Natural Pain Med?

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

Brookie is still getting up there in age (13 1/2). Big shocker I know

But she is limping a bit after she first wakes up. Pretty normal as they age but I'm wondering if there is anything else I can give her to help.

She does work out of the limp after a few steps.

 

Deramax even at half dose upsets her tummy so really do not want to go that route.

She is on the Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM and while that did seem to help. As the years go on she's getting more creaky.

 

Doesn't stop her from jumping on the couch, trotting around the back yard and occasionally doing a happy dance, rubba rubba on the couch.

Just wondering if there is something else I can add to help the old ladies joints feel a bit better.

[Guest GreytgroupLeader]

Hi Heather,

 

I few years back when I attended "Dewey" one of the groups scheduled as a fund raiser a half hour session for your greyt at your hotel with a massage therapist. She worked with one of our greyts that had a hip problem and also with my Geisha Girl. Not only did she work with our greyts but also showed us how to work with them. As a result I give all my gang a massage each morning. They love it and it's a little quality time with each one. For my older gang ( sadly now at the bridge) it really seemed to help loosen up their muscles.

 

Wouldn't hurt to try.

 

Lois

[Guest Swifthounds]

Are you already giving fish oil or salmon oil in theraputic doses? I find it really helps with joints.

 

Vitamin C is good as well.

 

Also, Heel Zeel

and Heel Traumeel

 

When I've had to use something Rx for pain, I go with Tramadol. It's easier on the liver and tummy than NSAIDs, treats mild to moderate pain, and has mood lifting elements (especially helpful for older hounds). The one caveat is it shouldn't be used with other MAOIs.

[Batmom]

Not natural but:

 

Could try a low dose of Tramadol (no waiting needed), maybe start with 25mg 2-3 times per day.

 

If you leave a few days between Deramaxx and any other NSAID, it might be worth trying Meloxicam (probably my first choice for not upsetting tummy) or Rimadyl. Dogs respond differently to those meds. I'd mention aspirin but it's even more likely than the other NSAIDs to cause stomach upset, gastric bleeding, etc.

[NeylasMom]

I second the fish oil (Use Grizzly salmon oil) and Vit C. Tramadol is good for pain but won't help with inflammation like an nsaid will. You could try something other than Deramaxx - Neyla can't take Rimadyl (her platelet count drops), but she seems fine on Deramaxx. They all work a little differently so it might be worth trying.

 

Otherwise, you might consider consulting with a holistic vet on herbal options. I did some research into an herb that's in the glucosamine supplmenet I give my pups (actiflex k9) called Boswellia. Studies show it reduces inflammation and actually works to sooth the GI tract so it's good for use in IBD dogs as well. I posted a link about it in H&M - if you should find it with links to more info.

 

Last thought, "natural" remedies can also help wtih the stomach so that she can tolerate the nasids. A probiotic can increase the healthy bacteria in the gut and tehre are other natural remedies like papain, which is derived from papaya that are very soothing to the gut. Papain has been used for a long time in horses.

 

Check out this article on supplements. The probiotic he recommends actually has papain.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

Have not done the fish oils or Vit C

Good ideas and I think I'll start with that and see how things go

 

If it was something she wasn't walking out of in a short amount of time I might go with the Tramadol but I'm sorta keeping that as an Ace in the hole sort of deal. If that makes any sense.

 

Maybe I need to get Brookie her own special whirlpool Kevin always says, whatever Princess needs she will get

Thanks for the ideas. Gives me some ideas I didn't think of

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

fish oil is good, massage is good.. but long-term, not contra-indicated with anything, natural anti-inflammatory I would go with S.O.D. and Boswellia which you can get from California Vet Supply quite reasonably. You don't have to pulse it, i.e. it doesn't build up in the system or loose efficacy. It's advertised as 'use instead of Tramadol' and I've found it makes a huge difference. I was actually thinking of trying it myself .. someone had suggested to me that they'd taken it and found it hard on their own stomach; I give mine (small pills) in food, they don't even notice they're there, so if I take it myself I will take it will food -- however I'm already taking one naproxen a day and enough of various kinds of antibiotics to choke a horse so I doubt I'll notice .

 

My holisitic vet highly recommends the S.O.D. and Boswellia and I've seen good results with it.

[Guest Swifthounds]

Just an FYI: I get most of my supplies through Puritan's Pride

 

fish oil, SAMe, COQ10, corn silk for urinary incontinence, etc.

 

They also sell SOD and Boswellia for anyone interested in those.

 

I do get my Vit C from the Greyhound Gang. I like that it's Ester C and it's powdered, so I can play with dosages.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

fish oil is good, massage is good.. but long-term, not contra-indicated with anything, natural anti-inflammatory I would go with S.O.D. and Boswellia which you can get from California Vet Supply quite reasonably. You don't have to pulse it, i.e. it doesn't build up in the system or loose efficacy. It's advertised as 'use instead of Tramadol' and I've found it makes a huge difference. I was actually thinking of trying it myself .. someone had suggested to me that they'd taken it and found it hard on their own stomach; I give mine (small pills) in food, they don't even notice they're there, so if I take it myself I will take it will food -- however I'm already taking one naproxen a day and enough of various kinds of antibiotics to choke a horse so I doubt I'll notice .

