coco Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Our Lab Buzz had arthiritis in his back legs, he was 12 when itv was diagnosed. He had to go on long term meds which would have cost £40.00 every three weeks from the vets. We started getting his meds from best pet pharmacy at a fraction of the cost. AS they were prescription ony we had to get the vet to give the prescription but it lasted about three months. hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 That's good to know, Coco . Riley had another appointment at the vets today. She said his fractured elbow is still quite swollen so we've to use up the rest of the Loxicom and go back again after that. She agreed that the supplements mentioned above certainly won't do any harm and will help with certain issues with the arthritis but they won't deal with the inflamation and potential pain so he needs to be on Loxicom long term. She did say it's the cheapest of that type of med and buying it in larger amounts will be cheaper. I've still to find out how much though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlotta Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Sorry to hear about Riley, can definitely recommend some supplementation as everyone else has mentioned, but thought I'd give my perspective on pain medication. My newly Lola ruptured both her anterior cuciate ligaments a few years ago and after about £12000 (yes 12 THOUSAND! and yes she's insured!) of surgery has a great quality of life. The nature of the surgery she had (TPLO if you fancy googling it) consist of cutting in the bone and applying a metal plate to re-secure part of the femur back into place at a new angle so that the knee doesn't slip. The success of the surgery DEPENDS on some arthritic build up after to help secure the angle. All this means that some of the arthritis could result in some degree of pain/discomfort. Lola went onto Previcox (a new generation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory at the time of the injury and has been on 1.5 tablets a day since. She's got on REALLY well with it and it's been nice and safe for her long line - she can keep up with my younger bouncier dog and is 99% back to her usual gait. I missed a tablet (once) a few weeks ago and I could definitely tell. Don't be afraid of anti-inflammatories... it's much better to be without pain. You might also want to look at hydrotherapy. Lola had hydro from 6 weeks post-op (terrifying when there are partially healed broken long-bones involved - our vet described that we needed to treat her like glass at the beginning!) and that made a huge difference. The more muscle support around the join the better. As a comparison my girl is 60kg and takes 1.5 (227 mg) tablet a day if your guy was say 20kg (i'm guessing here!) he'd need a half. I pay £40 for a box of 30 pills so it works out £2 a day. So that's about 65p for a half pill or £19 a month. I've not looked into buying them elsewhere with a prescription (because of the insurance) but I'm sure that's a possibility. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Oh my word, poor Lola and thank goodness you had insurance . That's very interesting, thanks . Slightly concerned that the vet mentioned an orthopaedic vet might be an option at some point (sounds pricey ) but hopefully the meds and supplements will keep things on an even keel for now. This happened on the way back from the vets yesterday ... on the way back to the car Riley was obviously struggling so I picked him up and carried him (not that easy as he's 15kg!). An elderly man was walking with a small boy and said something about a "spoiled dog" in a fairly loud voice. I retorted (with a smile) "he does have a broken leg! "Oh, sorry" he mumbled . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majuka Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Sorry to hear that, Riley is a real stunner. It's not the end of his fun though so try not to worry. Karlotta mentioned hydrotherapy, my mum's lab had that prior to him having his hips replaced and that did wonders for him. He also did really well with accupuncture. More frequent, shorter walks will help rather than one long one. I'm another who gives my dog glucosmaine supplements from healthspan, I've just had a look at the packaging on my flexi-joints supplements and it suggests that a dog of Riley's weight should be having 2 a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 poor Riley hope he is feeling better soon sending love and snuggles from me and kev...(piper kit is sort of sending them from the door... she is only little) cathy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 OH took Riley to the vet today who said she wonders if there's some tendon damage as he's still not 100% but the only way to find out is with an internal camera which would cost anywhere between £800 and £1000 . I think we might save that option for when/if things get obviously worse! He can have short 15-20 min walkies now which is great so we'll just see how things go. He's not in any obvious pain, just limps very slightly but not all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlo Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Only just caught up with this Vicki. Sorry to hear about Riley. Let's hope things start getting better soon! Poor chap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 Just when we thought Riley was recovering well and was managing slightly longer walks, tonight he was playing with his sheepskin rug (he scrabbles at it and chucks it about the place ) he suddenly couldn't put any weight on his leg and started to yelp and whine horribly . He stopped yelping quite quickly but still can't stand on it . Off to the vets again tomorrow . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Oh no, poor boy. Hope he's OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickvic Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Sorry to hear about Riley, hope he makes a full recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 15, 2011 Author Share Posted October 15, 2011 Back from the vets. He's such a good boy and let her do whatever she needed without complaint. She said his joint felt really horrible and he's probably chipped another piece of bone . He's had a really strong painkiller/anti-inflammatory and then has tablets for the next 7 days (unless he reacts badly to them in which case we stop and take him back on Mon). Possibility of a referal to an orthopaedic specialist if things don't improve . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Oh no, poor Riley, and poor you too, its so worrying isnt it. I hope he improves very quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Oh no, poor little guy, hope hes feeling better soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Oh heck. Here's hoping he gets over it quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Oh poor Riley Hope the meds make him feel better very quickly. Tango is sending licks (she is limping too after cutting her pad, ouch). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Poor Riley. Ruby and Cyrus send him licks and woofles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Hope he gets better soon. Best woofs from Keira and Ozzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loumabel Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 so sorry to hear about riley, poor boy is really going through it. I hope things get better for him soon. Have you thought about Canine Hydrotherapy? one of my Labs 'Ben' has hip displaysia and arthritis and we take him for weekly hydrotherapy sessions and it has made the most amazing difference to his life. Because its non weight bearing exercise it is pain free and helps to strengthen all the muscles, and he gets to go in the hot tub afterwards which he loves!!! There are quite a few centres pooping up around the country so there should be one near you, your vet should be able to recommend one. We also use 'Cortaflex' in his food daily and this helps too. Big hugs to Riley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 Thanks everyone . Riley is battling on bravely as ever, enjoying his sunny spot in the bay window and being carried upstairs like royalty . Hydrotherapy sounds great but I'm not sure if Riley would think so - he absolutely hates water . He won't go in the sea or rivers and even jumps over puddles . He's on Flexadin (which sounds similar to Cortaflex) so I hope that's giving him some benefit. He's off his food a bit though which isn't good. It's even a struggle to get him to eat a slice of ham with his medicine wrapped in it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Poor old chap None of the meds that he is on should make him anorexic (of course there are always exception, not all animals react in the same way). His anorexia could be pain related but also make sure that there is nothing else going on like kidney disease for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 CM, he had a good liver/kidney result before being put on his meds a while back so hopefully it's not that. He's normally on dry food but we'll get some Chappie which he usually wolfs down. He's often funny about food, not eating well the first few days of a holiday for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKMARCH Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Poor Riley he's not having a good time of it no wonder he's off his food hope he's feeling a bit better soon. I expect he's feeling a bit depressed too at having to change his routine long term and missing his walks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 I expect he's feeling a bit depressed too at having to change his routine long term and missing his walks. You could be describing OH there . I'm giving Riley Chappie now which he is happily scoffing (along with all his tablets!) so that's a relief. Not looking forward to the end product though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkysmum Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Vicki, just reading Riley's thread. So sorry to hear he's so poorly. Hope the meds kick in soon. Can't imagine him unwell, such a lovely older boy. We're all sending cuddles. Alli x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
