pain management options.

[Shamas mom]

Shamas is taking the reumecam about every 2-3 days now. If it weren't for the bottle format (I can't tell how much is in it), and my constant fear of running out and not having it when he needs it...there are other days I might give it to him but Ive held off. I know that as we go into cold weather, he's going to need something because he seizes up when he tries to walk in the cold.

SO I'm exploring the various options because I'm taking him for a quality of life exam on the 26th, where we'll discuss pain management, and his anxiety, his mobility, etc. He may be due for bloodwork too..I think we did it last November. Basically everything needed to keep him happy and as heathly as possible at his age.

His health things are starting to rack up now...
his hips hurt
his front wrists hyperextend, causing him to "drop steps" or trip when walking.
His weight gain put pressure on his hernia, which makes his belly uncomfortable if he eats too much.
His anxiety
bouts of excessive thirst lead to excessive urination, incontinence and dilute urine samples. That's on watch for a couple of things
He has trouble standing in one place long enough to do his business now...he does the four legged plant to pee, and the walky-poo

If anyone's had success with a certain pain treatment at this age, I'd love to know. Ideally, I'd love a pill we can dose alongside the Clomicalm. He's better with pills...doesn't drool them back out at me lol!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

That’s a lot all at once, poor Shamas. Beyond the pain meds, it seems like making him drop weight would be a huge help to him. Maybe ask the vet what a safe loss per week would be at his age and size?

 

[edzbird]

I agree with Emily. Shamas will benefit enormously from slow & steady weight reduction. As for medication, has he tried simple paracetamol (under veterinary direction, of course) ? How old is now ?

 

[Shamas mom]

He's 12. We've got him down to 86lbs at last weigh in...I was considering science diet's weight loss food, or another of it's type. I did swap him from the dental food over to Natural Balance Fat Dog formula, having had some success with Matt on the feline version.

WEight loss is a struggle with his ever decreasing mobility, though Trixie DOES seem to get him moving a little more every few days. He's more and more just refusing to go out for walks. And when I get him out, he goes 3-4 houses and returns home.

Hubby and I can coax him out for a 1/2 hour walk with me taking Trixie and him taking Shamas, when he's not working in the evening....and we drive him to Petsmart, and other places to walk around where we can drive him home once he's had as much as he can take. Those drive-walks are often about 20-45min

As forward thinking as the vet is in some areas, in others, she's pretty laid back. Weight is one of them. She's not that concerned about his weight. She agrees we need to get it down, but as to making a plan to do so.....just cut calories? We agreed to feed to his ideal weight of 70lbs He eats 2-3c kibble/day and half of the treats the puppy gets. I'm aiming for 900kcal/day

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Thew reason his kibble allotment is so low is that I know hubby loves to feed him scrambled eggs, milkbones, and recently occasionally timbits when I'm not looking. SO I'm trying to compensate for the other food intake. The eggs I don't mind...milkbones...I swapped to buying the little ones, for jack russels and the timbits, I've been secretly breaking up and only giving him a fraction(I'm usually in the car when he buys those).

 

[edzbird]

Coco is 34kg (75lb) - I think he should lose 2.5-3kg. I can still feel his ribs, and see a waist but he's lost his really svelte look. I weigh his food rather than measure. His normal amount is 200g kibble plus one 400g tin of cheap wet food. I'll start by cutting his kibble by 20g (I have to do it sneakily as OH doesn't think he can manage on any less).

 

[Shamas mom]

As for medication, has he tried simple paracetamol (under veterinary direction, of course)

I think my husband would have an absolute fit if I suggested Tylenol, given the risks. He's already waiting to get the call at work that Shamas couldn't get up, and has to go to emerge....or that he stopped breathing(he's had occasional laboured breathing since that day he got out, but we never found a cause)


As far as his body shape goes...from the top, he's getting a waist again...but it's a firm waist. Not a healthy waist. Like me after eating too much pizza. From the side, he's got a belly that hangs down...not potbellied, but definitely low enough to give that swayback look about him. Then his posture is wide....he puts his feet wider to support his hips.

When he lays, it's always on his side now, with much grumbling and groaning as he changes position. I intend to have them look at that again. It was looked into last year, when it first started. They even investigated Cushing

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Speaking for humans - and I've got to think it's the same for dogs - the expression "you can't outrun your fork" is sadly true. Exercise doesn't get the weight off, cutting food does. And boy oh boy am I throwing a brick out of my glass house, because I have my own big time weight problem. However for a dog, you can cut food - they can't go get it themselves (one of the many reasons I wish I was a dog).