 

My holisitic vet highly recommends the S.O.D. and Boswellia and I've seen good results with it.

SOD as in thisproduct?

I've used that in the racing kennels in the past.

[PatricksMom]

I recently switched Patrick to EVO Herring and Salmon, plus added fish oil capsules. It drives the Omega 3: Omega 6 ratio way up, which helps control inflamation. I can't say it ended his bad flair-up, since the Meloxicam clearly helped, but he's been off that for a week and is still doing really well. He does also take Tramadol and Cosequine, but those alone weren't doing the job anymore.

 

Foods high in corn and soy will also be high in Omega 6s, which contribute to inflamation, so switching away from one of those might help on its own or with fish oil.

[Guest Swifthounds]

SOD as in thisproduct?

I've used that in the racing kennels in the past.

 

That's the stuff. Like other things in this thread, it comes in a variety of forms.

 

Foods high in corn and soy will also be high in Omega 6s, which contribute to inflamation, so switching away from one of those might help on its own or with fish oil.

 

 

Wise advice. My crew is raw fed, so I don't mess around with grains. Even meat, unless it is grass raised (most isn't) is high in Omega 6s and too low in Omega 3s. With kibbles, the meat in it is high in omega 6s, so the grains just add fuel to the fire. Some kibbles add fish oil, but it's usually not enough to balance out the Omega 6s. You really have to read the bags.

 

Every adult dog here gets fish oil and COq10 (for teeth/gum/heart health). I add glucosamine no later than age 3. Especially with greyhounds, they are so stoic, I would rather add it before there's an issue than add it later, see improvement, and know they've been hampered by skeletal and inflammation issues.

[Burpdog]

Are you using Springtime supplements? They really do make a differnece!

 

As to pain meds, there are several, though not sure about long term ones. Short term I use ResinallE which your vet has to order from Health Concerns. It is a wonderful pain herb but not suppose to be used more than 30 days.

 

When they get real bad, I've had several of my seniors on low dose pred. I have been fortunate that all of mine who needed it, tolerated it well.

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

fish oil is good, massage is good.. but long-term, not contra-indicated with anything, natural anti-inflammatory I would go with S.O.D. and Boswellia which you can get from California Vet Supply quite reasonably. You don't have to pulse it, i.e. it doesn't build up in the system or loose efficacy. It's advertised as 'use instead of Tramadol' and I've found it makes a huge difference. I was actually thinking of trying it myself .. someone had suggested to me that they'd taken it and found it hard on their own stomach; I give mine (small pills) in food, they don't even notice they're there, so if I take it myself I will take it will food -- however I'm already taking one naproxen a day and enough of various kinds of antibiotics to choke a horse so I doubt I'll notice .

 

My holisitic vet highly recommends the S.O.D. and Boswellia and I've seen good results with it.

SOD as in thisproduct?

I've used that in the racing kennels in the past.

 

The S.O.D. is the same but with Boswellia, an anti-inflammatory herb.. it's only something like $34 for 500 pills from CalVet Supply..

[galgrey]

fish oil is good, massage is good.. but long-term, not contra-indicated with anything, natural anti-inflammatory I would go with S.O.D. and Boswellia which you can get from California Vet Supply quite reasonably. You don't have to pulse it, i.e. it doesn't build up in the system or loose efficacy. It's advertised as 'use instead of Tramadol' and I've found it makes a huge difference. I was actually thinking of trying it myself .. someone had suggested to me that they'd taken it and found it hard on their own stomach; I give mine (small pills) in food, they don't even notice they're there, so if I take it myself I will take it will food -- however I'm already taking one naproxen a day and enough of various kinds of antibiotics to choke a horse so I doubt I'll notice .

 

My holisitic vet highly recommends the S.O.D. and Boswellia and I've seen good results with it.

 

I don't have any personal experience with boswellia, but a friend of mine has had great results with it. She is very sensitive to prescription medications and has had terrible side effects from most of them prescribed for her back pain. Boswellia has been a life saver for her and she's not had any negative side effects.

 

Hope you find something to make your princess more comfortable.

[brandimom]

Ever since Brandi at age 3 was temporarily paralyzed in her hind legs, I have gotten her supplements from Marina at www.naturalrearing.com. I was giving her Bioprin, a natural pain reliever, but now the cost is sky high. Marina just suggested giving her Tibetan Infection 2 crushed pills daily. A 60 pill bottle is around $37.00. Marina follows the Juliette de Bairacli Levy protocol, all natural. It would not hurt to check out her website or even send her an email at marina@naturalrearing.com. Between Marina's advice and Brandi seeing the holistic vet for acup/chiro, I think Brandi is doing fine. I wish the best for your pup!

[3DogNite]

Claudia, Greyhound Gang, has been selling a new product, Yucca Intensive. I saw real results quickly when I gave this to my foster ~ she has broken toe, not fixed and calcium deposits,, and an old broken hock, not fixed properly,, I'm also pretty sure she has arthritis in those and other joints ~~~ she really responded well to it... good for pain, and inflammation!

