View Full Version : Managing Arthritis in Dogs.
Hello :)
I took my old girl to the vet today for a limp, it appears my 7 year old Shepherd x Kelpie has arthritis in her hips. :(
We're going back in the week for x-rays just to confirm, but the vet went through the procedures, telling me that she'll have a weekly injection every week for 4 weeks and then go monthly.
Does anyone else have a dog with arthritis? I don't REALLY want to make a trip to the vet every month for needles - I'm sure I'm not the only one with an arthritic dog.. especially as she's only 7... she still has a good few years left in her.
Cheers.
WorkingClassMum
10-08-2009, 13:20
Glucosomine. Our 12yo Rotty has been on Glucosomine for a few years and it made a huge difference.
He had a few needles first to ease him up until the G kicks in. (about 6 weeks)
I buy out of date human-use g from chemists or stuff on special from supermarkets - the one with fish oil really helped!
Our dog weighs 50k's, so we gave him a human adult dose, my MIL gives her 20kg dog about 1/4 of a human dose
Also garlic is a natural anti-inflamatory and helps with fleas, start off with about less that 1/4 of a teaspoon and build it up slowly to about not quiet a teaspoon - it helps with fleas too.
Find a vet that performs acupuncutre. Our dog was diagnosed with arthritis at about 6 or 7 and lived until she was 15 with nothing but acupuncture for her arthritis.
THe meds used for arthritis limit their life span as it affects their liver (or kidney's...one of them). Our dog didn't have to have acupuncture all that often either.
WCM - how did you approach the chemists?
WorkingClassMum
10-08-2009, 18:07
WCM - how did you approach the chemists?
I just ask (I have no shame :o) - I explain it's for a dog. I've been doing it for at least four years for our current dog.
Cool, I'll ask around tomorrow.. she goes back to the vet on Friday for the x-ray. :)
Sorry, I should've said thanks to you and DA before, but I had a baby on the boobie :p
DA - I've never heard of a vet that does accupuncture, I'll have a look around too.
And WCM - 12 years on a rotty! That's a great innings!
Seekrit it would be worth looking for - just look in the yellow pages. A homeopathic vet will likely be able to point you in the right direction if they don't do it themselves. I ended up working for the vet that gave our dog acupuncture and when I was working with him we had a German Shephard who couldn't even walk but his owner wanted to try everything before putting him to sleep. The vet went and performed acupuncture on the dog in the back of their car in the carpark and by the end of the week he was able to walk in to the surgery!
It gave him about 4 months longer in life...but he was in a seriously bad way. It gave our dog years of quality life!
XavysMummy
10-08-2009, 18:21
My Mini Poodle X Bichon was diagnosed with Arthritis at 8...we started with Cartrophen injections (4 weekly injections ever 6mths) but after the 2nd round they stopped working. I have her on Glucosomine with chondroitin which I get from the chemist. She is improving, the next step was putting her under GA and having an arthriscope done but they then suggest knee replacements which at $5K per knee are too exy.
Beckybug
10-08-2009, 20:55
Metacam is a wonderful anti inflammatory made just for animals. My (and my parents) 19. y.o Border collie has a dose every second day and she is like a new dog. She can run, jump everything. The vet said every day, but it made her a bit dopey.
It is expensive, but the results are so worth it.
JabberJaw
10-08-2009, 20:57
Fish oil :D works for humans and dogs.
hsvmum09
10-08-2009, 21:59
We alternate between Metacam and Glyde powder for our 15 year old German Shepherd! Both are expensive treatments but so worth it!!
Mum2Tyla
15-08-2009, 14:08
there are alot of differnet treatments for arthritis, acupuncture is a new thing but seems to be having alot fo success, therre is cartrophen which is the monthly injections there are daily medications, keepnig them warm etc all the smae things you would do for a human with artyhritis, glucosamine etc will help there are products you cang et that ahve shark cartilage and green lip mussel that can help also
there are alot of differnet treatments for arthritis, acupuncture is a new thing but seems to be having alot fo success, therre is cartrophen which is the monthly injections there are daily medications, keepnig them warm etc all the smae things you would do for a human with artyhritis, glucosamine etc will help there are products you cang et that ahve shark cartilage and green lip mussel that can help also
Acupuncture isn't that new. Just unheard of. My old boss had been performing acupuncture on animals for years....he would've started on our dog 12 years ago and he'd been doing it for a while before then.
Greenlit mussel supplement helps too. You can get it from woolies in the pet section.
