Experiences with Librela?

[makenna]

Chisum has had arthritis issues for at least four years now. We've tried a lot of different meds, currently he takes Dasiquin (a supplement) daily as well as Galliprant and the vet recently added Amantidine, which is supposed to make the Galliprant more potent.

It seemed to work at first, but the past couple of weeks his front leg has really been bothering him and I've also noticed that when he stands to eat his back legs aren't straight under him, but farther forward so they kind of go at an angle and his back is a bit hunched.

My vet said the last option to try is Librela. I know there are lots of scary side effects rolling around. She said the only reason she'd lean away from it for her own dogs is that it treats pain, not arthritis, so if he's in less pain he may be less careful with his joints and cause more damage. But, as he does have cancer and is elderly, that part may not matter and it may be a better option for him so that he can be pain free for as long as he is here.

I'm of course scared to give him anything that may cause him harm, but I also don't want my own anxiety to stand in the way of treating his pain. If I can do something to lessen his pain I absolutely want to do that.

Does anyone have personal experience with this? Everything I'm seeing suggests that if your dog has neurological issues that seems to be the catalyst for the bad side effects, but I don't believe that is the case for Chisum (he's been to the vet so much I think we'd be aware of it at this point).

[Jaysmumagain]

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How to start !!!

My late boy Ollie had Librela, we had nothing to lose, Ollie was 14 years old, had been diagnosed with cancer 12 months early(growth in neck) he was on steriod tablets to help him along with liquid paracetamol(Tylenol but for animals) also a supplement called Yumove which is really popular over here.

I guess due to the steriods and his poor mobility he gained weight.  The vet suggested Librela which was quite new over here, she told me not to look at reviews on Facebook, but she had some really good results.  She stressed that if it was to help we would see improvement quite quickly, the first dose might show some improvement but after second we would really should tell if helps or not.

Well it certainly did - his mobility was really improved, enjoyed his walks and we even went to a vaction rental and he loved it.  For me the only downfall was that at first he would get a good month of better mobility, so you really did need it monthly (cost about $70 each month).  As he got older you could see the mobility decline after 3 weeks.  But we stuck with it.

In all we had him on Librela for about 8 months till he passed.  The time we had and the memories we made were worth it for us, we constantly looked at his quality of life - he was my world and if I felt he was suffering I told my vet I wanted to know.

I hope this helps you and it was just our experience.

Cuddles to Chisum

Julie

[makenna]

Thank you, Julie. I'm sorry for the loss of your Ollie. I know what you mean, Chisum is my world as well.

I get antsy with negative reviews because I would feel terrible if I made a choice that was harmful to him, but if he could have 3/4 weeks a month without pain I would be over the moon. I also feel like we are approaching "nothing to lose" territory; he's still mobile but it's definitely much harder for him to move around and watching him limp and struggle is horrible. I just want him to be happy.

I think I'll reach out to my vet and see what she says. 

[bizzylizzy]

Hi,
I don‘t know if my input is relevant as I don’t have any experience with Librela but my boy Humphrey‘s had  back pin for the last 5 years (he‘s 11 now) after suffering a prolapsed disc which was misdiagnosed and the delay in operatung  resulted in permanent nerve damage. I‘ve always been reluctant to put him on permanent pain killers because he was still quite young when it started and we‘ve struggled along with various supplements (he‘s also been taking YuMove daily) but we‘re at the stage now where because his  hopping on three legs has put so much strain on his back and front legs, he‘s struggeling with even short walks.
I absolutely understand your dilema, I also have a habit of looking everything up on the internet but I‘m really trying to stop doing that now, we‘ve recently changed vets and I‘ve made up my mind that I‘ll make an effort to trust her judgement and stop unsettling myself.
At 11, Humphrey‘s also a senior now, he‘s on a kidney friendly and calorie controlled diet and I‘ll do everything I can to ensure he stays as healthy for as long as possible but at the end of the day, its quality of life not quantity so if pain killers are the last option for ensuring his pain is reduced for the time he has left, then I think that‘s the only way forward.  Humphrey’s physiotherapist is of the same opinion, she sees dogs with mobility issues all the time and has stressed to me how the attempt to avoid the pain is often what causes the strain on the other limbs and joints, her first priority is always to ease the pain.  Hope you can find a way forward that you‘re happy with, its SO hard though isn‘t it?
Wishing Chisum all the best!
xx Jayne

[makenna]

Thank you, Jayne. 

