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Post by alexa11 on Jun 1, 2015 17:49:08 GMT
Need some positive stories about medications/treatments for arthritis in older dogs. My Louis, 11 yr old Frenchie, is really having trouble walking. He has been on Metacam for about a year and it was working in the beginning. I took him to vet last week and he suggested maybe changing his meds if he didn't get any better. I posted on the Frenchie forum and several people have had good results with Gabapentin and Adequan injections. Any success stories out there? He is still very active-he is NOT a couch potato- he wants to walk and play and he is miserable right now. And I am going in this afternoon to talk to vet.
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Post by mirabelleswalker on Jun 1, 2015 19:28:41 GMT
Have you considered acupuncture? Some dogs have good results. There's a therapy dog that comes to our pediatric floor and she's been having it for arthritis. She's a different dog since she started.
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Post by KikiPea on Jun 1, 2015 19:36:04 GMT
We have a friend how has a Weimaraner and they use acupuncture on him. It really seems to help him. Maybe that could be an option to try?
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Post by giatocj on Jun 1, 2015 19:39:56 GMT
Water therapy has worked wonders for Tucker. In the warm weather he goes in the lake on a 30' lunge line, and in winter he goes to an aqua therapy place and uses an underwater treadmill. He loves it either way.
He also is on Rimadly (1/2 a pill twice a day) as needed.
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calgal08
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,519
Jun 27, 2014 15:43:46 GMT
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Post by calgal08 on Jun 1, 2015 19:42:38 GMT
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scrapaddie
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,090
Jul 8, 2014 20:17:31 GMT
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Post by scrapaddie on Jun 1, 2015 19:48:23 GMT
My dog did take Derranax and had good results with it .... Until he somehow got an entire bottle and ate it while I was gone. Luckily, he survived with no permanent damage but he spent a week at the hospital receiving fluids and medications to stop the bleeding in the stomach. He is a very expensive dog! And now we give him nothing for the arthritis because we do not want to insult his liver or kidneys anymore. I do give him glucosamine supplement and that seems to help a bit
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carhoch
Pearl Clutcher
Be yourself everybody else is already taken
Posts: 2,990
Location: We’re RV’s so It change all the time .
Jun 28, 2014 21:46:39 GMT
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Post by carhoch on Jun 1, 2015 19:50:18 GMT
mine was on Rymadyl for 7 years its expensive but it help
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Post by Basket1lady on Jun 1, 2015 20:54:46 GMT
We had a golden lab who was had a reaction to a lyme vaccine. She was more than a car payment every month. We started her out on glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. We found that one for canine joint health worked better for her, so we use Super Joint Enhancer from 1-800-PetMeds. Then she tried Rymadyl, but at the time that was determined to be a poor long term choice. She switched to Deramaxx. I think it was about then when we added the Adequan, which worked the best. She took it every few weeks at first (maybe every 3?) You could tell the difference within a few hours. As time went on, we gave her her shot more frequently. I know by the time we lost her, it was every 3 days. When her liver numbers started declining, (about 2-3 years into the meds) our vet then put her on Proanthozone and an Omega 3 supplement as well, which helps to protect the liver. About a year before she died, we added Tramadol.
We kept her going as long as she was happy to be around us. She would still play. She couldn't walk far the last 2-3 years, so we would bring the kids old wooden Radio Flyer wagon along on a walk. When she started slowing down, we would put her in the wagon. She would poke her tail out through the slats and it would be wagging the entire walk, so you could tell that she liked it. We walked every morning with the neighborhood dogs and they would play bitey face with her, but would be so gentle. It really was amazing to watch.
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Anonypea
Shy Member
# 894
Posts: 21
Jun 26, 2014 5:27:33 GMT
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Post by Anonypea on Jun 2, 2015 2:18:11 GMT
You could consider cold laser therapy. My rescue leader has an ancient arthritic lab (18 years old) who went from not being able to get on the couch to actually playing after he started laser treatments. Now he gets a treatment every two weeks.
Laser therapy also saved my foster kitten's crushed front paw, which her first veterinarian had recommended amputating. I can't say enough good things about laser therapy.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jun 2, 2015 2:40:06 GMT
You could consider cold laser therapy. My rescue leader has an ancient arthritic lab (18 years old) who went from not being able to get on the couch to actually playing after he started laser treatments. Now he gets a treatment every two weeks. Laser therapy also saved my foster kitten's crushed front paw, which her first veterinarian had recommended amputating. I can't say enough good things about laser therapy. An 18 year old lab? I've never heard of that. How wonderful!
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Post by AngieandSnoopy on Jun 2, 2015 2:59:56 GMT
We get the Pet Naturals of Vermont Extra Large Dog Hip and Joint from the feed store a mile from our house but I've found many places you can get it online much cheaper. Count on it taking at least a month or six weeks before you see much good. It took Anabel (my DH's lab) 5 weeks, it was almost like turning on a switch, all of a sudden, she could get up fast and easy and take off. She is 13 now and it is harder for her to get up but she can walk fine once up. Her old injury is probably causing that problem. Anyway, it worked for HER but didn't really work for Trouble (Benji) the Dachshund. What works for HIM is my Neolife Pet Pal vitamins. And again, it was a month before it worked but it suddenly just kicked in. The thing to remember is do NOT forget to give them their morning and evening "treats", the Pet Naturals is for THEM, good tasting treat. If you miss very many of them, you are back to square one and have to give it to them every day and will take a month before it is working again. The same with the Pet Pal vitamins, you miss too many, doesn't do any good. Pet Naturals of Vermont Small Dog Hip & JointPet Naturals of Vermont Medium and Large DogPet Naturals of Vermont Extra Large Dog
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Post by 950nancy on Jun 2, 2015 3:08:57 GMT
My sheltie is ten. I just put her on Rymadyl after she had a surgery on her foot. She turned all spunky again so I asked the vet if we could keep her on it. I notice a difference if she isn't on a steady flow every 12 hours. She has to keep up with a little four year old corgi who thinks he's the boss of everything.
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crazyrn
Full Member
Posts: 129
Jun 30, 2014 3:56:41 GMT
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Post by crazyrn on Jun 2, 2015 3:15:18 GMT
I second the Cosequin DS. Our Bullmastiff was on it for 4 years and it did wonders! He went from limping and immobile to running and playing. He also had rimadyl as needed and that helped as well. The last year of his life he had wobblers syndrome (which was inoperable d/t location) and was on high dose prednisone with a taper to lower dose (which is what eventual killed him), tramadol and gabapentin.
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Post by alexa11 on Jun 2, 2015 3:54:14 GMT
I second the Cosequin DS. Our Bullmastiff was on it for 4 years and it did wonders! He went from limping and immobile to running and playing. He also had rimadyl as needed and that helped as well. The last year of his life he had wobblers syndrome (which was inoperable d/t location) and was on high dose prednisone with a taper to lower dose (which is what eventual killed him), tramadol and gabapentin. He started this last week, so hopefully it will help. Vet changed him to Novox today- which I think is generic for Rimadyl.
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