vk2mpj Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 (edited) Hi all, I have two dogs, one being a 11.5mth old Rotty and the other a 12mth old GSD bitch. The Rotty has been acting a bit lame on his front legs of late, and after a visit to the vet, she is pretty confident that it is just growing pains, but has also given me some NSAID to help relieve him, then possibly look at a course of cartrophen shots. Given both my kiddies are breeds which are prone to joint issues, I am also looking at something like Sashas Blend or Pernaease Powder, as a long term joint health treatment for them. Pernaease Powder is a few $ cheaper than Sashas, and appears to be the same, has anyone tried both, or can anyone give me reason to not use one over the other? Cheers and thanks in advance peter Edited November 10, 2008 by vk2mpj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Archie~ Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 They're both the same. They're both raw products, you're best using something with glucosamine and chondroitin, its more purified and you get better results. I've got our dogs on joint guard and its been terrific, the dogs are racing around like pups again!! Oh and it doesnt smell like the others!! We use to use Sasha's Blend, but joint guard has proved to be a lot better and no more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 (edited) just growing pains, Huh? Growing pains is, AFAIK a symptom of something wrong...not a 'normal' ocurrence. dysplasia, panosteitis, stress fractures, etc. If a vet told me my dog was sore/lame because it was 'just growing pains', I'd be out the door,sorry. Edited November 7, 2008 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vk2mpj Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 just growing pains, Huh? Growing pains is, AFAIK a symptom of something wrong...not a 'normal' ocurrence. dysplasia, panosteitis, stress fractures, etc. If a vet told me my dog was sore/lame because it was 'just growing pains', I'd be out the door,sorry. The vet did give it some name, I cannot remember sorry, it was some sort of "...itis", basically it occurs in large dogs that tend to have rapid growth spurts. He in on some NSAID, and after that if he seems to have responded well, they will give him a course of Cartrophen. If he doe not respond to the NSAIDs they will investigate further with x-rays etc to rule out HD / ED, OCD etc.. I am after something to give to both dogs to help them develop healthy joints, and help prevent against arthritis and other issues. I will have a look at Joint Guard, thanks. I am looking at changing their diet from chicken carcasses and Supercoat Puppy to a Royal Canin diet, but the thought of double the money per bag... OUCH!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Ok have you considered doing a BARF type diet? There are lots of threads on it .. have a read. Your pups would be getting a balanced.raw diet, and it is probably cheaper than the processed foods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vk2mpj Posted November 8, 2008 Author Share Posted November 8, 2008 I have tried a BARF diet, and this is what they were on solely for a while mixed with the Supercoat, but I am a little concerned that they weren't getting the right amounts and the right balance of what they need for healthy growth and health joints. They seemed to thrive on it, I got my GSD from her prievious owner, and they commented on how hard it was to keep condition on her. They admitted to feeding PAL, as soon as I got her home and onto BARF, she has come along quite nicely. I have been thinking of feeding them a Chicken Frame in the mornings, then dry (decent stuff) at night, throw in some Sardines every so often... Then once a week substitute a chicken frame with a whole black fish or the like? I guess all I want is the best food I can possibly afford to give them, and to ensure that they get all of what they need in the right balance.. I have considered starting another thread asking something like this, but I will read through the site first, chances are it has been discussed many times before. The Joint Guard seems to be better priced than Sashas Blend too, its marketing material seems to be a little more convincing too.. I might give it ago unless someone can tell my a good reason not too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I agree, try feeding raw. Billinghurst says that the best balance is found in nature. My old corgi was on Supercoat with a bone a week for many years. I took her off it when she was getting some mysterious bouts of stomach upset that we couldn't find an explanation for. We went to homecooked, and the change in her health was very profound. One of the unexpected side effects was that all her arthritis went away. I went from giving her Metacam daily to not using it at all. She was 9 then. She's now nearly 13 and seems to have a lot of aches and pains again. She's been on Sasha's for a couple of years, but I don't know that it does much for her anymore. I am thinking of getting the injections as her pains haven't got any better with the warmer weather this year. She's a very grumbly old girl, now. I've had Kivi on a raw diet since the day I brought him home. He is 7 months old and quite a bit bigger than he is supposed to be. The whole litter grew to be very tall. Kivi's sister is currently having the same problems with her joints as your guys. I've been watching Kivi like a hawk, but he seems to be fine. Maybe the raw has helped, but who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laneka Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 Peter, some Rottweilers do suffer from growing pains, can't remember the proper name either. This normally happens in the rapid growth period and is normally over by the time the dog is 12 months old. As I said normally, there are exceptions to the rule. I use glucosamine and fish oil, on youngsters and oldies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaves Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 I use Wagners Joint formula from teh chemist it is about $50 for 500grams of powder It has msm, chondroiton and glucosamine in it as well