Anybody have an arthritic dog? Seeking advice.

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M

Mudder

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My old boy is going on 15 and I know it's a matter of time before he goes across the rainbow bridge. Lately he's been showing signs of arthritis. In the morning he is very slow to get up and he shows signs of stiffness. The other day he refused to go down the 5 stairs to get from the bedroom level to the kitchen level in the house, I had to carry him. He seems to get better in the afternoon but then is slow in the evening. The Vet recommended glucosamine and low dose aspirin and that seems to be making a difference.

I'm looking for others who have arthritic dogs and if there is anything more that I can do for him? He's never whimpered or appeared to have been in pain at all, his appetite is still strong and he still interacts with the family and our other animals in a normal manner. The vet also feels that his quality of life is still good so we don't have to make the heartbreaking decision to euthanize just yet, but I know that if he shows signs of pain I will have to let go. We adopted him from a neighbor who did not treat him well and I want to give him every possible minute of happiness that I can give him.

If you have an arthritic dog, I would like to hear of what you are doing. Suggestions would be appreciated.




Thanks for letting me rant.
 
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Our Pup is 13 and has been showing signs for awhile. We started to sprinkle a 1/4 tsp of Pure MSM (methyl sulfonyl methanr) by Solid Gold on her food every meal now for about 6 months, we do see a difference. She does struggle with teh stairs sometimes in the evening but she still prances when she's out on a walk, other than being deaf now she's just fine.

We buy it at the pet store, it says it's from Solid Gold Health products for pets, dosages are per animal weight, it says it works for cat's, dogs and horses.
 
We gave our dog Ester C. That seemed to help somewhat. It had been recommended by a vet for arthritis.
 
Scott, I do know a lot about animal and animal health.
first just like in people arthritis is not really treatable short of drastic action like joint replacement. follow me here or it can get confusing. the symptoms of arthritis (joint pain)are treatable in that they can be releived to some degree. depending on how bad the pain is determins just how much relief you can offer. But you really already know that due to the vet. The pain of arthritis fluctuates, this is why you get bad mornings and evenings with good days. Pain so severe that He will not walk down stairs is not an indication of how much pain he is in constantly. stairs require some pretty extended movement of the joints. I would use walking around the house as the base line for how much pain you think he is in for a given period of time. As with any pain there are progressivly stronger drugs to relieve it.
Some time spent researching what those drugs are and there availablity might be time well spent.
the follow is not a recomendation. it is what I woudl do in this situation. I would choose to do this based upon my experience, confidence, and knowledge. I am not a vet and I am not a doctor. But I do have massive experience in the care of animals, have routienly preformed medical care on, horses, cows, swine, dogs, rabbits, tropicl fish, birds of all kinds, and cats. I have given injections, preformed surgeries, treated infections and other dieseases, and even preformed ultra sounds. But I am not a professional, I am a farm boy. having said that I will tell you what I would do if this where my dog. I woudl find a series of pain killing drugs that I could get from feed stores, pharmacies or any other legal source. I woudl study those drugs for boththere strength, side effects, and dosage, (dosage is based on weight). and I would treat my dog myself until I was happy with the results. vets cover there butts, sorry to say. and don't want to get clobbered with a law suit cause they overmedicated your dog. be careful of reactions to any drugs from the dog when you first use anything. and treat with bynadril (over the counter) if you notice any. You won't need things like morphine, but there are some very good drugs out there that are safe. if it works good for you it very likely will work good for your dog. People medication works just the same in your dog.
 
Per my vet Glucosamine is what we use. After about a month noticed a big difference. Put the step back into Blaze our Golden Retriever..

Cav. is correct about the winter....
 
Baby aspirin every two days. Vet told me aspirin stays in a dogs bloodstream longer than peoples and it's easy to over medicate. Check your dog food and make sure there is no sodium in it, makes the joints swell. I'm sure the glucosamine may help altho I quit taking mine. When I got sick awhile back I couldn't eat anything for 3 days, no coffee, chocolate or salt. Since I quit consuming those three items my joints feel great.

I had to put 3 dogs down the week before Christmas. When the other 3 dogs and I go for a walk I still snival about it. You've given your baby a good life! Good luck!
 
We have a dog that has a rebuilt hip after a run-in while chasing cars in the wrong direction.

Over the seven years since, she has developed arthritis.

Our vet did some test and gave us some medication that we can give her on her rougher days. There are apparently 3 - 4 medications on the market, each working a differently.

Talk with your vet. I am sure they can help.
 
Mudder .... I share your pain. My Golden Retriever has been my faithful companion for the last 15 years. Over the last two years she has suffered a great deal with arthritis and hip problems (characteristic of Goldens). Our vet prescribes Rimadyl which I give her twice a day. It's not cheap. Even with the Rimadyl she is very slow getting up and wobbles a little when I take her outside. Sometimes I have to help her lift up her back end when she gets up. Her running days are over. My guess is that she won't be here for next Christmas. But, when the time comes, I'm the one who is going to put her down with grace and dignity.
 
