best4koda Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Hi, was wondering if anyone could give advice on pain relief for an aging dog. It's my sisters dog who's arthritis has increased. They have put her on glucosamine but it hasn't kicked in yet and the dog is looking miserable. So they were just wanting to know if there was anything they could give in the short term until the other offers some relief. They just don't have the funds to head to the vet for this sort of thing as they are dealing with cancer themselves so the funds are skant at the moment. The dog is okay of course but just a little relief would be nice. I know panadol is not an option and most human stuff isn't but someone might know of something to assist that is not harmful and is safe and doesn't require a visit to the vet to get it. I did readd that possibly aspirin can be used in dogs. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2boxer Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I wouldn't use asprin. My 40kg boxer used to be on 50mg tramadol when she was really sore. It's a human prescription drug but if you had some at home.... I was on it after a csection! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best4koda Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 Not planning to use aspirin just I noted some threads I found said you could. I don't think she has tramadol at home but I will ask as she may from when she was sick on chemo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 I use aspirin. I have used it short term and long term (as in a couple of years). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 (edited) The dogs I have owned in the past if they have had really bad arthritis the vets have given them a course of Catrophen injections.. Sometimes they have needed ongoing courses of it, but they have been the best thing for my past dog's situations.. Edited February 3, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Oh ok saw where you wrote they cant really afford to go the vets about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 (edited) I have been trialling my young girl on a rose-hip supplement which is suppose to be a natural anti-inflammatory. http://rosehipvitalcanine.com.au/ The results in humans of the human version of the product are pretty convincing. Its not especially cheap though but they do have a facebook page and it might be worth contacting them to see about the product. Its identical to the human version though and the price isn't so bad if you get it from somewhere like the discount chemist warehouse. It may be worth looking into. Its not going to be a short-term fix though and like the glucosamine may take a while to work. If you want further information you can always ring them. They have been more then happy to chat about the product. Edited February 3, 2013 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best4koda Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Thanks Ness, will check it out and pass it on. Also just out of curiosity does anyone have info on aspirin for dogs. Yes money is an issue but they love their dog and are trying to find cost affective solutions for the lovely old girl she is. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 My old dally used to have the injections, but had little effect last time. I have tried all the joint supplements too. He is now on Mobic, which is a human drug. Its pricey from the vet, but if youb can get a vet to give you a script its only $12 from the chemist for a box of 30 tabs. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerMax Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) My old dally used to have the injections, but had little effect last time. I have tried all the joint supplements too. He is now on Mobic, which is a human drug. Its pricey from the vet, but if youb can get a vet to give you a script its only $12 from the chemist for a box of 30 tabs. :) The canine brand name is Metacam which used to be sold as a liquid with an eyedropper that you used to put it on their food rather than using tablets. But yes very pricey. ETA In some individuals, supplements such as glucosamine don't work or actually make things worse. It all depends on the root cause of the inflammation. Edited February 4, 2013 by SchnauzerMax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best4koda Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 My old dally used to have the injections, but had little effect last time. I have tried all the joint supplements too. He is now on Mobic, which is a human drug. Its pricey from the vet, but if youb can get a vet to give you a script its only $12 from the chemist for a box of 30 tabs. :) The canine brand name is Metacam which used to be sold as a liquid with an eyedropper that you used to put it on their food rather than using tablets. But yes very pricey. ETA In some individuals, supplements such as glucosamine don't work or actually make things worse. It all depends on the root cause of the inflammation. That's interesting, supplements making it worse. Might keep that in mind as she was doing alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bingo Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 SAMe and GLME are natural and I think anti-inflammatories Some others are buffered Aspirin, MSM, and Manganese Glucosamine is a building block for cartilage, chondroitin for synovial fluid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brookestar Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Simple lifestyle changes, keeping them warm and dry. Soft bedding, but not too soft, they need to be able to easily stand up and turn around on it, if they cannot do that, that can cause them pain and discomfort. Jumping into cars, onto furniture, etc, is also going to cause problems. Making sure they are not overweight at all. Any excess weight is going to make it much more draining on the joints, and put extra pressure on them. ALL vet clinics will allow you to weigh the dog for free. They must have a very clear waist line. Free running can cause problems. Leash walks regularly are important. Exercise keeps the joints moving and that helps. But it needs to be acceptable exercise. Two small walks each day are ideal, the limbs are getting the movement they need. Walking on grass, providing it is flat is also great. Swimming is good, BUT one needs to make sure they really are swimming. Taking a dog to the beach and telling them to play is not going to help they will go bounding into the water, which will cause problems. Swimming means swimming, not playing in water!! It will require strick human supervision and control. Massaging the joints will help too. You can even buy really cheap hand held massagers from $10 that can do part of the job for you! In most cases lifestyle changes are going to make the most difference and are of course the cheapest. No amount of drugs or supplements are going to do much if the dog is overweight, does not have suitable bedding or is not getting appropriate exercise. There are so many things that can be done in day to day lifestyle changes that are going to make the most difference. The supplements you have the dog on at present are not pain relief. Only anti-inflamatories offer pain relief. What these supplements do is to help to stop the joints getting worse. Arthritis is about wearing away the cartlidge around the joints. That cannot be repaired. What one can do is to try and slow the progression of it by giving the nutrients that help to keep the cartlidge there. If you want natural pain relief, you need natural anti-inflamatories. Joint supplements are going to help to stop it from progressing as fast as it would. They are the only things that can slow the regression of it and they do that. But they cannot remove pain. And I apologise for harping on about it again, but the most effective thing one can do to reduce pain is to get the dog to shed excess weight. Sorry if that is not relevent, but in most cases dogs do have some weight they can loose and any weight lost will help the dog. Pain will continue to increase if things are not put in place to assist with that, but many of those things can be lifestyle and then there are natural anti-inflamatories as well. The more things you put in place the better the dog is going to cope, and the longer they will live with the condition for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedsur Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 You could try some apple cider vinegar. My mum swears by it for her arthritis in her fingers. Just a bit on their food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 I know you said not the vet yet due to funds but from memory, Ollie used to have cartrophen injections (one a week for 4 weeks and it lasted all winter) - it really didn't cost very much at all. The first time we saw the vet to confirm that is what we were going to do and then the nurse saw him the other times (so no appointment needed - just a time to duck in). If you are comfortable giving the injection yourself, I am sure your vet would give it to you to take home and administer each week for 4 weeks.. Otherwise most other suggestions I know of have already been suggested. Warm, dry bedding - a low bed that they can walk on and off (like a trampoline bed) but make it soft (put some good padding under it. In winter an electric blanket on very low is awesome. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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