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Arthritis and dogs - Answered by Dr. Slome
We have a great-spirited young pup in an old dog's body (16 years old!) who has arthritis that has been getting worse over the last couple months. She has a hard time getting up off her chair, but once she's up she does fine. She still loves to romp outside and takes regular walks of up to a mile every day.
Does anyone have experience with ways to make her more comfortable? We are now giving her rimadyl and glucosamine daily, but wonder if there's any other remedy that will help? Thanks for your help! |
#2
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Have you tried Deramaxx on her? That's the new "in" drug...
http://www.deramaxx.com/home/default.asp?page=0_0 |
#3
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since you are giving rimadyl, i'd like to suggest adding some milk thistle in there too, rimadyl is hard on their liver. I didnt know that until I came here.
However, seeing as though shes clearly been to the vet on this issue. I recently purchased this petnat stuff off of this site. I cant believe how good it works! You go through alot to start off, but I noticed dramatic results in my boy. On the main page here, check in the store. I recommend it!
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Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyways. ~John Wayne |
#4
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I'm not sure which i'd recommend as I think it depends on the dog and the arthritis but they make some special beds for sore jointed dogs, some are even heated or cooled. You might want to check out something like that to make her more comfy when sleeping. Many humans with arthritis like that memory foam stuff, maybe good for doggies too.
Here's to everyone, furry and not, living like a puppy no matter how old our skin! |
#5
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Relieve arthritis pain
I recently had a foster dog with severe arthritis. After a few days on Metacam there was a huge improvement in his mobility.
Recently I read an article in the Whole Dog Journal about a more natural remedy called Dog Gone Pain. The article is available online but you will probably have to pay for it if you are not a subscriber. The author raved about the results with her dog. Here is the web site : http://www.doggonepain.com/ |
#6
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My mom has a 14 year old chihuahua with horrible arthritis. She was so bad she couldn't even climb the front steps without a lot of pain. I'm not sure what the medication was, but the vet gave her a series of shots - one a week for six weeks - and she is like a puppy again! She jumps up on the bed at night, up and down from the couch, she runs like crazy and is so darn happy, it's amazing to see. I know the shots were not very expensive, either. It's really worth looking into, if it's the same kind of arthritis as your doggy it can make such a big difference.
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#7
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Have you considered accupuncture, I know people who have seen positive results for managing pain in their dogs even with cancer
Link to find a certified veterinary acupuncturist near you http://www.ivas.org/member_search.cfm
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"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown |
#8
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I know there are some excellent pain relievers on the market for dogs - and part of my own research is on pain relief in children - the human kind - so I prob should be advocating the traditional kind. Still, my brother's chocolate lab, aged 9 who has underwent a couple surgeries for his hip, has done extremely well on glucosamine - 500 mg tid.
Good luck!!
__________________
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats" Albert Schweitzer |
#9
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My boy :love: is 12 1/2 and was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis just a year ago. One of his legs just gave out when he went for a drink of water, and he was fine moments before that. I was afraid of a stroke, but his vet said that doesn't happen often. She put him on Metacam and its working great. It took him awhile, but he went from having to stop and sit every little bit to walking normally again. He also has a memory foam bed, and he sleeps very comfortably on it. It also keeps his joints warm. He's a bit stiff his first few steps, but then I am, too!! He still has an occasional bad day, but he's got the spirit of a puppy, and that's what we go on. You might suggest the Metacam to your vet. Be forewarned: it's pricey - a six week supply costs us $105. But it's worth it to keep him healthy. We bought our memory foam bed for about $20 at Walmart. Good luck with your girl!
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#10
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A new prescription diet from Hill's named "J/D" (joint disease) has been released, and is effective in a number of patients. The key ingredient is an omega three fatty acid. I like Rimadyl, but you may also consider trying another NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as Deramaxx, Previcox, Metacam, or etodolac in order to find the greatest efficacy. Not all patients respond the same way to a drug, therefore trial and error afford the best answer.
In addition to NSAIDs, some have found an additional opiate drug such as tramadol to be effective, when used in tandem with your NSAID. Obviously, it is important to keep your dog lean, and offer frequent exercise (not necessarily high intensity or long duration) over the week. And some have found benefit in acupuncture, physical therapy aids (underwater treadmill, swimming, heat application to specific painful joints via special ultrasound units), homeopathy, massage,and chiropractic application/manipulation. I am an allopathic veterinarian (and strongly believe in physical therapy), but can't really address the other modalities, other than many swear by them. Discuss all these options with your veterinarian. Dr. Van Lienden Dr. Raymond Van Lienden DVM The Animal Clinic of Clifton 12702 Chapel Road, Clifton Virginia, U.S.A. 20124 703-802-0490 |
#11
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arthritis and dogs
ester Vitamin C with bioflavinoids is supposed to be good also depending on the size of your dog 500 - 1000mg for small dogs up to 4000mg for large dogs
vit E 400IU if a big dog also try him on raw food with brown rice/ oats etc keep him walking/swimmimg good info on www.charlesloopsdvm.com/arthritis.htm |
#12
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Hi- Arthritis in dogs is a very difficult issue. My dog is a very active 7 year old standard schnauzer. We discovered that she was having great difficulty jumping into the car or onto the couch or walking up stairs. X-Rays showed spinal osteoarthritis lower back area. We started glucosamine and chondridon immediately. No NSAID medication helped her. Having a young dog who was suffering from arthritis, that was effecting her mobility and her quality of life was a huge issue. I decided to take the option to start her on Prednisone at a small dose/day. There were immediate results. My dog responded excellently to the steriod. It is 8 months since starting and I have been able to ween her off the steroid. She is showing no signs of relapse.
You need to work closely with your Vet and seek outside reference if you need it. There are alot of opinions out there with respect to how you should treat your dog. In my case, I directed her treatment towards pain management first and foremost. I felt she needs to return to her life of action. I weighed the risks verses the outcome. Cagney is back to herself.I am happy to say that her medication worked for her. The steroid was monitored closely and she is now weaned off the drug. I am hoping she continues to feel well-time will tell. Yes- steroids do have bad long term side effects. Each person needs to understand the risk factors. I am not promoting the use of steroids as a first line treatment. We added this treatment for my dog and it was effective. |
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