Well her x-rays came back showing it's not as bad as first thought - in fact her hips look pretty okay (not great, but not terrible) which is a positive.
What our plan of attack is, is the injections for the month (weekly to build up.. something..) then once a month for a couple of months and assess from there. I'm going to look into the stuff like glucosomine and Green lip mussel as an alternative - especially in the summer when it'll be much warmer and hopefully won't bother her as much.
Thank you :)
Oh, WCM - I asked at a few chemists about the glucosomine and they said they're not allowed to sell out of date stuff, even for the dog, and they normally send it back to the company and swap for in date stuff ;/
WorkingClassMum
16-08-2009, 12:21
Oh, WCM - I asked at a few chemists about the glucosomine and they said they're not allowed to sell out of date stuff, even for the dog, and they normally send it back to the company and swap for in date stuff ;/
Hmmmm - I won't tell my local chemist then... LOL
I'm glad you have management plan in place for your dog - it's nearly as bad as having your kids in pain when your pets are hurt.
kea's mum
29-08-2009, 20:04
Our 14 year old boy has cartophen (4 week course initially then 1 injection every few months as needed), he has had 3 sessions of acupuncture a week apart which did help), he has Pernaese Powder/Sashas Blend powder (green lip mussel) on his food each night, and his diet is Royal Canin Mobility which has green lip mussel extract in it too. He has a Previcox tablet after a walk (veterinary prescription). His bed is raised off the floor . We dont kid ourselves, he has muscle wastage and hind limb weakness, so we will one day have to say goodbye, but in the meantime we do what we can (with a combination of natural/holistic and scientific treatments) to keep his pain at a minimum as his brain is still sharp and he still wants to be as active as he once was .:o
84zsazsa
11-09-2009, 15:35
Fish oil :D works for humans and dogs.
:iagree:...thats what we use & its great
Danni
KatiesMum
11-09-2009, 15:43
my doggie is 6 .. and just been diagnosed with arthritis :(
but vet has given us some anti-inflamatories for a bit, and advised fish oil and glucosamine ....
:fingerscrossed: my poor little furry baby will start to feel better. I dont want to do the injections ... especially if it damages their liver. He is so young ...
BazzasMum
11-09-2009, 16:00
Our 11yr old rottie x sheperd gets a vit b and a fish oil every night with her dinner. Apart from the hearing loss (selective :rolleyes:) she still gets around like a puppy.
I don't know where you are, but swimming is great for them too. Poochie-girl goes to the beach 2-3 times a week for a romp in the water.
Looshkin
11-09-2009, 16:14
My 8 year old shepherd cross malamute is on the 3 rd week of a 6 weekly plan of injections then monthly.
The vet training in me says get the injections, they are really worth it.
The hippy in me says, as well as getting the injections buy some "sashas blend" and start putting that in the food. (I buy a no name version of the powder which is just as good)
It's a mix of naturally occuring glucosamine and chronroitins from fish cartilage, green lipped mussels and abalone.
We have also swapped them both to "eagle pack holistic (organic) salmon and fish" ? dry food.
Their coats which were already really shiny are better, their eyes look less..old? and the limp has gotten much better There is as much glucosamine and chrondroitins in the dry food as the sashas blend, so a cheaper alternative. We still give a little extra mixed with a tablespoon of organic jalna yoghurt mixed into the dry though.. :yes:
The 15kg bag of food is 120 bucks but lasts 2 dogs here 2/3 months so absolutely worth it.
The B.A.R.F diet would be another option.
I think the food makes a massive change in overall health and the need for medicine..
I guess just like with humans on a healthy diet.
We could be taking all the right supplements, but if we just ate a really good diet everything would be much better.
Also, we have got her swimming as much as possible and will be easier now it's warming up.
But I can tell you that all of the above has got her a lot more mobile and the left hip seems much more fluid and less creaky and sore.
Oh and she's lost a bit of weight in case your dog is carrying any extra that makes a huge difference.
We've just finished the 4 weekly course and are meant to go monthly from now, but we're going to go for the most homeopathic options at least until the summer - or until she yelps again. I've been running in the mornings but as yet I haven't taken her with me because 1) she's stupid 2) my vet's on my run and I don't want to be doing the wrong thing by taking her too soon... from Monday though I'm going to do a shorter walk/run to train her how to not be so stupid (previously I've lived nearby places that she can run off leash, but not here) and hopefully build up her strength again :)
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