Best Medical Treatment For Dog With Arthritis?
I hаνе a female German Shepherd mix Retriever, wе believe. Shе іѕ 12 1/2 years οf age аnd hаѕ shown minor symptoms οf arthritis. Tonight ѕhе wаѕ having difficulty getting up аnd mаdе a slight whine whеn ѕhе wаѕ doing іt. Shе limped fοr a moment, thеn walked normally. Now еνеrу time ѕhе gets up thе same thing happens. I suspect thаt іt іѕ arthritis аnd wіll call hеr vet іn thе morning. I checked fοr sore spots οn hеr hind quarters аnd ѕhе ѕhοwеd nο pain οr tenderness whеn pressing thе areas.
If іt іѕ arthritis, саn уου please advise whаt іѕ thе best medical treatment οr thаt hаѕ worked fοr уουr dog аnd whаt whаt medicine, minerals οr vitamins worked thе best.
Shе recently hаd hеr senior check аnd аll wаѕ well. Shе іѕ incontinent аnd takes a low dose οf Proin аnd Greens Ums (thаt іѕ аll natural). Thank уου іn advance fοr аnу information thаt уου саn supply.
Glucosimine Supplements are meant to help with arthritis in people and dogs. I had a German Shepherd and he had to be on it.
you are best to wait until you talk with your vet. many will advise you to give aspirin. it may not be reccomended with the meds she is already on. you do not want to cause problems with a drug interaction that weren’t there to start with, on top of whatever is going on.
incontinence and now hind end problems, especially in a german shepherd could signal back or spine problems. you may want your vet to take an x-ray of her spine and hips so they know what they are working with here. or at least that’s what i would do, and what i did do for my 12 year old shepherd mix.
she could have issues with her spinal nerves or a disc space that will require more specialized meds that only your vet can prescribe.
right now i would just keep her comfortable for the night and talk to your vet first thing in the morning.
Consider acupunture. Most vets will prescribe something like Rimadyl. But I saw much better result with the acupunture in my Rottie.
Glucosamine is a good one to give her. Your vet may have Cosequin, which is pretty much the same thing just a little stronger. There is also Rimadyl, but then you have to worry about her liver. Ask your vet tommorrow what the best option is for your dog.
My dog has the same problem. She is 14 and has it in her hips. I give her 2 things: Fish Oil Capsules and a Glucosamine- Chondroitin pill. She is a rottweiler mix,a nd weighs aboout 60 lbs. I give her 1 Fish Oil Gelcap (1000 mg) and 1 Glucosamine-Chondroitin everyday. They really seem to help her quite a bit, and the fish oil also works wonders on her coat–very shiny and healthy looking. The only downside I have found is that they excrete some of the oil through their coat, so they have a “fishy” smell. But it is worth it for her comfort.
I’ve had great success with Metacam.. check it out here.. http://www.metacam.us/index.lasso?page=home&GUI=gui_1
Talk to your vet about it, I found it was real easy to give to the dog since it’s liquid, and it worked great! Before using it on the dog (not my dog), they were talking about putting him down and such. He had been on a chain all his life and had arthritis in his neck, at first they thought it was “wobblers” but I pressured them into giving me something for it.. so they gave me Metacam and it worked! Actually after treatment for a few weeks he was completely well again. Before that he had trouble walking and couldn’t lift his head up..
Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate are the best available supplements, but your vet may or may not decide to also put your pet on Rimadyl. Rimadyl is an NSAID (Non-steroidal Anti-Infammatory) which is commonly used in older pets that have arthritis and are painful. The degree of pain and stiffness will determine the course of action. There are other NSAIDs and pain medications used for arthritis, but Chondroitin, Glucosamine and Rimadyl are common practice in vet med.
There are several options:
1. Glucosamine 1000mg daily + chondroitin 500mg daily + 500mg Vit C
2. Dr. Maggies Extra-Strength Joint Supplement (3-4 tablets daily)
3. D.G.P. Natural Pain Reliever and Arthritic Supplement (3-4 tablets daily)
4. Metacam oral solution daily (vet will need to take blood to determine if dog is healthy enough as it’s hard on kidneys – also perscription from vet only)
5. Rimadyl (as above re: vet)
Hope your doggy does well