Mudder, I feel your pain. Recently had to put my shop buddy down after being with us for 17 years. My 24 year old laid a stuffed squirrel on his grave at Christmas and cried like a baby. I would check into the glucosimine for help with joint problems and possibly aspirin for pain. Be sure to run it by your vet to verify doses. Good Luck with your decision.

Buck was healthy as a horse from the neck down, or as vet said, "good for another 100K squirrels". But he was 95% blind from cataracts and started having seizures and senility. We had to carry him up and down steps also. I still miss him.

Here is "The Sentinel" taking his usual position near the koi pond, protecting the family from those ever dangerous killer attack squirrels. Terrier/schnauzer mutt. The "hunting" orange scarf was so we could see him at night when we let him out. He had a collection of about 15, including Christmas and Stars and Stripes.

Image Insert:
2007716185238_Buck.jpg
 
Not to start a snit, but I would most definitely go with the recommendation and advice of a trained professional vet that you use and trust. Amateurs experimenting with medicines on another species is total folly in my opinion.
 
Our vet is a minimalist when it comes to medical intervention and the only thing she recommends for arthritis is Rimadyl. Our oldest dog is 14 or 15, we're not really sure, completely deaf and very probably the single dumbest dog I've ever known. Sometimes his back end just sort of collapses when he goes up steps, and occasionally he's a bit slow getting up in the morning, but he still trots to the barn to eat horse manure.
 
Scott,

We've used many of the above remedies with initial success. Aspirin and glucosamine were first suggested by our vet because of over the counter availability & effectiveness. Everything we have done was either recommended or agreed by our vet. Rimadyl works well but we changed to Prevacox because the side effects on internal organs is less traumatic than the Rimadyl. We found that Glucosamine for human consumption was not being dissolved at all within the canine digestive tract. We did a fair amount of research and found that Synovi G3 (by DVM pharmaceuticals), a liver flavored, powered form for canine had the highest concentration of glucosamine & MSM. Our vet suggested online purchases for both the Synovi and prevacox.

Now, we've discontinued the prevacox & glucosamine and replaced it with a daily maintenance dose of prednisone to treat autoimmune anemia caused by annual immunization and have discontinued all immunizations @ vets recommendation. It took 4 years to realize that the guy got lethargic shortly after receiving his shots; each time being a bit worse than the previous and requiring a vet trip. First diagnosis - thyroid. 2nd diagnosis - aaarf-ritis. 3rd diagnosis - minor anemia. 4th year, major anemia, a look back at the records, prednisone & human, antirejection drugs.

Now, he begs for 10 minutes of exercise chasing the red, laserdot every night @ 6pm. Not surprising, the prednisone is the least expensive medication we've used.
 
Mudder I've raised German Shepards for the past 30 years, besides hip dysplasia, like most large breeds the develop arthritis , other than prednisone, baby aspirin and Glucosamine seem to work very well, my senior bitch is 13 and in good shape for a Shepard her age I have a rescued male that has dysplasia and he's on 250 Mg Motrin he's only 7 fortunately we had him X-rayed before we bred him, we had him neutered immediately, he's such sweet dog and really pretty to bad we couldn't have bred him.
All the dogs get fed with glucosamine, I think the preventative approach has helped,
 
Originally posted by rixstix



Now, we've discontinued the prevacox & glucosamine and replaced it with a daily maintenance dose of prednisone to treat autoimmune anemia
Click to expand...

I too take prednisone for my arthritis and autoimmune deficiency. I take the 5mg every day with folic acid to it doesn't hurt my liver. I get a bottle of 100 for about 4 bucks. If you should decide to go this way, I will gladly send you a bottle.
 
Scott,

My mom has arthritis (fairly severe)

Lived in Chicago til she was 50 - lots of pain.
Moved to Florida - two knee replacements, but spry at 84, walks 2 miles a day.

I don't expect you to move to Florida, but might try a heating blanket under the dogs bed at night (if he's a chewer, reconsider this)
OR Microwave some of those beans they use for people's necks - just try to keep him sleeping on something warm.

FWIW - Our dogs always slept next to the entry door (guard dogs, until someone actually came IN), which is, of course, the COLDEST spot in the house. Not medicine, just "horse sense" for dogs.
 
I agree with Cav.
Sadly we had to have our 15 year old Sheltie /Shephard cross put down yesterday. She was in constant pain, limping all the time, eyesight very bd and she was virtually stone deaf. I had a tumor taken from hear right ear last year but we surmise that the remains had spread and were probably effecting her brain as she would lie in a puddle during the pouring rain and carry on with other strange behaviour.
She was not an inside dog but would walk through to the garage when allowed to escape thunderstorms, fireworks or bad weather. She refused to do even that in the end.
 
A little explanation is warranted here.

