SOS - My arthritic dog!!

miu2

miu2

Chewy Redlands CA Police K-9
O.G.
Jun 27, 2007
8,146
6
#1
Please............anyone who can offer advice for arthritis on dogs would be GREATLY appreciated!!

My sweet Blitz (you can see his picture on my avatar) has arthritis in his back legs and it is killing me to see him in so much pain!! :crybaby: Any advice would be so greatly appreciated!! He is 8 years old, somewhat overweight and very stiff in his hind quarters. I am afraid to walk him anymore for fear that I might make his condition worse. Please, if you know of any remedies or advice, I would love to know what I can do to help him. I've already experienced putting down my other Rottie due to cancer and arthritis and don't want to lose Blitz in 2008 the same way. Please help if you can!! :sad:
 
#2
If you take your dog to the vet, they can give you medicines to help the arthritis. I never had to go on a prescription one for my cat, but I gave her a supplement, cosequin, in her food 2x a day and it helped her out. We were about to put her on something a little stronger, but she unfortunately had some other health issues.

But definitely take your dog to the vet and they'll get you something to help!
 
#3
I agree, I would take your dog to the vet to see if they can stop the inflammation. Arthritis is very common in older Rotties b/c they're so big. I have a 16 yo old and she has arthritis in her hind quarters. My dad took her to the vet and she gave her medication ( Deramaxx) to help the inflammation. We give it to her once a day and it has definitely helped her.
 
#4
Yes, definitely take your doggie to the vet and please, try to take some weight off him... for his own comfort. Our old Dobermann had arthritis and I thought it was the end for him, but the vet put him on medication and the improvement in his mobility was nothing short of amazing. He was running around like a pup again. Hope it does the same for your boy. Good luck.
 
#5
We actually did take him to the vet a while back and she put him on some type of steroid I believe. It made him sooooo thirsty all the time and didn't seem to help him much. He even seemed to gain more weight. My husband is going to take him to a different vet today. Hopefully he can give him something else. I will definitely tell him about those medications you mentioned and have him ask the vet about them. Thanks so much for all your help!! :smile:
 
#7
My neighbor had a rottie with arthritis as well and she used to give him a supplement of I believe it was glucosamine. It's for people, but she would mix the powder in with his food and I think I remember it helped somewhat. Sadly though some poor babies are just prone to it because of their breed.
 
#8
my step mom's minpin has horrible arthritis. they have her on a pain killer/anti inflamitory (like doggie advil) and a steriod i think. it helps a lot. my step sister's lab also has the beginnings of it and they feed her a supplement that has gluecosomine condrition and some other things in it for joint health....just like supplements for human arthritis, but for dogs. maybe a trip to the vet and some supplements will help your baby?
 
#9
I have found that my older German Shepherd really benefits from a daily dose of Cosequin. It comes in tablet form is very palatable. You might also ask you vet about a course of Adequan injections. I have also found them to be very helpful!!

Good luck!!:tup:
 
#10
I am so sorry about your baby. One of my dogs is a collie mix and she developed arthritis at about eight years of age too. She gets monthly Adequan injections at the vet's office for her arthritis. In addition she takes Previcox (available from our vet) every day.

For a while we also tried a seaweed powder that one puts on top of the dog's food, but our Nellie wouldn't touch it. Plus it smelled awful. That didn't work for us, but I've heard that others have had a lot of success with it. It was also available at our vet's office.

Good luck with your baby. I know this is very hard for you. These days vets have new medications to help with arthritis. I hope you are able to find one that works for your doggie.
 
#11
We've had dogs with arthritis and it's terrible. The steroids aren't supposed to be used for any length of time. They used to prescribe Rimydal--it might be the one with glucosamine in it, I can't recall. Taking off the extra pounds could help, too. Check with another vet if you don't have confidence in the current one.

Good luck to you and your gorgous Rottie.
 
#12
I don't know if my dog has arthritis, but she is 13 years old and has a disk problem in her back. She might have some arthritis too. But she takes a joint supplement. And she has Remadyl (sp?) to take if her back flares up. I believe my parents used to also give it to their dog that was very old and had arthritis and it helped.
 
#14
Blitz is a cutie!:heart: Definitely consult your vet first before trying anything on your own. In current canine arthiritis treatments, there are really good non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) out there (Be careful, cats are not great at metabolizing NSAIDs, so not the same drugs are used... Cats are not small dogs). Etogesic, Rimadyl, Deramaxx, Metacam, Zubrin, Previcox are some of the brands. Your dog definitely has to get bloodwork probably before being on NSAIDs and every 6 months to check his liver function.
Definitely weight loss will probably be mentioned. But seeing a vet is the first thing... Good luck!!!
 
#15
I have a 9 year old German Shepard that has slight arthritis in both hind legs. She's never really gotten it bad, though she's had stiff legs in really wet weather. My vet suggested giving her Glycoflex level 1 with her food every day, as a sort of supplement. So I've been doing that and she's been doing fine! Best of luck to you!
 
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