Winterpaws Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Does anyone have any good links with information on athritis in dogs. I think my 8.5 year old ridgey girl is suffering from it and it seems to be getting worse. i noticed a few months a go that she had started groaning when ever she moved around and particulalrly when she was in a sitting/lying position. I took her to the vet and he gave me some cartrophen injections which helped a little (she already has glucosamine added to her diet) Her groaning has started up again so back to the vet but just wondering what treatment options are out there? What is the prognosis for dogs with this and what sort of pain would she be in. She seems happy enough although she lo longer really likes a long walk and is happy with a 10 minute plod down the road and back. Gosh so many more questions but will add them later. I'm a bit worried about how she will handle the cooler weather...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooper Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Paula knows lots about arthritic old dogs, having kept her gentleman Angus (RIP bootiful boy) happy and healthy for years. In his case, I think the injections were pretty frequent at first, then the frequency decreased to an as-needed basis? Diet of course is a large part of it, but for memory from pics your ridgey is pretty lean. What is your flooring? Think about something soft and easy to grip for her rather than tiles or timber. Erm ... where does she sleep? Can her bedding be adjusted to make it easier for her to get up and lie down ... a Smoky Dawson chair for dogs is needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pare Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Does anyone have any good links with information on athritis in dogs.I think my 8.5 year old ridgey girl is suffering from it and it seems to be getting worse. i noticed a few months a go that she had started groaning when ever she moved around and particulalrly when she was in a sitting/lying position. I took her to the vet and he gave me some cartrophen injections which helped a little (she already has glucosamine added to her diet) Her groaning has started up again so back to the vet but just wondering what treatment options are out there? What is the prognosis for dogs with this and what sort of pain would she be in. She seems happy enough although she lo longer really likes a long walk and is happy with a 10 minute plod down the road and back. Gosh so many more questions but will add them later. I'm a bit worried about how she will handle the cooler weather...... sorry to hear about your ridgeback. my ridgey is having some neck trouble too these days (is it pick on ridgebacks month or something? ) anyway, my 13.5yo rough collie has been slowing down the last couple of years with arthritis and cartrophen didn't seem to help her much. i started giving her seaflex late last year and that did put a little bit more spring in her steps (seh isn't running around like a 2yo, but the improvement is noticeable). it's a marine concentrate and there's supposed to be no chemical preservatives. keep in mind though, that i started feeding her a raw food made by pet love here in melb (recommended by a doler) at about the same time, so it could be one or the other or both that caused this improvement. good luck with your ridgeback! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winterpaws Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 She is on a BARF diet at the moment and they sleep indoors on thick x large sized dogs beds. I could probably restuff it with some new foam as it has compressed a little but they do keep her off the tiles. One of the things that was worrying me was that sometimes when she stands on the tiles now her legs look like they are collapsing from behind her. It was quite bad the other week but better again now. It's so hard not knowing whether she is in pain or not? Even if she is lying on her bed and moves position she groans - I even wondered whether it was a persoanlity thing until vet gave me the injections to give her Needless to say another vet trip but I am not sure if the vet can help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwm Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 There are two natural supplements you could try: Green Lipped Mussel extract has been used in NZ with great success http://www.healthbrands.com.au/topics/heal...ine+friends.htm Also, a company called Hi Form (www.hiform.com.au) used to make their products for both horses & dogs, however, it appears they only market for horses now - however, from memory it was just a slight change in dosage - the product proflamaid is the thing I would be considering. Worth giving them a call for a chat? Really helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniejac Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 My Staffy had her cruciate ligament fixed about 12 months ago. After she had this done I started her on Joint Guard daily and the difference is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Archie~ Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 My dog has arthritis, and has a course of Pentosan injections and I give her Joint Guard every day. She is doing really well on that combination. She also has a comfy bed which is raised off the ground Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I would buy foam from a foam shop that is athritis friendly.I would also find a Bowen Therapist & get them to work on your girl regularly. If she is frequently on tiles buy cheap runners from the carpet places or markets.Dogs learn very quickly about using these for stability & comfort. We are tiled & we use them .My boys sleep in my room & i have runners where they jump on/off the bed to minimize the risk. Also cconsider swimming especially if theres a doggy pool close buy. You can use metacam or melocam(SP) which are drops on food which many find far better that injections but like any product dogs can react. All my big dogs are started on gluco at an early for preventation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 We had Navarre (now at the bridge) on Arthri-eze from bio-organics, and also an unusual one from horse friends - a small pinch of epsom salts in his dinner nightly. he stayed more mobile towards the end when he was on those supplements. fifi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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