Arthritis

[Shamas mom]

Shamas has been showing soreness in his back end lately, so we got him to the vet today. He's getting arthritis.

doc started him on Glucousamine, and we need to do Xrays--but that will be a separate appointment as he will need to go to sleep for the manipulations of his hips. thee's mention of Laser Therapy.


Of course you all know how I work--I want to be prepared.

What can you fine people tell me of arthritis from experience? Not the Dr Google stuff. Actual experience.

As we enter a new phase of dog ownershihp, I want to know where our journey will lead

 

[Lab_adore]

I don't have any advice @Shamas mom but I just wanted to say I'm sorry you have had this news and I hope you can get a very good solution that works. I'm sure lovely Shamas will be fine

 

[Atemas]

When we suspected Sky had arthritis we started her on Yumove tablets (don’t know if they are only sold in Uk) and a daily splash of salmon oil on her food. She was about 8 years old when her symptoms started. She was x rayed at 10 years old and arthritis confirmed in her back legs and back. She was then on daily medication for almost the next 3 years which really helped her. There was a gradual worsening over all this time but we just managed each bit by shortening her walks, giving her more sniffing opportunities (but this was much later when the arthritis was bad). We bought a feeding bowl on legs. We put down soft matting at door entrances. It was a very gradual process of considering her needs and I’m sure you will do the same for Shamas

 

[Jacqui-S]

Lilly has had bad hips from around a year old. She did really well on a low dose of NSAID for years. Unfortunately now older and more arthritic, including elbows, when we tried a higher dose of NSAID she got stomach irritation and a little bleeding from her gut. For most of the time she has used Previcox (containing rofecoxib) pretty successfully.
We also have Lilly on YouMove plus. Over the years she has had a diet that is rich in Omega 3 fish oils, additional salmon oil, and most importantly, kept her weight to the lean side. Looking at non slip flooring is also really important, as is even amounts of daily exercise.

I think @UncleBob has a blog site where he has a good summary of current treatments?

For ourselves, we have just had our 4th injection of Cartrophen. I don't think it has had any positive benefit.
Tramadol wasn't that helpful. We were recently given dog co-codamol....haven't tried it really but not expecting it to be brilliant considering the Tramadol was unimpressive.
Probably our next step is trying gabapentin

 

[UncleBob]

Thanks, @Jacqui-S

Hi @Shamas mom. OK, the bad news is that there is (currently) no cure. However, the good news is that it is very manageable, especially in the early stages. Also, there doesn't seem to be a 'one size fits all' treatment - what works really well for one dog may have only a fairly minor impact for another. As Jacqui said, after our Lab Harvey developed arthritis I did a lot of research and put together a blog post : Canine Arthritis Bible It's an ongoing piece of work - as new developments come along I'll update the post. Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

 

[Loraseal]

Sorry @Shamas mom but there is lots you can do to help as @UncleBob mentioned.
We used the laser therapy on Hunter just after his elbow ops and it gave him short term relief(3 -5 days)
If Hunter has really bad pain, we go to our hydro-therapist, who also gives him the laser treatment.
Hydro therapy is also good if you want to look into that.
We are trying to keep the NSAID's to a minimum as he is so young and are aware that they can cause organ problems.
We also use Yumove (amazon sell it in Canada I think) and also make golden paste (turmuric based) mixed with salmon oil.
I don't know if you have wooden floors or not, but carpets or runners in the house stop them from slipping and jarring their joints.
@Natalie is trying Librela. An injection (targets nerve growth) given monthly that has only been on the market(EU) since late last year.
Personally I think weight is the primary element that helps any arthritic dog.
Every dog reacts differently so it will be an ongoing progress and working out what works best for your dog.
X

 

[snowbunny]

@JulieH is also using Librela with her dog Tarka and logging on FB. She's seeing profound results. I'm very tempted to try it with Juniper.

 

[MellowYellow]

With my two old dogs I found keeping them slim, keeping them warm, finding the right pain medication and level, and fitting the environment to their comfort (thick comfortable beds, non-slip coverings on the floor, making sure they did not have to navigate stairs) all really helped. Good luck, it's not the end of the world and you will find ways to keep Shamas as comfortable as possible.

 

[Natalie]

I've pretty much tried all of the above with Monty, plus acupuncture, Omega three, occasional paracetamol, and regular hydrotherapy. The must haves for me would be:
- weight control (thin not just slim if possible)
- NSAIDs
And definitely a random selection of mats to cover up your lovely flooring and make it a pain to vacuum

I think I might be able to see a slight improvement with Monty, 11 days post Librela , he looks to be moving up the garden steps a little easier. It's hard to be objective, as yes, you are the person that sees them every day, yet you are wishing so hard for an improvement that you want to make sure you aren't kidding yourself that youare seeing something that's not there.