as some other stuff Daire does well on it Good luck with Gilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamuzz Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 Peter, some Rottweilers do suffer from growing pains, can't remember the proper name either. This normally happens in the rapid growth period and is normally over by the time the dog is 12 months old. As I said normally, there are exceptions to the rule. I use glucosamine and fish oil, on youngsters and oldies. Sounds like you are thinking of panosteitis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 (edited) Peter, some Rottweilers do suffer from growing pains, can't remember the proper name either. This normally happens in the rapid growth period and is normally over by the time the dog is 12 months old. As I said normally, there are exceptions to the rule. I use glucosamine and fish oil, on youngsters and oldies. Sounds like you are thinking of panosteitis. I was just going to suggest Pano My Bronx's brother had it...unfortunately his owners vet was telling them he needed to have elbow surgery at $3000 to start - unfortuantely they wouldn't listed to the breeder or myself or even get a second opinion But knowing his diet, activity levels etc...i wasn't surprised and pretty much through of pano straight away - breeder said the same after finding out the info i had re his diet etc. Peter - what are you diet have you got your pup on? Edited November 9, 2008 by KitKat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Sasha's Blend has been really good for my old arthritic, cruciate-challenged girl. She's been on it for a couple years now and has seen her through the early days of joint problems... To see my girl through with legs like hers, must be good stuff (even if it only helps a little). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vk2mpj Posted November 10, 2008 Author Share Posted November 10, 2008 (edited) Peter, some Rottweilers do suffer from growing pains, can't remember the proper name either. This normally happens in the rapid growth period and is normally over by the time the dog is 12 months old. As I said normally, there are exceptions to the rule. I use glucosamine and fish oil, on youngsters and oldies. Sounds like you are thinking of panosteitis. I was just going to suggest Pano My Bronx's brother had it...unfortunately his owners vet was telling them he needed to have elbow surgery at $3000 to start - unfortuantely they wouldn't listed to the breeder or myself or even get a second opinion But knowing his diet, activity levels etc...i wasn't surprised and pretty much through of pano straight away - breeder said the same after finding out the info i had re his diet etc. Peter - what are you diet have you got your pup on? Panosteitis that's it, that is what the vet suspected.... BUT Just looking on the net, and the symptoms indicate that the affected bone would be painful if squeezed. This is not the case with Gilly, you can poke / prod / squeeze / flex till the cows come home and he has no issue with this. He is not reluctant to move around, infact he actively encourages my GSD to play, and whines when I take the GSD out with out him. It was spontaneous, with nothing obvious to explain what caused his limp, and when I took him for a short walk yesterday, he would literally limp then not then limp then not. If he were human, I would almost be convinced he was bunging it on for a compo claim or something At this stage, I am looking at sending my GSD to my parents for a few days to get Gilly to settle down and see what happens, the NSAIDs seem to have little effect since starting them on Friday night. The next step from the vet is a course of Cartophen. His diet thus far has been (and I may cop some flak, but I have always fed commercial like PAL to all my prievious dogs until I started learning, then switched to Supercoat... so bear with me...) Mornings Was Chicken back with 2 scoops of Supercoat Puppy now Chicken Frame Evenings 800g Concoction of Chicken Pet Mince, Black and Gold frozen veggie mix, sardines, eggs, supercoat puppy and until recently rice / pasta. I have changed his evening meals to 600g of Supercoat Puppy, and in the mornings he alternates between Frames, and 500gm of the above mix. I switched to Supercoat as the base cause I am worried that he is not getting the right calcium / phosphorus balance. I am now looking at the more "premium' foods like Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy, Royal Canin etc. Bonnie has even been suggested, but there is little info on their site. Is it possible to give them too much Glucosamine or Chondroiton? If I feed them Eukanuba, this has the two already in it, would it be excessive if I were to include some Joint Guard or Pernaease? He appears fine other wise, he is happy, shiny smooth coat, 54cm at the back and 37.8kgs... He does have me worried though the little beggar... Edited November 10, 2008 by vk2mpj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaves Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Bonnie complete adult is really good One of the breeders here raises her pups and dogs on it and they are all doing brilliantly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Have a read here Puppy Limp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vk2mpj Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 Okay I have read through all the info provided, and it would seem that Pano is the likely problem... However... He does not react when I do the pinch test, I can pinch, squeeze, flex and move all his legs with out any reaction at all. After speaking with his breeder and they indicated that their Rotties are much the same wrt to pain, i.e show little to no indication of it when poked / prodded. Looks like trying to find the money to get the x-rays done... He is a frustrating buggar, one minute he seems okay the next he is limping again. I had to laugh at him though, at one point yesterday, he was walking fine, not favoring either leg or anything, but was still bobbing his head. Looked like one of those "noddy dogs" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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