What can I give my blond lab for her arthritis?

10 Comments

1. Vicki J says:

   September 4, 2010 at 2:36 pm

   The most affective medicine you can give her is Rimidyl. You can get this from your vet. It is very helpful for treating arthritis pain. Good luck

   ADD: Also, feed a senior dog food that has glucosamine in it. Very helpful for dogs with arthritis and joint pain.
2. Rudolpho B says:

   September 4, 2010 at 3:13 pm

   And you are afraid to take her to the vet because she’s so blond, right?
   Late Entry : according to the “latest” studies, Glucosamine does dick for arthritis. (including Chondroitin)
   Last entry : perhaps it’s a flu?????
   Anyway, fvck the fairies and cheapo “owners”!
3. Haydens Mom says:

   September 4, 2010 at 4:11 pm

   I would ask the vet before giving her anything. He/She can probably recommend something over the counter if prescriptions are too much.
4. Nick B says:

   September 4, 2010 at 4:36 pm

   Call the vet, we had a 15 yr old lab who suffered with arthritis for the better part of 10 yrs. They have a prescription for their joints. Also Science Diet dog food brand has a prescription food to help strengthen joints. If her arthritis is really bad they may give her a cortizone shot and then send home the meds. Human medication is very dangerous to dogs, so I wouldn’t advice giving her anything before asking a licensed veternarian.
5. Darlene S says:

   September 4, 2010 at 4:46 pm

   MOVE HER PAWS
6. maguire1202 says:

   September 4, 2010 at 5:34 pm

   Bring her to your veterinarian and consult with him/her. It’s always best to have a vet examine a stiff dog, because arthritis may not even be the primary problem (ie what if she had a torn ACL?)! Nonetheless, there are literally dozens of therapies out there for joint pain, but a lot of them 1. don’t work, and 2. aren’t regulated, so it’s important to get professional advice to sort through the mess. The most common medications veterinarians will put an arthritic dog on are Rimadyl and Metacam, and both do a really great job alleviating inflammation and pain. Your vet will probably want to do a little bloodwork before putting your dog on the meds to make sure her liver and kidneys (important in metabolizing and excreting the drug) are working, and may want to do exams and check bloodwork every 1/2 year to year after that to make sure the potential side effects of these meds – kidney damage, sometimes liver damage, and GI ulceration – are not occurring.

   As a note after reading other posts: If you decide to go down the non-medication route (glucosamine, etc) DO NOT assume that your dog can take doses comparable to a human her size. Dogs have totally different metabolisms than humans, so treating them as a person in this regard could be very dangerous. Furthermore, I still highly suggest you go to your veterinarian, as “arthritis” isn’t always actually that!

   Good luck! Hope your baby feels a little better soon.
7. Crystal says:

   September 4, 2010 at 6:06 pm

   I would try a supplement with Glucosamine, Chrondroitin and MSM. The gluco and chron lubricate and repair the joints while the MSM is a natural anti-inflammatory. I wouldn’t resort to Rimadyl unless it becomes necessary because of the liver damage from long term use. Most see improvements with the supplement above. You can buy those specially marked for dogs at pet stores, but you can also buy the human supplements. Walgreen’s usually has a 2 for 1 ad at least once a month.

   http://www.arthritis-pain-cure.com/dog_msm.html
8. Becky says:

   September 4, 2010 at 7:02 pm

   I completely agree with Crystal. Rimadyl is very hard on the liver and is only prescribed when a dog does not respond to anything else. Glucosamine & Chondroitin & MSM are great supplements. Ask your vet what dosage is right for your dog.
9. Kelli L says:

   September 4, 2010 at 7:59 pm

   There is NO such thing as a BLOND lab, it’s a yellow lab. You can go to your vet’s for the proper tests, and medications, if needed. A six year old dog shouldn’t be having arthritis.
10. ms manners says:

    September 4, 2010 at 8:30 pm

    I have had two dogs with arthritis, and both of them benefited greatly from taking glucosamine and choindroitin.

    For the first dog, I just bought human glucosamine at Walmart, and gave him one capsule a day (he was 120 lbs, so I figured that was the same as a small human). Within a week he went from hardly being able to stand, to moving around as if he had no arthritis at all. The supplement probably gave him an additional 2-3 yrs of life (he eventually had to be put down).

    The second dog I still have – a 14 yr old Lab mix. She was having trouble getting up and down, so I changed her to Innova Senior food (with glucosamine and chondroitin). I did that about six months ago, and she looks and acts like a new dog – she even runs at times. )

    As far as I know, there are no potential side effects from this supplement, unlike some of the painkiller medications.