 

www.greyhoundgang.org

[lothianjavert]

I also say give the omega 3's a try. I use them with my pups, and it really seems to help. We also do the glucosamine/chondroitin. (I say "we" because I take the same stuff ). I'll have to check out the Boswellia- I had noticed it in some of the supplements, but hadn't tried it as I was not familiar with it.

[Guest Smiley]

We had Smiley on Duralactin in addition to the Deramaxx and Gluc/Cond to help him with his hind end weakness/pain. It's an all-natural milk based product that will be fine on the tummy. It acts as a natural anti-inflammatory. I always purchased it at our local dog feed supplier. I believe it was about $33 for 60 tabs.

Edited June 2, 2010 by Smiley

[Finnsliz]

My Finn was diagnosed with arthritis at the young age of 3.5. I had him on glucosomine/chondrotin/msg without any noticable results. A kennel owner at Raynham told me to use this Hyalun and I did see results. I bought the horse version and converted the dosage. (lasted 3x longer for the same price)

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

I started on the Fish Oil caps. Taking it slow as to not over load her system and cause blow outs

 

Also ordered

Arthrisoothe Gold Liquid

and

S.O.D. Boswellia

From Calvet

 

I've tried the Duralactin in the past with really no results.

 

Brookie is pretty much on an all meat diet at her demanding Her most recent favorite has been hamburger grilled or pan browned with some seasoning salt and Worcestershire sauce.

ya what ever Princess wants Princess gets

[Guest Greytluv]

Are you already giving fish oil or salmon oil in theraputic doses? I find it really helps with joints.

What is a "therapeutic" dose? I give my dogs three tbs a day. Half in the morning and have at night. One of mine has severe arthritis. Should I be giving her more?

She's on Get-Up-and-Go and CMO from Greyhound Gang.

[Guest Swifthounds]

A maintenance dose of Omega 3s (the ones you're looking to add) would be 300 mg (combined total EPA & DHA) per 30 lbs. of dog and the theraputic dose of Omega 3s (the ones you're looking to add) would be 300 mg (combined total EPA & DHA) per 10 lbs. of dog. Unless your dog is sensitive to soy, which is in many processed oils and need not be listed on the label, the numbers are what you need to know.

 

The mgs (usually 1000 or 1200) listed on the front of the bottle is them mg amount of the oil, not the concentration of EPA/DHA. Flip the bottle over and look for those two numbers. Also, be sure to check the "dosage" - some bottles will list the amount as 1 pill and some will list the EPA/DHA per two capsules. It's how you can compare "less expensive" and "more expensive" fish oils to see what actually gets you the most bang for the buck.

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

Claudia, Greyhound Gang, has been selling a new product, Yucca Intensive. I saw real results quickly when I gave this to my foster ~ she has broken toe, not fixed and calcium deposits,, and an old broken hock, not fixed properly,, I'm also pretty sure she has arthritis in those and other joints ~~~ she really responded well to it... good for pain, and inflammation!

 

www.greyhoundgang.org

 

I'll have to look at the Yucca Intensive .. I used ArthriSoothe tablets for years, which had both Boswellia and Yucca (Schidgera.. dang computer glasses, great for computers not so great for reading labels) in it. I've switched to ArthriSoothe Gold liquid (also from NaturVet, and I also get it from CalVet Supply.)

 

Puritan's Pride was mentioned --I'll have to look at them. (Mom used to always get all our vitamins from them back in the day, I mean Way back when they were called "Hudson Vitamin Products" ). They always had good values and decent products back then.

 

I'd like to ask what people recommend for Fish Oil (Omega 3s)... since I'm just out of the Fish Oil capsules someone gave me. I'm getting Omega-Q10 capsules for Silver as part of his post mast cell support program (and I take them too, for my r.a. issues) -- but sadly, I really can't afford to get them for all 4 dogs and me so I need to find a Really Good Omega3 in some form or another. Suggestions welcome-- hope I'm not hijacking here.

[Guest Swifthounds]

I'd like to ask what people recommend for Fish Oil (Omega 3s)... since I'm just out of the Fish Oil capsules someone gave me. I'm getting Omega-Q10 capsules for Silver as part of his post mast cell support program (and I take them too, for my r.a. issues) -- but sadly, I really can't afford to get them for all 4 dogs and me so I need to find a Really Good Omega3 in some form or another. Suggestions welcome-- hope I'm not hijacking here.

 

Check out the Puritan's Pride website. I order from them all the time and have gotten very good prices so far. I give 30mg to the IGs and 120mg for the greyhounds. The 120mgs size comes in bottles of 30,60, or 120 pills and they're buy 1 get 1 or buy 2 get 3. It runs somewhere between .09 and .13 cents per pill. You have to compare the different sizes and deals, sometimes the largest order isn't the best deal, but I find them much more reasonable than other sources I've used.

[sweetdogs]

I buy most of my supps from Puritans Pride as well.

 

Tumeric is a natural anti-inflammatory as is ginger.