We were probably in a better situation with Monty than many were who have had brilliant results with Librela - he can still manage a good hour long walks, some cantering around, he can get up and down from the bed and the stairs. I wonder if the best results are with dogs who have very severe / end stage arthritis?

 

[Natalie]

he's seeing profound results. I'm very tempted to try it with Juniper.

It seems like there's nothing to lose - they aren't terribly expensive as medications go, (same price for us as daily NSAIDs) no apparent side effects or problems with mixing with other meds?



@JulieH is also using Librela with her dog Tarka and logging on FB.


I noticed yesterday she was continuing her NSAIDs for two weeks - whereas we were told to stop ours straight away.

 

[snowbunny]

It seems like there's nothing to lose - they aren't terribly expensive as medications go, (same price for us as daily NSAIDs) no apparent side effects or problems with mixing with other meds?

Oh, that's interesting. I was concerned that she would have to wait because she's just had another Osteopen injection. I'll ask my vet and see if it's available here.

 

[Natalie]

Oh, that's interesting. I was concerned that she would have to wait because she's just had another Osteopen injection. I'll ask my vet and see if it's available here.

this link has the medication sheet on it. Though the problem is, its so new, they haven't necessarily tested with all medicines. to be on the safe side you could wait five weeks.

Librela® Solution for Injection for Dogs

Buy Librela® Solution for Injection for Dogs for your Dogs from VioVet, FREE DELIVERY available over £35. Great prices and super easy to use website, see for yourself now.

www.viovet.co.uk

 

[Shamas mom]

Thanks, everyone!

He's been started on glucosamine. and I already use Herring oil in his food, which is Salmon and sweet potato formula...so plenty of Omegas there.

we DO have hardwood, so I'll add some mats. I had noticed how much he liked the floor we put in one of the kids' rooms actually--it's foam mats, but with a nice hardwood finish. I could wipe it down and maintain it pretty easily.

I'm considering dropping the bed off the frame and laying the box spring on the floor so he can get up easier. that's more a thing for winter when he dens to escape the cold. we have a bed tent.

We're already doing many of his walks in the woods, where the ground is spongier...rather than the sidewalks. With Covid cases climbing, and streets getting busier, we've been hunting for ways to get outside and away from people at the same time.

He listed at 70.5lbs, so that's not an issue. The most he's ever weighed in at was 71lbs, during training. Interestingly, his ideal used to be 68...must be the increased muscle fromt he woods-walking that's put that higher

 

[M.F.]

Sorry to hear.

Is there a reason for the xrays? The manipulation of the joints can be very painful after they’ve woken up. Snowie cried terribly.

Our dog physio said xrays don’t always give a better picture than seeing the actual dog in front of you. She said xrays are interesting, but not always useful. It also struck me that the treatment depended on her physical examination, which included hands on and watching him move.

Our dog physio said building strong muscles was the most important thing to protect the joints. Underwater treadmill is excellent for this.

Laser therapy was very effective for healing and pain reduction.

And good old paracetamol was an effective pain med.

Snowie has back problems—arthritic vertebrae, slipped L1 disc. But somehow he’s got better, not worse, with age! Apparently as the spine fuses, it gets less painful—according to the vet. He gets a raw sardine, joint powder, and a raw chicken foot every day—for omegas, chondroitin, and glucosamine.

We’ve tried different beds. He refused all the expensive memory foam beds we bought!!! Three of them!!

The physio said it’s actually easier for a dog to get up from a raised bed. The dog can slide down onto the floor and then stand. So you might want to rethink removing the legs of the bed.

I’m not sure if my advice applies to hips and elbows, because Snowie’s arthritis is in his back. But I hope some of the info is useful. Best of luck! Horrible to see our dogs in pain.

 

[Shamas mom]

I think the xray is to check the condition of his hips due to the fast deterioration of his hind end . In 3 months he's gone from leaping logs to refusing to jump unless absolutely necessary.

If we get a good idea of his condition we can target laser therapy


Or at least that's my understanding


His issues are specific to getting up. He climbs instead of jumping. Like he's lost his spring. Can't get the push needed for a jump.

Body condition is great, from a muscular and weight perspective.

 

[Natalie]

His issues are specific to getting up. He climbs instead of jumping. Like he's lost his spring. Can't get the push needed for a jump.

This sounds a lot like Monty. He can jump, but saves it for when it's really needed.
How old is Shamas now, I can't remember? I was thinking of getting Montys hips and elbows x-rayed again this year but decided there's no point. Whatever they show, and it would be pretty bad, we are only going to manage his condition now rather than consider surgery so there's really no benefit in troubling ourselves with the results.

 

[Shamas mom]

Surgery is not an option for us....we've done two expensive dental treatments on two animals in the last year, and have another coming up. Cost of older pets.

We're averaging 5k/year in vet Bill's the last couple of years.

Not that we mind, but if Does mean that we are overextended and unable to save for big things

Considering laser treatments though. From what I've read they are on a per-treatment cost plan. Dr Firth thknks laser will help