Carprofen Veterinary Products for Dogs

Carprofen is a veterinary nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used in FDA-approved products for dogs. It is not an over-the-counter dog NSAID in the United States.

FDA states that all currently marketed FDA-approved NSAIDs for dogs and cats are available by veterinary prescription only. It also identifies carprofen as an approved NSAID for dogs, marketed under Rimadyl and multiple generic names.

What is carprofen approved for?

FDA-approved carprofen products for dogs include oral and injectable dosage forms. Current FDA materials list carprofen among dog NSAIDs available by oral and injection routes.

For approved chewable-tablet products, FDA records identify labeled uses including relief of pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and control of postoperative pain associated with soft-tissue and orthopedic surgery in dogs.

Product labels and applications should be checked individually because the approved dosage form and packaging differ across products.

Rimadyl and generic carprofen

Rimadyl is a well-established branded carprofen product. FDA has also approved multiple generic animal drug applications for carprofen.

For example, FDA's approval documentation for a generic carprofen chewable tablet identifies Rimadyl Chewable Tablets as the reference listed new animal drug. Another 2024 FDA approval summary for Carprofen Soft Chewable Tablets lists 25 mg, 75 mg, and 100 mg strengths and identifies the product as prescription-only.

Those examples demonstrate a broader product landscape rather than one single "generic carprofen" package. A veterinarian or pharmacy may encounter different approved manufacturers, dosage forms, flavoring systems, package sizes, or tablet designs.

Dosage forms and strengths

FDA-approved carprofen products include oral tablets or chewable tablets and injectable products for dogs. The exact approved strengths depend on the application.

Commonly documented chewable-tablet strengths include:

• 25 mg;
• 75 mg;
• 100 mg.

Rimadyl also has an FDA-approved injectable solution for subcutaneous use in dogs. Its existence does not mean an injectable product can be substituted for an oral prescription. Route and dosage form are part of the product identity.

Prescription status: not OTC

FDA consumer guidance states that there are no FDA-approved OTC NSAIDs for dogs and cats. Carprofen products approved for dogs are prescription drugs.

The presence of "over-the-counter" in a historical URL should therefore not be used to describe current U.S. regulatory status. Online availability without a prescription is also not proof that a product is FDA approved.

Carprofen is a veterinary drug product category

Carprofen should not be presented as a routine human medication. The FDA approval materials cited for this page concern animal drug products for dogs.

This matters when comparing names across websites. A listing that mentions the active ingredient but does not identify an FDA-approved animal application, species, manufacturer, or product label may not provide enough information to establish what is actually being sold.

What should be checked before dispensing?

Useful product-research questions include:

• Is the prescription for Rimadyl or an FDA-approved generic?
• Is the dosage form a chewable tablet, another oral tablet, or an injectable product?
• What strength is specified?
• Which manufacturer or labeler is associated with the product?
• Does the package identify dogs as the approved species?
• Does the prescription match the exact product being dispensed?
• Is the veterinarian expecting a particular formulation or tablet type?

Veterinary NSAIDs also carry important safety information. FDA advises that veterinarians and owners discuss risks and benefits and use the product-specific Client Information Sheet where provided. This page does not attempt to reproduce full adverse-event labeling or provide a dosing plan.

Carprofen versus meloxicam

Carprofen and meloxicam are both veterinary NSAIDs, but they are different active ingredients and should not be treated as interchangeable. They have different products, labels, formulations, and species-specific approval details.

For comparison, see Meloxicam in Veterinary Medicine.

Pharmacy availability

Contact the pharmacy to confirm current availability and prescription requirements for a specific product, and ask the veterinarian about product- or species-specific questions.

For the broader veterinary research index, return to Veterinary Medication Research.

Product-level comparison is more useful than a generic “carprofen” search

A search result may identify only the active ingredient, while an actual prescription product has a trade or generic name, strength, dosage form, manufacturer, application, package size, and species label. Those details are important when comparing Rimadyl with an approved generic.

For example, FDA approval records for chewable and soft-chew generic products show that approved oral carprofen products can share the same active ingredient and commonly used strengths while still being distinct applications. A dispensing decision therefore starts with the prescription and the approved product information, not with a marketplace listing.

Safety information should come with the exact product

FDA-approved veterinary NSAIDs include risk information and many oral products are accompanied by Client Information Sheets. Owners should read the material supplied with the exact prescription because warnings and administration instructions belong to the specific product.

This research page intentionally does not reproduce a dosing table or attempt to select an NSAID for an individual dog. The veterinarian determines whether carprofen is appropriate for a particular patient and the pharmacy dispenses the prescribed product under that direction.