****zu with Arithritis

[CKgal]

Hi all,

I have a ****zu who is 12 years old suffering from arithritis in her hind legs. In Jan, i took her to the vet and the vet gave her a jab and pain killers. Subsequent months we have been giving glucosamine until yesterday. She was in great pain and barely can move and the vet gave her another jab and pain killers.

However, this time round she barely can move as compared to the previous time where after the jab she still can walk.

Any advise to help my dog from continuous groaning and the actual way to carry her because i tried several times and she seems in great pain. :(

[marg]

I wish I could help you, but I know nothing about it. There are lots of people on here that can, though. Lots of people w/ natural things you can try. Just be patient and someone will help you soon. Poor puppy, I hope you can find something to help.:(

[NewfieGrl]

Hi,
Well, my almost 9 year old Newfoundland has one bad hip and arthritis in his joints.
First, I would recommend switching to a high quality holistic supplement. Glucosomine is ok but a good supplement will contain other good holistic ingredients that will all work together.
Second, I definately recommend acupuncture. I take my dog on a regular basis and it has helped him tremendously. I can always tell a difference after he has had a session.
Between the two above suggestions I have been able to greatly reduce the dosages of pain meds(NSAIDS).
I just recently also started giving him fish oil, which is great for joint health.
Anything to keep him off the meds.
When he started showing signs of pain to the point that he was limiting his movement, about a year and a half ago, I was giving him a dosage of Metacam a few times per week. Now I can go sometimes 2 1/2 to 3 weeks between having to give him a dose.
Another suggestion would be to keep your dog well toned, but don't over due the daily exercise. Short walks more frequently work well.
Unfortunately there is no cure-all for arthritis. But there are definately things that can help you restrict the prescription meds. I defihately would recommend getting in touch with a holistic veterinarian.
I've also looked into hydrotherapy which I may be trying soon. Massage is also an option you may want to try.
I hope this helps a bit. It's tough to see them in pain.
Michele
owned by 2 Newfies, a cocker spaniel and 3 cats.

[CKgal]

Thanks NewfieGrl.. is it possible for u to share the venue and contact of accupunture and any recommendations on Holistic vet?

Btw, i guess my house floor tiles seems to be slippery for my dog. But i can't possiblity change the flooring of the whole house. But i know she will keep on slipping and hurt her joints...

Regarding her diet wise, currently she is having dried food (fish & sweet potato) as to prevent her from having skin problem... but her appetitie wasn't so good... is there any ways to let her appetitie turns better... i have been giving her salmon sticks if she refuse to eat her dried food.


One last issue, i don't dare to carry her, ytd i carried her onto the box to visit the bad and she was in great pain, i guess she has the phobia and i have it as well.. So i can't help her to reduce her walkings if she wants to go toliet or anyway in the house.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated... thanks thanks

[artmark]

If you and your vet decide a nsaid is necessary make sure you are aware of all the side effects and respond immediately if one presents itself.

[NewfieGrl]

Hi,
I'm in CT. I'm not sure where you are. Here is a list of holistic vets that are members of the American Holistic Veterinary Ass (http://www.ahvma.org/)ociation. Here's another link for the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (http://www.ivas.org/). You should be able to find vets in your area with either of these links.
Word of mouth is also a great way to find a good holistic or acupuncture vet.
I found the one I use through my regular vet.
Slippery floors can be a problem. And yes, most people aren't in a situation that they can afford to change all the floors in their homes. I tend to have alot of non slip runners through my house. Larger area rugs also work well for bigger rooms.
She may not be eating because she just doesn't feel good. It's like a viscous circle when it comes to pain in our animals. When they don't feel good they don't want to move, not moving makes them feel even worse. Getting the pain under control is the key to get them moving again. As I said, shorter, more frequent walks and exercise is the way to go, slowly building up if possible. If you they over-do it and are sore then you start that cycle all over again.
Joint and muscle supplements can take up to a few weeks, or more, depending on what you are using, to start showing signs of working.
As artmark said, know the side effects of the NSAIDS. Do your own homework and gain your own knowledge. I use them as infrequently as possible on Dublin and he has to be having a really bad day before I will resort to them. On the other hand, I also do not believe in allowing the pain to persist as it makes him immbobile and that's not good either. But I do not like the side effects that I know the NSAIDS can have. I also will do some massage on him that I learned from the vet. He really seems to enjoy it.
This much I can say about the acupuncture and changing to a good supplement....He last had xrays almost 2 years ago when the arthritis was found. He had xrays 2 weeks ago so we could monitor the progression of the arthritis and condition of his hip. The xrays showed virtually no change in the progression of the arthritis and both of my vets(traditional and holistic) were thrilled.
Hope that helps a bit.
Michele
owned by 2 Newfies, a cocker spaniel and 3 cats.

