|  Author | Topic: Arthritis treatments for dog? (Read 37 times) |
Aussienot
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Karma: 14 |  | Arthritis treatments for dog?
« Thread Started on Apr 10, 2009, 11:06pm » | |
Sailor, the lovely well behaved Labrador I rarely post about, turns 11 in two weeks. I have suspected for a while that she had arthritis. In the past week she has reduced her physical activity, has completely stopped playing with Tarot, and is slow to rise. You can actually hear a clicking-popping sound from her joints when she gets up after lying down. She is also reluctant to climb stairs.
So, into the vet today for treatment and advice. I have already started her on supplements of Glucosamine and Chorndroitin tablets, which was the vet's first recommendation. The second was to start on a series of 4 to 6 weekly injections of Cartropfen. The idea is behind both these treatments is to repair the joints to relieve the pain, rather than masking the pain with a Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) .
My last 'senior' dog Jody, was diagnosed with arthritis at 13, she was started immediately onto a NSAID (Moloxicam/Metacam). She was on one dose daily for nine years. It was hugely expensive, but she had mobility and was pain free until she died at 22 years of age. I was a big believer in Metacam, but am willing to give my vet's recommendation a try.
Sailor had her first injection this morning. I have kept Sailor slim and fit her entire life (she's only 24.5 kilos), and I cared for her joints with controlled exercise while she was growing up. The vet thinks she is an ideal candidate for the repair/rebuild treatment.
Sailor is stoic and does not show pain (I think it is a Labrador thing, because Jody was the same way.) So I won't know for several weeks if she's hurting. I want to do the right thing by her, and am a little uncertain about going down this path.
Any thoughts or ideas?
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GWPSage
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Karma: 3 | | Re: Arthritis treatments for dog?
« Reply #1 on Apr 16, 2009, 1:34pm » | |
Hey there!
Not sure what types of supplements are available in AU but you may consider adding MSM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylsulfonylmethane to her supplementation as it assists with the absorption of the Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Also, if you can find Hyluranic Acid (HA) which is typically found in injectable joint compounds. It is vital to repair the synovial fluid within the joint. There are studies in absorption rates in horses that show that it is very beneficial for joint pain. I have taken it myself and within a week there is a significant decrease in my joint pain. Just MSM alone makes a huge difference in my dogs and horses. They have a lot less joint popping and their immune systems are much stronger. A good company to order HA is a company called Hyalun not sure if they will ship over seas. Their HA is lab grown, not from animal by- products.
If you have any questions shoot me an email I don't check the boards frequently.
Cynthia
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Aussienot
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Karma: 14 | | Re: Arthritis treatments for dog?
« Reply #2 on May 8, 2009, 4:53pm » | |
Sailor is now on 750 mg Glucosamine and Chondroitin, 500 mg Green Lipped Mussel, and 120mg Hyaluronic acid and 900 mg MSM twice daily. It's all in two pills twice a day, so not as formidable as it sounds.
I've also taught Sailor to open her mouth wide and I just chuck the capsules to the back of her throat and she swallows. (I told you she was an easy dog!). She learned not to chew on the way down on her own.
She goes in for her last cartrophen shot this morning.
She is heaps better now. Last night she played with Tarot for about 40 minutes and does not seem sore this morning. I didn't let them do the body slamming wrestle game, but I gave them three similar toys, and let dogs be dogs. There was heaps of chasing and tugging and always the two toys that the dog did not have were more desirable than the one the dog did have.
I have a couple of toys that are great for two dogs to play tug of war together. Sailor has the weight and height, but Tarot has the will to win, so they are pretty equally matched. Plus the loser had the choice of two other toys, and the game would start again. Sailor has always wanted a friendly playmate, and she was a very happy dog last night.
I am surprised how quickly she has gone from senior dog into old dog when I was not looking. Hopefully, as we go into cold wet winter, she can cope on just the medications, and the occasional cartrophen assist.
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We give dogs the time we can spare, the space we can spare, and the love we can spare.
In return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal mankind has ever made.
M Facklam |
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