Help with arthritis in old dog

[waggytails]

We had to take Millie to the vets at the weekend as she was having difficulty walking and fell down a few times, she started to limp/dip a little on Thursday so i gave her some metacam and by the afternoon she seemed a little better and the same on Friday but on Saturday she seemed worse and as she has a sensitive tummy i cant give her to much metacam.  Any how the vet says it is Arthritis and as given her some tablets called PREVICOX, she as given us a 10 day supply and then we need to go back.  Has anyone else's dog had this, did it help or do you know of any other thing we could try just in case this does not help.  She has been on a herb fusion for a while now and i believe it has worked well for her, but obviously she must need something a little stronger, she will be 15yrs in April.

[louis mum]

We swore by the bioflow magnetic dog collars for Louis. We saw a dramatic difference using it.

I hope she feels more comfy soon bless her 

[sarah25]

We swore by the bioflow magnetic dog collars for Louis. We saw a dramatic difference using it.

We use a Bioflow Collar on our 11 year old Goldie they are fantastic and its helped her alot.
Well worth the money!

[HeatherandBenjy]

Sorry to hear Millie is having trouble.
Oscar has really bad arthritis and like Millie can't tolerate Metacam. He had a similar kind of time last year when one day he just didn't seem to be able to cope with walking any more. He was on total rest for a week to give everything a chance to calm down and now isn't on any medication for it, but he only goes for short walks (10 -15 mins max) at his own pace.

Damp and very cold weather seems to make everything worse and we've made sure that the beds are all very padded to keep him a bit more comfortable. I have to say that he seems happy with this and will often play for a minute or two in the garden or jump onto the sofa to have his belly rubbed. 

Hope that the previcox does help or that you can find other ways of making her more comfortable. 

[Lily Freya]

Give your dog a glucosamine tablet. Glucosamine helps the body manufacture glycosaminoglycans, which is designed to maintain cartilage structure. The recommended dosage is ΒΌ mg of a 500mg tablet per 10 pounds of body weight once a day. Preferably use a glucosamine tablet that also contains Chondroitin Sulfate. This supplement helps to attract water into the cartilage for added nutrition and lubrication. It also seems to inhibit excessive cartilage destroying enzymes.

A friend sent this information to me when Freya was diagnised with arthritis.  I wonder if it is worth you trying this too.

We give Freya gucosamine, and I have to say that she is better as a result.  We obviously can't reverse the condition, but it seems to be stabilised.  We get ours from Simply Supplements.

Good luck, I do hope your doggy gets some relief from the medication.

[SimonandMandy]

Very strange just reading all about successes of glucosomine/chondroitin on Nessr forum.  The vet of one of the forum members looked up the recommended percentages and they were 500 mg Glucosamine/ 400 Chondroitin - on their own they are not said to be as effective and some do in varying dosages.  It sounds like the supplement is fairly fast acting.

Do shop around looks like there are lots of options and differing dosages.  So far stockists mentioned are: www.SimplySupplements.net/Pets
Aviform
Vet UK

Good luck and hope this helps, if you try it do let us know how you get on

[brownsugar]

The orthopedic vet we visited with Toby (for a different problem) advised Cosequin DS, a combination of glucosamine, chondrotoin sulfate and manganese, to prevent and alleviate arthritis. It's not cheap, didn't ask if she had shares    .  She used the human counterpart herself to ease her own arthritis.

[waggytails]

Thankyou for your replies, at the moment i think i will just give the previcox a go and see if that does the trick.  But will definitely look into the Glucosamine.

Going to have a look on ebay for a bioflow collar.

[B52]

Another good supplement - Green Lipped Mussel extract is good for joints too...

[catcmartin]

My oldie girl I lost last September at 13y/o had bad arthritis in her back legs which then spread up her spine.  The Homeopathic vet we saw advised us to try Mixed veg caps in combination with Garlic & fenugreek from Dorwest Herbs.  I cant say for sure how effective they were as she also had other health issues at the time.  We also did acupuncture which really did help her as she would march right into the vets room and plonk her bottie down onto the furry mat which was placed for her and look at the vet as if to say, 'OK lady go for it get the needles in now'  and it really did help her I think she probably lasted a few more months than she would have without the acupuncture. Here is the link for the mixed veg and garlic with fenugreek so you can read it.
http://www.dorwest.com/Catalogue/Veterinary-Medicine/Garlic-Fenugreek-tablets

[*Jay*]

My old boy had arthritis and he got green lipped mussel supplements every day and a weekly dose of Metacam (used to joke it was his Sunday treat  ). When I remembered, I used to put some Vitapet R&A oil in his food but not sure how effective that stuff was tbh

[sophiew]

My lab has had arthritis since he was a youngster and he is on Joint Aid  - we've tried lots of others but this seems to be the best, it's about £20 a pack but lasts a while. He is also on liquid Devil's Claw, and cod liver oil (I buy the horse one in a big container!).

When he has a bad day he has painkillers but most of the time it's just the supplements. He used to have hydrotherapy too to build the muscles up. Oh, and a magnetic collar as suggested!

Sophie
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