Have you tried out a slow feeder? It really helps me feel better about feeding small amounts. Carbon gets food in a puzzle bowl (aka slow feeder) and something that sticks to the sides and in the nooks like sugar-free peanut butter or pate. Just a tiny bit of it (like a glob the size of the end of your pinky finger) and I smear it around everywhere. Then he gets a minuscule amount of kibble and fresh veggies sometimes. It takes him a good 15 minutes or longer to eat, but there's hardly any food there and he's still satisfied (well as much as any Labrador is ).

When we're traveling light and I don't have his big puzzle bowl, I end up giving him twice the food just because 30 pieces of kibble in a regular bowl looks ridiculous and I feel badly for him. He eats it in 30 seconds and acts like he's starved even though he's just eaten twice what he normally does. I'm telling you, those slow feeders are magical - they convince the dog he's eaten like a king and help the human guilt about restricted food.

Anyway, just something that works for me with my little Spanish wurstchen dog. I realise all dogs are different and have their own unique challenges!

 

[Shamas mom]

I tried a puzzle feeder- he likes it, but gets guardy if Trixie comes in the same room it's in. I use smaller bowls, so he can't see the bottom. His bowl is appropriately sized for a cocker. He doesn't mind, and it seems like he's getting more. I sent his big raised feeder with Angel when she moved out, because his 1cup scoop in there barely scattered the bottom lol. It was good back when I dropped his daily ration in the bowl and let him graze.

I'm also swapping food into the treat bag. Trixie knows the difference and spits out the kibble....but he only knows it's being given from my hand

I don't feel any guilt about food restrictions- I know HOW he put the weight on--it was stealing Angel
s kibbles, and getting in on her training sessions.

SO I combat that with Trixie by feeding her in a pen, and training her separately, out of home with trainers. His biggest indulgence currently are the chews....can't give the puppy a chew without giving Shamas one too. Else, he'll steal hers. I stick to the bully sticks from the vets office, or other long lasting chews....or lean, dried meat if possible. Some of the ingredients on the NoHide ones seem like they'd not be good for his weight loss goal.

We got his Reumecam from the vet yesterday, and I asked them to order me in a whole bag of the sticks they sell individually. I did that when Angel was young too--the ones at the vet are longer lasting, and safer than pet store sticks

 

[Shamas mom]

Also I saw his vet record today..He's actually 10. Don't know why I thought 12. Must be because he LOOKS old now. That means his mobility issues began when he was about 8 1/2.....and the less mobile he was, the fatter he got.

 

[Shamas mom]

Got a call from the vets this morning. They're closed for a week so he's been rescheduled to next Monday.

In the meantime, his new harness came in today. It's not a full mobility support harness, but more of a full-length hiking harness. I couldn't find anything in the lifting gear that didn't look like it'd bother his hernia or his hips. . I probably could have gone Large, but I went XL for the length....that last strap sits between his hernia and his penis...so if I need to lift him using the harness, it shouldn't hurt. I wouldn't trust it to take his weight though.....it seems rather lightweight. I might look further, and explore the Ruffwear line of hiking gear.

At least with this, if he's struggling to rise off the floor we've got multiple points to support him from

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

I might look further, and explore the Ruffwear line of hiking gear.

When Brogan was having some issues walking during his last six months, I got two harnesses, the Ruffwear and something called Help 'em up Choosing the Right Harness
 - Help 'Em Up® . The latter was well made and more specifically for helping a dog with more serious mobility issues, but the Ruffwear ended up working better with Brogan's specific need and was less fiddly to get on/off.

ps to add that I was still happy that I'd gotten the Help em Up and if Brogan hadn't passed due to something completely different, I could have seen it being our go-to harness as he got older.

 

[Shamas mom]

When Brogan was having some issues walking during his last six months, I got two harnesses, the Ruffwear and something called Help 'em up Choosing the Right Harness
 - Help 'Em Up® . The latter was well made and more specifically for helping a dog with more serious mobility issues, but the Ruffwear ended up working better with Brogan's specific need and was less fiddly to get on/off.

ps to add that I was still happy that I'd gotten the Help em Up and if Brogan hadn't passed due to something completely different, I could have seen it being our go-to harness as he got older.

