Welcome to JustAnswer! I am a licensed veterinarian and specialist and will do my best to assist you today!

While most veterinarians do not like the use of human over the counter pain medications such as Calpol (paracetamol) or human ibuprofen, although some have good experience with aspirin (LINK HERE)

With that said - VERY important - If you plan on seeing your veterinarian for safe and effective pain medication for your dog, using aspirin or other over the counter human pain medications (aspirin, calpol, ibuprofen) can actually be quite dangerous.

Based on the pain you report, your veterinarian may wish to use a NSAID such as Rimadyl or Deramaxx or even a steroid such as Prednisone to reduce the pain and inflammation.

If you give aspirin now for example, your vet will need to wait up to 7-10 days before they can prescribe what they want.

While quality of life and pain is something we all wish to address, this must be done safely. If this means not giving something tonight, to be able to receive the better option when seeing your vet, for short and long term health, using safe medication that is known to work is the better option and why giving something now at home, from the medicine cabinet, may not be the best choice.

For irritation - what will not affect your veterinarian's plan is an antihistamine first - such as Benadryl (LINK HERE) (dosed in dogs at 1mg per 1 pound of body weight every 8-12 hours, meaning a 25 pound dog would get 25mg every 8-12 hours)

Hope that helps and answers all your questions!

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With this communication - we are here to guide you in making the best decision for your pet. This is for informational purposes only. We are not allowed to diagnose and prescribe medications - rather provide a course of action to speak to your veterinarian about - and any medical therapy and treatment should only be performed after an in-person examination with your veterinarian as a professional-client relationship has not been established on the site. While information may be discussed, this is not intended as an encouragement for you to self treat your pet, rather information online, and any treatment provided should only be performed after consulting your veterinarian