we need help ...

[momPaws]

Hi guys- this is so hard. I have been gining Honey gluc/condroit for quite a while and even tripled her dosage, but now it is not working so well. She is 11 and having a lot of trouble with her back legs...her arthritis all of a sudden got a lot worse. She is walking and playing but sometimes can hardly walk straight.
What do I do now- should I go to Rimadyl or try aspirin again. I have tried it in the past, but after a few days she starts throwing up. But I have given it to her a couple of days and it helps. I just can't see that choice long term.
She has so much heart and life in her that even when she has trouble getting up - she does it anyway- she wants to play so bad. I know she just needs the right medication. My vet has said she would go to the next drug when that time came, but I need your input on this...what drugs are there for her now?

[k9Karen]

You can try the Rimadyl. Just start with the lowest possible dose and see how she does. Mickey had the exact same problem, but Rimadyl made him extremely ill - vomiting and diarrhea. He also threw up aspirin, so I wasn't able to use either of these with him. You may want to ask your vet about enteric coated aspirin. I've heard it doesn't work in dogs, but I never used it. Do make sure you use a buffered aspirin and give it with food.

You can try some other herbals/natural products. I found yucca root worked with Mickey (but doesn't seem to help Angel at all). I used the Solgar brand - the only one that is root, not leaf. Turmeric is a possibility, but that didn't help Mickey. I tried several other things with Mickey and found that OsteoBiflex, Glycoflex, and yucca in combination worked best. They helped him for about 3 years, then nothing worked. I thnk he was about the same age as Honey when I finally settled on this combination. I know a lot of people don't think this type of product works, but it definitely did for Mickey. I know he got at least 3 years of improvement before there was nothing more I could do for him. His last few months, it was obvious he was in pain.

Good luck. Ask your vet and others and see what other things are available.

[Traci]

Might want to ask your vet about further investigation of the product you're using and ensuring the combination of chondroitin and glucosamine are appropriate (remember the testing done on several brands, many of them were lacking, some didn't even contain what the product claimed).

Rimadyl would be an option, but do discuss this thoroughly with your vet, ask her what successes she has had with other clients' dogs with similar problems.

Immediate things you can do are ensure she is not overweight, and if she is, start feeding her an appropriate diet to help reduce the weight. Provide a heating pad/blanket for her and a soft, downy, padded bed so that she isn't so sore upon waking, during cold nights, etc. Warmth/heat can help arthritic limbs to some degree.

On another note, when was Honey's last blood profile? Has her kidney, liver, function, etc been evaluated recently? Probably unrelated, but low potassium levels, for example, can cause weakness in the hind legs.

[mompaws-guest]

How about Deramax..vet said she would prescribe that???

[k9Karen]

How about Deramax..vet said she would prescribe that???

ahh - a Cox-2 inhibitor. since the FDA has taken 2 of the 3 off the market for humans, I guess the market is in animal products. Oops - sounding cynical there, aren't I, but that's how Rimadyl ended up as a canine product instead of a human one - too much liver damage to be approved for humans! (OK, I'm a cynic when it comes to drugs and the FDA, I admit it).

Now that I got that off my chest, I know many people who are very upset by the removal of Vioxx from the market because it did work for them. With canines, the long term side effects are not as great a concern since their life span is so much shorter. Deramax is a pain releiver in the same category as Vioxx, and, personally, I'm absolutely sure I would have tried it for Mickey if it had been available when he needed it. I don't think the risk is as high as with Rimadyl.

My opinion - go for it. Ask the vet about any possible side effects and if any monitoring (liver enzymes, platelet count, etc) are needed. And BTW, In the brief googling I did, I don't think this needs an Rx, which may help you with the $ down the road if this works for Honey.

Good luck. I hope whatever you decide to do helps your sweet furbaby feel better.

[momPaws]

Thanks to you both... this help means so much to me and of course sweet Honey.
She has been getting "people" glu/condroit. for maybe a year and it has help tremendously. She is very trim so that helps her leg. Unfortunately she threw up the aspirin I gave her yesterday..so maybe she will do better on the Deramax - or the same. It's so hard to decide what is best for her. When she gets a little pain relief she is like a puppy again - so there is a lot of life left in this old gal yet. Her and I are suffering together as I got a cortisone shot today for my shoulder...and my arthritis kicks up too as the cold weather sets it here in the north. Am sure it affects her, too.
Well hold a good thought for Honey as we try new med...thanks again, Mompaws

[oconnorjoy]

Mompaws...sorry to hear that Honey is having a hard time. Hopefully the new meds will make her more comfortable. Sending hugs and kisses from Joy, Bamm Bamm, Pebbles and Gazoo

[momPaws]

Thanks, Joy- I remember seeing pics of that little cutie Bamm Bamm - in fact I think I sent them to my daughter.
Now after reading about Deramaxx on the net am not eager to give it to her..maybe will try aspirin again..gee I wish there was something effective and SAFE!

[ShelbysMom]

I'm sorry to hear that Honey hasn't been herself lately. I hope the vet will find something that works for her and she'll be running and jumping around in no time.

[E's]

Sorry your sweet dog is having senior difficulties. I suspect my big girl is beginning this also. Win is 8 now and the long trip when we ran from Ivan was hard on her. A couple years ago one vet thought she was developing hip dysplasia. This vet advised me to find out about and begin massage. He was not her regular doctor, but is the top man in his practice for large breed working dogs - well known for his connection to the NOPD K-9 Corps. I put that in to show this DVM in anything BUT a holistic or alternative-medicine sort of vet...

I did look up the web sites he gave me and sort of "taught myself" the basics of light fingertip massage on Win's back, neck and flanks. I did not actually purchase any tapes or books. While of course I don't mean to suggest this therapy could replace meds, in Win's case the massage did seem to help - especially to help her relax and sleep - and certainly did no harm: the dog loved it.

So far, there has been no further mention by the vets re the dysplasia possibility. But now that Win is aging and again showing some signs of arthritic condition... morning stiffness for example... I am going to return to the "massage petting" as I call it - but this time with some professional instruction. The main website the vet gave me was that of Linda Tellington-Jones, but Amazon Books shows several authors with books reasonably priced. If the URL I give here doesn't come up, go to amazon.com books and type in "pet massage"... Unfortunately, one specifically for Senior Dogs, which I saw the other day, doesn't seem to be here; I will have to look for it - believe it was on www.petmassage.com but I forget the author's name.

Meantime, you and Honey will remain in my thoughts. Take care!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/searc ... 55-2516866