Rourke has arthritis :-(

Stacia

Stacia

Location
Malvern Worcestershire
Rourke has been lame for a year, sometimes imperceptibly and sometimes more pronounced. He has been seen by a vet three times since then and non of them could work out which foreleg he was lame on. So I decided to have him x-rayed, the vet I saw this morning could see he was lame but 'whatnot's law' it was barely there. The results are that he has arthritis in both shoulder joints and in his left hind hock.

He has been put on Metacam for a month and he has Yumove Extra. He is only 6 3/4 years old, I feel so fed up. Anyone have any ideas to improve things?
 
snowbunny

snowbunny

Location
Andorra and Spain
Oh that's awful, I'm sorry to hear this. You're having a really rough time of late. I don't have any knowledge of this myself, maybe someone else who has experience of joint issues might have some advice.
 
Granca

Granca

Oh dear, I've just found your post. Would hydrotherapy be worth trying? Our collie-cross Amber was prescribed Seraquin by the vet, so I used to buy it online and it seemed to help.

I hope you notice some improvement with the medication.
 
Candy

Candy

Biscuit Tin Guardian
Location
West Yorkshire, UK
Oh no ! Poor boy, that's quite young. Barley, sweet yellow lab developed arthritis at around 7 1/2 - 8 years. We had a friend who did acupuncture at a vets practice. She offered a trial session at home, free. I was keen, Trevor was sceptical but stayed to see what happened. Our friend explained that Labradors in particular seemed to benefit from acupuncture. She said that Barley would feel no discomfort as the needles went in, would be likely to enter a peaceful and trance-like state which could last for up to 10 minutes, that she (Barley) would let us know when she was ready for the needles to come out, and that we might see an immediate improvement or it might happen gradually over a few days. Well! Barley indeed went drowsy and trance-like for a few minutes and we just stroked her and talked quietly to her. She then suddenly shook herself, looked at the needles in her paw and started trying to pull them out herself. Our friend whipped them out and Barley (aged 9 by this stage) proceeded to do thoroughly puppy-like zoomies around the room. We later took her to the pub, no limping at all. Trevor spent all evening looking at her, shaking his head, and saying "Bloody Hell!' The improvement lasted around 6 months. We were about to ask our friend for another session, paid for this time.when we lost Barley, due to an inoperable tumour. Solstice developed arthritis at 9. She had injections from the vet every 3 months which seemed to help. I know other dog owners who swear by Devil's Claw tablets, available from health food shops . I personally take a Glucosamine and Chrondoitin supplement every day which I find makes a difference. I'm no expert, but just saying that although it's upsetting, there does seem to be a range of possible treatment out there that might help make Rourke more comfortable.Do hope you find something that helps. Thinking of you both.xx
 
MellowYellow

MellowYellow

I'm so sorry, poor Rourke, and poor you. I am sure he will be much more comfortable with the Metacam. I would look into hydrotherapy, and I'd get in touch with a good physiotherapist. Merlin gets a series of hyaluronic acid injections twice a year; it might be worth asking your vet if that is something that might help Rourke. Otherwise, you know the drill - keep him on the thin side of slim, cover any slippery floor surfaces, avoid jumping and steps as far as possible; keep him mobile. Buy him a supporting orthopedic bed. Big hugs to both you and him xxx
 
Beanwood

Beanwood

Administrator
Poor Rourke! I am trying to remember when Casper was diagnosed? Hmmm... I think he was around 6 years old. He had arthritis in both hips due to HD ( one hip mild and one moderate) and Ankolysing spondylitis in his back, causing bony osteocytes, stiffness due to bone modification. It was demoralising at the time, as well as a bit of a shock. I mean jeez... to have arthritis in both hips and back...:( The initial treatment was a month of NSAIDs and Yumove Advance. Front-loading the dose of Yumove for a month, then down to a maintenance dose. We also had to reduce exercise for I think it was around a couple of weeks, just to let things calm down. Casper is very stoic in nature, so dialling back the exercise for a bit, was important to ease the acute symptoms.

The improvement at 6 weeks was so good, Casper came of the daily NSAIDs, and we were to continue the Yumove Advance. Roll forward a few years and he getting a little stiffer. We are now seeing the most amazing rehab vet once a month, where Casper has acupuncture, cold laser and hydrotherapy. We also have very specific exercises to address any muscle imbalance and strengthen his core. Dogs with a bit of pain can favour one leg, for example, which can affect gait, and has a knock on effect on other muscle groups.

Earlier this year we had Benson in the wars, he already has arthritis in both front wrists and both elbows, so we have exercise/diet regimes in place for both of them.

Anyhow, going back to Casper, he is knocking on 10 years old. We really didn't he would be anywhere as mobile as he is now. I do think there is more out there to support dogs with arthritis, certainly to help slow down progression and maintain a good quality of life.

This link came up on BRX, it might have some useful stuff on it...


Canine Arthritis Management
 
Jacqui-S

Jacqui-S

Moderator
Location
Fife, Scotland
So sorry to hear this.
Other than keeping him light and managing exercise so it is consistent and no "weekend cowboy-ing" probably nothing much more to add.
I think NSAIDs and Yumove cover the other bits.
 
Atemas

Atemas

UK Tour Guide
Location
North Cambridgeshire
Just read this @Jelinga - so sorry Rourke has arthritis. Sky had arthritis in her front legs/shoulders diagnosed last year when she was 10. We had suspected it for a long long time but she suddenly got worse at the same time we got Red as an 8 week old. You may be aware of all that. We manage the arthritis with Rheumocam, YuMove tablets and salmon oil. She now has a feeding bowl on a stand. We are guided very much by her as regards walks - at the moment she is doing more. I have taken her to the vets today and will do a separate post - but they gave me a fact sheet on arthritis treatments - I’ll post about it tomorrow.
 
Stacia

Stacia

Location
Malvern Worcestershire
I would like to reply to you all personally and do thank you all for your very helpful replies. Rourke has been on Yumove Extra for some time now, the link to Canine Arthritis Management from you both looks very helpful, my vet does acupuncture so that is a thought, he has been given a month's Metacam. There is a very slight worry that the bone looks a bit fuzzy and the vet thought the possibility of bone cancer but as Rourke has been lame for a year now and it hasn't got worse, thankfully we both hope that is unlikely. The vet didn't suggest reduced exercise for a couple of weeks but I think I might do that. Most helpful suggestions, thank you all again.
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
I'm just reading this and am so sorry to hear that you've gotten bad news about Rourke. He is so young for arthritis. I'm very lucky that I've not gone through arthritis with a dog yet, but I'm very inspired by Kate's Benson who apparently had such a poor diagnosis but is still active and loving life at ten.

I have faith that you will find a good balance for Rourke and he will continue to be a happy boy even if some of his activities have to change. :hug:
 
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