I just found the Help em up a couple of days ago, and was showing Hubby. We were discussing which back end piece he'd need
Originally, I was looking at something similar, on Amazon...but some concerning reviews about ripped stitches and dropped dogs caused me to pass on it. I think, as he gets more sore, it will be nice to sling a handle over our shoulder and support him.

And as a side note, it can't hurt that a good harness would let us turn him away from another dog on his rarer outbursts, with no strain on his joints or ours. I don't like to see him standing on his back legs to yell, knowing how they hurt. And I won't tug on his neck, suspecting lower back pain.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

it will be nice to sling a handle over our shoulder and support him.

This was a feature that I also liked about the harness. A big dog is a lot of weight and I thought if it got to the worse case scenario, being able to use the shoulder strap would really help me help him.

 

[Shamas mom]

Last time I had to help him, it was out of an SUV. At 85lbs, and an unwilling participant, he hurt my back. I didn't have any place to hold onto him. And he was determined NOT to get out of the cab near the main road. It was his last Vets appointment, where she prescribed his reumecam....because I'm now lifting him in and out of SUVs and trucks.

He can get into our Cruze...which honestly is a large part of why we still have what I term "the dinky car" He steps onto the body of the door well, then up to the seat, using the car itself as steps.

I feel bad leaving him behind when we go with my Dad though...he's always been on pack walks. But I can't get him into the SUV anymore. My dad's old boy curls up on the floor in the front...but Shamas can't curl into a ball. His back doesn't go round that far. It's too stiff.

 

[Shamas mom]

79.5lbs today!

Ideal weight is 68-70, based on the time I've had him. That's where he's always hovered.

We've confirmed that it's his right hip causing his pain. Pain which is not bad enough yet to warrant daily medication, but we will be hitting the supplements hard.

Joint Plus GloucosamineHCL liquid formula. plus Omega/fish oil capsules. and cartrophen

Continue the Reumecam as needed for now

Recommended the "helpemup" harness, which it looks like I can get at the canine rehab center near me. Bonus. They can measure him before buying. I was nervous about buying online for such a product

 

[Shamas mom]

Nice!

I've got an appointment for a fitting on Wednesday at 11am. It's an extra $47 on to the price of the harness...but I'll know it fits, and they'll show me how to use it to support him in and out of the car and everything

Also...Shamas is a VIP at the Vet's. He got out of our car and went straight to the back door, refusing to budge. He knows they'll let him in that way, instead of through the lobby like all the other dogs because he's Shamas. (and he's afraid of traffic, and dog reactive, and a half dozen other reasons but don't tell him that!) Then he waltzed in and chose his own room, and plopped down to wait, leaving us laughing behind him.

They don't bother with his muzzle or anything...they have it all off for his exams. He gets fussed, and tickled, and generally spoiled. I could hear the giggling on the other side of the wall as they trimmed his nails and shaved his paws so he doesn't slip on our hardwood....he's got ticklish feet lol.

When he got his cartrophen injection, he didn't even flinch. Just stood grinning and took the proffered treats after.

Oh, and his new lumps and bumps are all fatty deposits, like all the others. I'll have a lumpy dog in no time at this rate

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Sounds like you're getting him all sorted! Great news about his weight loss and the extra help to get fitted for the harness.

What a good boy, Shamas.

 

[Shamas mom]

Shamas is down to 78lbs. 9lbs to go.

I've got the go ahead to keep him on the cartraphen weekly, since the Reumecam is bad for his Colitis, which flared up at Halloween. No Nsaids for the time being, and he's on his second round of Metro.

I prefer the weekly injections--he doesn't need the reumecam, and you can see the pain relief holds off til about day 5-6. I'd much rather give it sub-dermal than run it through his tummy and kidneys.

 

[Shamas mom]

Shamas RAN!

He's sore and cranky now, but he RAN!

The last time Shamas ran was in early summer, and he went like 16 steps, then limped into the house and laid down. This time he went nearly the length of the yard, to join the game of chase I was playing with Trixie.

YAY cartraphen!

 

[Shamas mom]

Shamas is now frequently joining us on our walks. He's no longer taking Reumecam regularly.

He still limps badly, and at the end of the day he groans....but he's living again.

I'm hoping that taking the break from the Reumecam helps the colitis. He's nearly done his second run of Metro. I've added pumpkin to his food....he's less gurgly and the skunk farts are gone. Now he toots(which surprised us last time we heard him because he's cleared the room fro awhile now lol.


It's nice to see him feeling better now!