[NewfieGrl]

Just wanted to add something to this post. I couldn't remember the name of the homeopathic remedy that I got from my holistic vet a few weeks back. The name of it is Zeel and it's used for mild to moderate pain, articular stiffness and inflammation. I have started using that in conjunction with the other supplements I talked about in the previous post. It's all homeopathic.
Michele
owned by 2 Newfies, a cocker spaniel and 3 cats.

[CKgal]

Poffey gets on her feet after a few days of pain. Now she regain her appetite and can walk and we are able to carry her. My vet suggested we gave her a continous jabs weekly for a month to see how's her progress.

Meanwhile we are giving her Rimeday125 pain killers daily twice but we will gradually reduce it to once a day.

The jab give was Cartrophen... i am not sure whether is it bad or having any side effects anot.

[NewfieGrl]

Glad to hear she's feeling better. I was looking at some info on the Cartrophen. It looks like it has a decent track record for being effective. It also appears that the problems you are having with her right after the injection are the side effects of it. But, from what I read it doesn't appear to have any horrible side effects.
Maybe between the injections and getting regulated on a good supplement you will be able to reduce the rymadil to as needed.
Michele
owned by 2 Newfies, a cocker spaniel and 3 cats.

[CKgal]

Ya, i hope so... However i read on rimadyl seens to have quite a number of side effects like liver disease, immune diseases (anemia, low platelet count, skin diseases,) neurologic signs (seizures, paralysis, unsteadiness,) behavioral problems (hyperactivity, aggression, depression, or sedation,) and even death.

Today my dog seems to be restless for the whole day.. She still does the walking but not having great appetite and been resting and resting.. i don't even dare to bath her. Was wondering whether the behaviour was caused by the rimadyl.. but we already reduce the dose to 1/2 tablet per day. I hope i can start as soon as possible with the gulcosamine supplement soon instead of relying on rimadyl.

[artmark]

STOP the rimadyl and get the dog to the vet if the vet ignores you get to another vet the restlessness and loss of apetite are side effects when side effects occur 18% of those dogs die! the faster you act the better your dogs chances are

[NewfieGrl]

I would agree with artmark on the rimadyl. If you think that is causing the reslesstness, loss of appetite, stop it right away. When was the last Cartrophen shot?
Here is a link I was reading yesterday. Cartrophen is lower down on the page.
http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/care.cd.html

As I said in a previous post, about 3 weeks ago I started Dublin on a homeopathic pain reliever. It's called Zeel and I got it at the place I take him to acupuncture for. I think it has helped.
Also, get on a holistic type of supplement asap. They usually take a few weeks to start showing signs of improvement, so the faster you get on something the better.
Good luck.
Michele
owned by 2 Newfies, a cocker spaniel and 3 cats.

[artmark]

Carprofen is Rimadyl! follow the new FDA guidlines stop the medication and imediately contact your veternarian. I have personal experience with this you do not want to hesitate and see if the drug works it's way out on it's own.

[NewfieGrl]

From the way I read the material Carprofen is but Cartrophen is not.
Here is the literature....
Cartrophen Vet

Rimadyl is also known as 'Carprofen.' There is another drug, developed in Australia before Rimadyl, called 'Cartrophen.' Although the generic names are similar, the drugs are radically different. Cartrophen Vet is not an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), as Rimadyl is. Unlike Rimadyl, which intends only to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, Cartrophen is purportedly a "disease modifying anti-osteoarthritic drug" that promotes the regrowth of cartilage and the generation of synovial fluid. Cartrophen Vet is like Adequan and Cosequin in this respect.

Michele
owned by 2 Newfies, a cocker spaniel and 3 cats.

[CKgal]

Hmmm.. one pity thing is that i am located in Singapore and i asked around pet shops and they are not selling holistic supplements and don't even talk about acupunture which i think this service is not available in Singapore.

I think the Catrophen jab is the one NewGrl mention without side effect and building up muscle cells and tissues. Rimadyl has alot of side effect, but without taking it or lesser the dose i guess my dog will be in pain. E.g. i just help or guide her to her kernel to urinate when she sort of asked for help cos she can't really walk with her hing legs sliding off.

[artmark]

I thought catrophen was a typo for carprofen,looks like like catrophen does have side effects and is still being tested here from what I read veternarians in Australia and the UK are using it along with carprofen Rimadyl which could be a dangerous cocktail even if one is considered safe.

[CKgal]

Hmm i think the catrophen jab is another kind that has no side effect and will help rebuild the muscles tissues. the vet told me to get Flaxseed oil and combine with pain killers and glucosamine for my dog to see how's here condition.

Currently, her condition is not stable.. able to walk a few days and drag her legs a few days. Vet mentioned that if her condition after all the jab and medication is still not stable, then they will do an x-ray to check whether her joints did press on her nerves etc.