My Vet is also a minimalist and he also knows that I will be the crazy old man sitting in the park talking to squirrels in my later life. I have 2 dogs and we now have our 5th cat in seclusion in my wife's office ( that will be the subject of another thread). I also have one of those rubber spined little rodents known as a ferret that lives in my son's room. I keep several bird feeders around for my little feathered friends and I also have 6 squirrels that will come and take peanuts from my hand. They get fed also. From the amount of animals that I have you can no doubt see that I spend a few thousand every year on feed, vet bills and other things needed for my "family". The vet understands this and recommends things that are less costly but just as effective.

He recommended the following:

For the first 30 days I am to give the dog a double dose of glucosamine (Vet says there is no danger here and it will give him a "kick start" to better joint health)

Aspirin is recommended at 5mg/lb. every 12 hours crushed and mixed with his food so that his stomach will tolerate it. I am to bring him in for weekly check ups for the next 6 weeks and I will have to watch him carefully to make sure that he tolerated the aspirin.

Today was a good day! he was out in the back yard running around like a puppy with my boxer and he wandered in a couple of minutes ago to say hello and he seemed to be in good shape. I love this dog and it will break my heart when the time comes to let him go but It would also break my heart to see him suffer. I just want to do everything in my power to give him some more happy days.
 
Mudder, from previous threads about animals, I know you and I have widely divergent views on the subject. I have raised cattle, owned dogs and my wife has a cat. I love animals and believe we (humans) are charged with caring for them. To the best of my ability, I never allowed an animal in my care to suffer. Meaning, when I see an animal suffering and am unable to permanently end that suffering, it is not a problem with me to end it's life. I believe that is the right thing to do. I take no pleasure in this but have no regrets either. (exception, putting down a $5,000.00 fullblood bull is painful in it's own way) From what you have described, IMHO, the five cent fix is in order. Sorry.
 
We just got back from the Vet and the news is Good!

"Zebo" is responding beautifully to the aspirin and glucosimine and the Vet says that the prognosis is good that he will be able to delay his crossing the Rainbow bridge for at least a few more months. There is no signs of pain and his flexibility is improving. He gets up easily from laying down and he does not hesitate to go up or down the stairs. He even was outside a few minutes ago giving the Squirrels the what for.

As long as his quality of life is still good I see no reason to have to end his life, but I do know that the time will come and I will be prepared to do what is necessary.
 
Glad to hear that your dog is feeling better. One thing you should look into is Magnetic Therapy (which has been used in pets for many years). I have used it for my dog and it worked very well. I got a magnetic pet pad for him to sleep on and it worked wonders. I am not a big fan of any drugs if they can be avoided.
 
Update:

"Zebo" has been on Glucosomine and aspirin for 3 weeks now and the results are staggering. We keep the two dogs in the kitchen during the day with a pair of baby gates that are about 32" tall. One at the top of the stairs and one at the door from the kitchen to the living room. Well, 4 out of 5 days last week momma came home to be greeted in the living room so we had to get a taller gate. We got a gate that's 42" tall and installed that. Guess what? Wednesday and Thursday momma comes home to be greeted in the living room. He's jumping a 42" gate!

He went from refusing to get up at times 3 weeks ago to jumping a 42" gate. I don't know how I'm going to contain him and I think I'd better not try. I'm just glad that he's doing better.
 
Glad to hear he is doing better, Remember though that arthritis comes and goes so don't get disheartened if he back slides from time to time. Really glad you found something that helps though.
 
I had a german shepard (silver/black)female dog that lived to be 17 years old. She was my "hearing" dog. She had some problems moving around in the mornings (that's cuz of non-movements in the evenings) We were told by our vet to walk our dog for short length at least twice a day...which wasn't a problem as she was always outside with us regardless of the weather. Just be patient in the mornings as it's more difficult for them to move, but once they get moving, they'll be fine. We had a heating pad in the dog bed for her and that helped quite alot during the winter/cold nights. We also had some medication for Heidi (the dog) prescribed by our vet (Can't remember what it was...it was 15 years ago), and it has worked for her for couple years until it got worse. Then we had to put her down. But she lived everyday to the fullest. Never "retired" from her duties..even when I told her to relax/play. Best dog I ever had.
 
Scott,
We're kinda in the same situation with our 15 year old, three elgged German Sheperd. She had her right front leg amputated due to being hit by a truck almost 10 years ago.
Anyway, we have her on Vitamins and Glucosamine. We have two other dogs and they keep her moving around. She has her bad days, where she can't even get up. Her hips hurt her on those days, but she never cries or even whimpers. And there are days when she would give Zebo a run for his money......
We try to keep her as comfortable as possible and know in the back of our minds that she too will be crossing the "Rainbow Bridge" before long.:(
But just when it looks like she is close to done, she is a new dog the next day.....
Keep him active and on his meds. I hope and pray I will have the energy and dignity our dogs have when I get that old.....;)
 
I was just passing by and saw this. I've got a dear old German Shepherd with arthritis. We give her Purina dog food that has Glucosomine and Chondyortin (?sp). We also give her Naproxen Sodium. She's much better overall. But when the rains come, she;s having a hard time. Naproxen seems to help the pain considerably.
 
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