chelsea Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Hi, We took Bracken our GSD to the vets yesterday as very suddenly she appeared to become lethargic and slow in the mornings (only since Friday morning though ). Vet did a thorough check up of lungs, temperature, heart etc - all fine. He asked if we thought it might be her hips....we said we weren't sure because she has not been showing any signs of discomfort or pain and has been a very perky and active dog. However now that he has mentioned "hips/arthritis" this morning she did not want to come down the stairs and I had to encourage her down, and she's lagging slightly behind on her morning walk. If it is arthritis I cannot believe how sudden this has come on, I am just hoping she has pulled something I have been reading up on the internet and I definitely do not want to use any long term tablets....I can see Rimadyl has some strong critisism and we shall be speaking to the vet about what "natural" remedies we can offer her. Any folks on here have any tips or experience to share? Greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoriabunny Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 My old lad Leo got arthritis when he was 9 and the vet put him on Rimadyl. At first it was quite a high dose, and then when the arthritis settled the vet reduced it to a maintenance dose. Eventually he was able to come off it, and just have occasional courses when it flared up. He lived another four years and died of a completely unrelated condition to the arthritis, so don't worry that this is a signal for the beginning of the end or anything like that. But we certainly had no problems with Rimadyl, and it certainly got rid of his pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 There is a tonic you can buy from pet stores made by Johnson's - I think it is called Johnsons for joints. I think there is something called vitapet too? Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Super Solvitax R-A is excellent stuff, I used to give my elderly horse this to loosen him up a bit and is worked a treat, it is suitable for dogs/cats too and can be bought from the usual horsey/country shops, if I remember correctly Pets at Home sell it in small bottles for the smaller animal owner I believe it is a blend of all natural fish and veg oils Of course good old cod liver oil also works quite well but the R-A stuff definitely had better results on my horse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 A friend of mine has had a lot of success with Devil's Claw for her elderly, arthritic dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 All good suggestions, thankyou. I am going to buy a natural supplement like one of the above ideas along with a magnetic dog collar and see if she improves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I give my arthritic Henry the Pedigree Joint care chews every day and a cod liver oil tablet every few days. He's much better with that and hasn't needed the formal medications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 My old dog Sasha suffered from arthritis quite badly the vet put her on medication the name of which escapes me right now, and although it eased the pain and gave her much better mobility it nearly killed her as it damaged her kidneys We took her off the medication and informally consulted a homeopathic vet who suggested Rhus Tox and raw ginger and garlic in her meals, the results were amazing and after a very short while she was leaping around the place like a puppy She lived for another 5 years and died aged 17. We also gave her a drop of cod liver oil in every meal. I hope you find something that works Chelsea it is awful to see a pet in pain Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 Thanks for that info Tessa . I bet that drug your poor Sasha had was Rimadyl, I have read quite a few horror stories over the weekend on the internet about kidney/liver damage that it causes so we are going to steer clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Chelsea the medication we were prescribed was Metacam I would certainly urge you to try all the alternatives before going down this route. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 I have heard of Metacam Thankyou again Tessa. We are definitely going to look at natural alternatives - dont want her crammed full of harmful drugs. We've just got back from the vets, they've took blood and will not give her any pain relief until the blood tests are back as they are not sure what is wrong. You can clearly see she is not happy when moving and would not get in and out of the car (had to rely on some random lovely stranger in the vet's carpark to help me lift her in the car as she's heavy!). It just baffles me that since friday she has gone from a hyper mental running around looney to a miserable mutt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 It just baffles me that since friday she has gone from a hyper mental running around looney to a miserable mutt. Aw poor Bracken I was just wondering if it would harm if you gave her one of those really low dose aspirin, the ones people take every day if they have an iffy heart? Might help with the pain until the vet prescribes some pain relief. I totally understand if you feel nervous about doing this, but I think I would. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhapsody Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Hi there, sorry to hear about your dog's arthritus. My Collie X Husky is starting to show her age a bit and her front paws have gone arthritic. We have Rimadyl on standby, but every day she gats a max dose Joint Care chew and a 20ml dose of 'No Bute' which is Devils Claw (you can get it from horsey shops) plus 2 human Glucosamine in her food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 We used metacam on Saffy's very temporary arthritis, and it made her a much happier cat while she was getting over it, I just think it's inappropriate for long term use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAB Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Our Tyson's arthritis seemed to come on suddenly just over 2 years ago with him slowing up, he then collapsed and his back legs would not work at all. Trip to vet was expected to be his last, but cortisone injection and prescription of metacam worked wonders. We were warned that it could cause renal failure but he was not expected to live for too much longer in any case (unsure of his age as rescue dog, but lab type mongrel and estimated now at about 14) so it was worth a go. Worked great and recently changed to something else (name not on bottle and it was OH who took to vet so I forget name of med) and he is still with us (despite the major stroke he had a couple of months back as posted previously). Some days harder to get up than others, and front legs now showing signs of arthritis, but doing well. Had he been a younger dog I would have been far more wary of using prescribed meds over the long term, but we really thought we had lost him 2 years back so every day has been a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Rimadyl and Metacam are good to get the intital inflamation and pain under control. They can be used alongside more natural products containing Glucosamine & Chondroitin which some dogs can be maintained on once the Rimadyl or Metacam has things under control. Cosequin, Flexadin, Synoquin, Seraquin are all good supplements containing Gluc&Condrointin. Flexadin and Royal Canin Mobility tablets also contain devils claw which is said to be soothing. I wouldn't be too worried about the use of prescription meds such as Rimadyl and Metacam as they are really the only thing that can effectively reduce that inflammation and therefore the pain when your dog has a flare up. Cod liver oil is also a useful supplement. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 Wow, thanks all for your comprehensive replies. They really have given me a lot of information and it appears there is lots I can do for Bracken SAB - I am sorry to hear about how poorly Tyson has been. I am still waiting for the vet to ring with the blood results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 Just to update. Vet has rang - nothing wrong with her bloods. He thinks more than likely just hip trouble which is a huge relief. I ordered some supplement tablets the weekend and they should be here tomorrow. They contain : Glucosamine Sulphate, Chondroitin Sulphate, & green lipped mussel Vet has prescribed pain killers called Tramadol hydrochloride. (few days). I may even order some Devils Claw also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAB Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Your update is great news, but it was worth you thinking over the altenatives re arthritis as it is common in old age with larger breed dogs unfortunately. Thanks for your kind words about Tyson - it is hard when he is struggling, but he has been such a joy and remains cheerful, with tail constantly wagging - we and vet have always said we will know to call it a day when the tail stops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 Just to update. Today Bracken is like a new dog! She's had the magnetic collar on for 48 hours, I put a bit of Avipro in her water and she's still taking the pain killers as given by the vet - mind you she has been on those since in the week so I believe it's the collar that is doing the trick She's got her bounce back and those ears are pricked up again! Happy mutt = happy mummy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickvic Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Good news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 That's really good news. You must be so relieved that you have got your beautiful Bracken back on track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 The tramadol is worse than Metacam and Rimadyl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 The tramadol is worse than Metacam and Rimadyl! Really? It hadn't flagged up on the stuff I was reading online... Thanks for that Susan, she finishes tomorrow so will be having a word with the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
