DustysMom Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Dusty has LS. He will be 13 in January. We've tried Deramaxx and now Metacam. This last week his back end seems to be getting worse. He's having more trouble getting up and can't stand too long. His back legs bend into a crouching position (like a shepherd). A few days ago he actually crouched so low he ended up sitting and I've never seen him sit in the 8 years we've had him. Having more accidents in the house (having a 16-year-old bichon who goes in the house doesn't help the situation). I think sometimes he just doesn't "want" to take the trek outside. He can't stand long enough to eat his entire meal and has to be coaxed to start eating. He won't eat lying down so that doesn't work. Guess I'm looking for any advice from people who have gone through this. Is there a different med/combination of meds we should try? I'm getting scared for the short-term future. HELP!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoomDoggy Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I used acupuncture for my Chancy's LS. It did help, especially with flare-ups where she'd be yelping in pain. I had also tried chiropractic treatments, but didn't feel that was effective the way acupuncture was. Quote ~Aimee, with Flower, Alan, Queenie, & Spodee Odee! And forever in my heart: Tipper, Sissy, Chancy, Marla, Dazzle, Alimony, and Boo. This list is too damned long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 No advice (Sparks has mild LS) but Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spencers_Greyt Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Awwww I'm so sorry to hear about Dusty! Try getting him a harness with a handle on top to help him walk outside etc. Make sure his bowls are raised and a belly band with pads inside help with the incontinence. Not sure about the meds as none really helped with Spencer except Prednisone which just make the urination problem worse. Try yummy things in his food to encourage eating as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MorganKonaAlex Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Have you seen Dr. Stack's article on LS? Morgan had LS. Others on here have reported success with the steroid shot into the back but it didn't help Morgan. He went on Gabapentin which did seem to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fritofeet Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I started Diesel on this on the first of the month. http://www.katiesbumpers.com/Cart/myristin2.html He's been on a glucosamine for awhile, but within a few days I did notice the bent back leg thing easing up. At almost 2 weeks I see his hips moving more and he's sometimes got a bounce in his rear step. I don't know if the reason it is working faster for him is because he is already/has been on a glucosamine supplement, but I personally think it has helped a great deal with his comfort. He still lays down a lot, but will stand while eating and his ears are not flat to his head all the time. We tried the shot a couple years ago, and may try it again-but at the time all it did was stress Diesel out over the shiny floor and empty my wallet. Hugs to your sweetie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I am sorry to hear about Dusty! Sugar didn't have LS, but she had spinal problems that had similar effects. Acupuncture was a life saver for her. It took about a month to really "kick in", but she was sooo much better! I also gave her an Adequan shot. The first one was a big help, the next one not so much, so we didn't repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Joint Health, Fresh Factors, chiropractic and acupuncture and many times pred (which you cannot give with NSAIDs) There are some chinese herbs that are good also. Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 (edited) The depo-medrol shot gave our boy Caesar a new lease on life. Towards the end we had to also supplement with tramadol. Eventually, his quality of life declined and we had to say goodbye Joint supplements are good, but I don't think they make a bit of difference unless there is also some arthritis going on (not entirely unexpected in a senior anyway). LS is related to nerve pain, not joints. NSAIDs and pred are also usually not effective if your pups truly has LS and not some of the other issues aging dogs face. I would personally only use pred as a drug of last resort in many situations...but I've had bad experiences with pred and greyhounds so I'm pretty biased. Good luck...I would definitely try a variety of treatments b/c older hounds often suffer a combination of different issues...not just LS. Caesar also had a good amount of arthritis. Edited September 15, 2009 by KennelMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaBehr Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 My boy will be 13 in January and has had LSS for about 2 years now. He is on Previcox 227 mg once a day, as well as 50 mg of Tramadol twice a day. The Tramadol really helps him. He also gets glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM but I too don't think this helps much at this stage of the game. He is crouching more often now but still walks 2 blocks a day. UNFORTUNATELY he has developed fecal incontinence and there is nothing that can be done for that. I will send him to the bridge when he can no longer stand. Good Luck. Quote Mom to Melly and Dani Greyhound Bridge Angels - Jessie, Brittne, Buddy, Red, Chica, Ford and Dodge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TaraCoachCougar Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 Cougar is currently on a combination of Gabapentin(neurotin), tramadol, and prednisone. He was already taking some tramadol for his chemo treatments and they added gabapentin and prednisone as I've described the potential LS issues. The neuro doctor was hesitate to give the shot without an MRI and all, but the chemo doctor thought would could probably talk him into it if we tried the gabapentin and prednisone for three weeks. If we get there, he'll be 13 on Sept. 26th so surgery is not something we would pursue anyway. We do have an appointment in the morning with the acupuncture vet so I hope to see some results from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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