I'm sorry for your pup's struggles. I agree that quality is better than quantity, and right now we already have a limited quantity unfortunately (well, we always do, but a bit more than I would have expected).

I made an appointment for him tomorrow morning. I know I'm going to be a bag of nerves for like a week, but I figured as afraid as I was of the medication, I don't want my anxiety to get in the way of him feeling better. I'd regret it just as much if I didn't do anything and watched him continue to struggle as he is. He's always had pain flares but this is among the worst and it's been on a downhill slope.

So, here's to hoping I guess.

[makenna]

We did have some good news, the vet did x-rays on Chisum when he was in there (he's been coughing a bit, she thinks it's age-related trachea irritation). But with his cancer they wanted to check for masses or enlarged lymph nodes. I wouldn't pursue treatment, but I told them I wanted to know just to either be relieved or prepared. No masses found. 

We went ahead with the injection. They said most people see results within 24-48 hours, which would be sometime today. But they also said it could take a week, or it could take a second injection before he really feels it.

I've been watching over him like a nervous hen. He seems to be feeling okay, still sore, but very tired. I'm not sure if that's due to his busy couple of weeks + the vet visit, but he was a bit this way beforehand. He does still get excited when he sees a squirrel. His appetite is down a bit, but I've been mixing in wet food, scrambled eggs, and baked shredded chicken and he's eager for those things. He's just usually a lot more bright and alert, pestering me about different things and right now he's just following me from room to room and falling asleep.

Anyway. I'll keep an eye on him and maybe reach out to his vet Monday if he's still this way. Thankfully I live in a town that has a vet school, so if anything were to go wrong we have a good ER close by.

[Jaysmumagain]

Oh fantastic news on Chisum from the vets visit.

I will cross my fingers on the Librela helping, if it can help with his mobility then it is worth a try.  I always felt that if anything could help without being invasive.

You might have seen Jayne gives Humphrey Yumove and I also gave to Ollie daily.......they make something over here called i Move Active for Humans.....guess who sent for some yesterday.  The old knee can really be bothersome and the Consultant felt too soon to think about surgery so giving them a try

Love to Chisum

[bizzylizzy]

Oh fantastic news on Chisum from the vets visit.

I will cross my fingers on the Librela helping, if it can help with his mobility then it is worth a try.  I always felt that if anything could help without being invasive.

You might have seen Jayne gives Humphrey Yumove and I also gave to Ollie daily.......they make something over here called i Move Active for Humans.....guess who sent for some yesterday.  The old knee can really be bothersome and the Consultant felt too soon to think about surgery so giving them a try

Love to Chisum

Is that also made by Lintbells Julie? Sounds like it might be good for me too.
The vet‘s also given me something called Cortisan for Humphrey, as far as I can tell its a German product and not cheap as I can only get it through the vet but its a Cortisone alternative based on Cumin and Incense, he‘s only been on it for a few days so a bit early to tell yet.

[Jaysmumagain]

Jayne yes i Move is made by Lintbells. 

Just googled Cortisan Oil and it contain Frankincense, me thinks that vet is a gooden!!  Only thing I would say is I goodn't take tumeric supplements as it upset tummy and worked better than any prune juice could ever do.

Wondered whether to try the capsules as in the States it seems to be a thing to try for osteoarthritis in the knee, but being ever cautious went for i Move - if Yumove helped Ollie I would give it a try.

Frankincense, specifically from the Boswellia serrata tree (known as Indian frankincense), contains boswellic acids that help reduce joint inflammation and protect cartilage. Clinical studies show that oral capsules (typically 250 mg to 1,000 mg daily) or topical extracts can moderately ease knee osteoarthritis pain and stiffness within seven days to a few weeks.

Only ordered yesterday and arrived this afternoon....let you know how I get on.

Love to Humph

Forgot to mention Stu sent e mail today asking if everything is running ok - said finger crossed it was.