroitin is good for him, too... they usually come in a pill together) that is OTC and made for humans.
You want to give around 750-1,000 mg a day.
Be sure to look at the packaging on the pills you get, because some pills have that much mg in one pill, while others you have to give 3 or 4 pills a day to get that much, so check out that on the pkg. before you buy. (it is much easier to just give one pill vs. several, plus cheaper might not really be cheaper if you have to give 3 or 4 vs. one) They do make these pills for dogs but the human version is much cheaper and the vet told us don't bother paying the extra $ for the dog ones becasue they are the exact same thing!

If he is limping or such, you will notice a difference in a week or less. Just be sure to give them EVERY day, try not to miss any days.

Our lady (she is a Golden lab) is 8 years old and has had ostheoarthritis for a few years now and this has helped her trememendously.

If you want pain meds you need to get those from the vet.
But after taking the glucosmine for about a week ours didn't need pain meds.

You can either cram them down the throat and wait for a swallow (ok, I know that sounds harsh but it doesn't hurt them and you make sure they get it that way) or you can put it into food or a treat.

Another thing if your dog is overweight that only makes the arthritis problem worse so opt for a "light" or "diet" doggie food to help them lose weight.

Good luck and puppy kisses for your sweet lab!!

This would be a question for your vet. Many OTC human medications like Aleve and Tylenol can be harmful or even fatal for your pet. Don't give your dog human medications without talking to your vet first, I would also not trust the advice of just anyone on the internet as to what medications are safe for your dog.

Call your vet who diagnosed the dog with arthritis for advice.

There are some great joint supplements (Cosequin / Glycoflex) out there for dogs. Also pain medications if needed but you need to talk to your vet to get SAFE effective options.

You should really talk to your vet about medications for this. Most dogs, if they have plenty of exercise, are of an ideal weight, and are on a high quality dog food and glucosamine supplements, do not require medication. Most vets recommend pain meds only for dogs who really have moderate pain. Masking the pain symptoms on a dog with only mild pain can often cause the dog to do things that can further aggravate the situation.

Also, dogs do not metabolize medications the way we do. Dosages vary greatly, and many drugs can actually make a sitatuion worse, not better. You've obviously seen your vet in order to have this dx- call and ask his recommendation for meds.

wouldn't go with human OTCs. some can be toxic to dogs over time (liver, kidney, and GI ulcer problems). got some great medications in veterinary medicine to use. these are Carprofen (Rimadyl), Derocoxib (Deramaxx), Meloxicam, just to name a few.