Tell me about arthritis meds for dogs UPDATED 4/24/22

[macoduck]

Howie, formerly Tete, is a 9+ year old podenco maneto from Portuegal. He is obviously achy in both his front legs. He'll do a stretch when he gets out of his crate in the morning and again anytime he's been lying down for a while. Not unusual for any dog.

But I see that as he starts to walk forward, he does what I call a "supermodel runway walk", in that he places one front leg in front and across the other front leg for at least 10 steps. Then gradually he limps forward and those legs start to reposition in a slightly straighter alignment and after more steps he walks okay.

Since he's a maneto his legs are very short, but his front legs are also very bowed. That got me to thinking about Rickets. Since he was a hunter's dog he may have only eaten whatever he could catch and Rickets can occur in poorly fed dogs, even older ones, when they don't eat grain-included kibble.

Howie will see the vet next week for baseline bloodwork and I'll be asking for xray of his front legs and shoulders to rule out old injuries and arthritis.

Then will come the discussion on what meds to use. He's too shy to pop a pill in but will eat a hidden one. Many on the market are huge, not good. Which would be better for long term? Do the Greyhound Gang powdered products really help? Next Level liquid? Tumeric? Dasaquin?

What has worked for your dog, how quickly did you see improvement, and were there any side effects (like diarrhea or vomiting)?

Howie, normal stance once he's limbered up.

Edited April 24, 2022 by macoduck

[Remolacha]

I have had pretty good luck with the Springtime supplements. Fresh Factors and Joint Health chewables. All my dogs, except one, liked the chewables and considered them treats.

[greysmom]

There's also shots like Adequan that may provide some relief for him.

I would definitely add tests for trace elements, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes, etc, to his regular bloodwork to make sure he has what he really needs needs through his diet now.  I would also be concerned with his bone density (which something like a Palladia infusion might help, if he would tolerate it).  The same goes for lazer treatments and acupuncture, chiropractic, massage.  A lot of what you're going to be able to do for him will be what he allows and what's easiest for him to accept.

After all that it may just come down to a pain medication given after meals in a spoonful of peanutbutter every day.

Poor sweetheart!!   

[HeyRunDog]

8 hours ago, macoduck said:

He's too shy to pop a pill in but will eat a hidden one.

Grace didn't used to like taking pills when I first had her so unless they were coated I used to crush them with a back of a spoon on a saucer and mix the powder into her food.

[MerseyGrey]

Buddy has a degree of arthritis and when he has developed limps in the past couple of years (usually after having a zoomie), we have treated him with liquid Loxicom, which contains Meloxicam. We usually give it to him for three or four days, and I almost always give a lower dose than recommended and there have never been any issues. The most recent time we used it, we gave it to him more as a preventative as we knew that we would be walking quite a lot, and jumping out of the car. I think we used it for five days, under-dosing again, but by the last day we had intermittent streaks of blood in his stool, and the day after we stopped, he had enough blood in his stool to change its colour and it consistency (his poop is usually very soft, but this something else). So we were in a bit of a quandary about whether to use it again because generally he has been ok with it.

Greysmom recently posted about a new NSAID option if you’re able to find it, but since it’s so new there might not be any feedback about its use in the real world (i.e. by Greytalkers )

[EllenEveBaz]

Milo has some relatively mild arthritis but it was noticeable enough for me to take him to the vet for xrays, etc.  Interestingly, it's much worse on the joint on his right side.  He has to make a hard right turn out of the dog door as he dashes out to chase whatever has caught his eye in the back yard.  Anyhow, vet recommended glucosamine/chondroitin supplements and as noted above, we've had good success with the Springtime supplements.  I just toss them in with his moistened kibble and it gets gobbled up.  

I know efficacy of glucosamine is considered iffy, but in our single-blind home test  , it has helped.  

[cleptogrey]

i tried a zillion supplements for felix's arthritis- the only thing that made a difference was ADEQUAN injections and meloxican. 

chiropractic adjustments? i find for myself they work wonders and i'm loaded w/ arthritis. also from what you are describing he sounds really out of alignment. remember his muscle memory is what it is, currently hence the gait. he's been compensating for years. MELOXICAN is a god send- have you tried that yet? i get the very best relief from it(so did felix) but my Gerd is super aggravated by the continuous use.

food wise- what ever makes him happy is how i feel about feeding older dogs. 

enjoy!

Edited April 15, 2022 by cleptogrey

[JohnF]

Peggy is 14 1/2 now and after age 12 doesn't tolerate Meloxicam or similar class of meds (causes bleeds and can harm the kidneys), so she's on Gabapentin and no more than 3x500mg Paracetamol (Tylenol) per day. I also give her an expensive supplement called "Canine Prime" to help keep everything in balance, and add a glucosamine tablet and cod liver oil daily.   She managed a little walk in the Bluebell woods yesterday. 

[Remolacha]

1 hour ago, JohnF said:

Peggy is 14 1/2 now and after age 12 doesn't tolerate Meloxicam or similar class of meds (causes bleeds and can harm the kidneys), so she's on Gabapentin and no more than 3x500mg Paracetamol (Tylenol) per day. I also give her an expensive supplement called "Canine Prime" to help keep everything in balance, and add a glucosamine tablet and cod liver oil daily.   She managed a little walk in the Bluebell woods yesterday. 

Peggy the beautiful 

[MerseyGrey]

4 minutes ago, Remolacha said:

Peggy the beautiful 

I couldn’t have said it better

[EllenEveBaz]

Adding our admiration for beautiful Peggy.  How much she must have enjoyed her walk and sniffing all the spring scents.  

Keeping all this info tucked away for when Milo's arthritis advances.  

Edited April 24, 2022 by EllenEveBaz

[FiveRoooooers]

3 hours ago, JohnF said:

Peggy is 14 1/2 now and after age 12 doesn't tolerate Meloxicam or similar class of meds (causes bleeds and can harm the kidneys), so she's on Gabapentin and no more than 3x500mg Paracetamol (Tylenol) per day. I also give her an expensive supplement called "Canine Prime" to help keep everything in balance, and add a glucosamine tablet and cod liver oil daily.   She managed a little walk in the Bluebell woods yesterday. 

Peggy (and her folks) doin' it rite  What a gift she is!

[macoduck]

Peggy 

Howie update:  Howie's lab tests were normal. Vet found full range of motion even in those weird shorty legs. Only turning his head/neck to the right showed any stiffness. She did not think xrays were needed. She agreed with just starting him on a Dasaquan soft chew rather than jumping into prescription meds. Once we finish that bag we'll see if his stiffness has improved. If not, then she's ok with giving the Springtime Fresh Factors.

Thanks for all your input.

[FiveRoooooers]

Ducky, that’s great news for little Howie 

[Time4ANap]

I missed the original thread somehow. 

I will second Springtime Fresh Factors and Joint Health.  None of our dogs would chew the Advanced Hip and Joint Chews which are a different product than the Joint Health. I like the Fresh Factors and Joint Health tablets because they are scored. They can be broken into 4 pieces and miced in the bowl witht he kibble. No one knows that they are getting something healthy.  We usually saw every dog become more energetic and playful after a week or two on the Springtime Products. 

When Rocket started having issues with his back legs and spine, we did Adequan injections. They bought us several extra months with him that we wouldn't have had otherwise. They worked well until they just kind of stopped working and it became evident that we needed to make the decision that none of us want to make. For Rocket, they were a "last fix," but based on the way Adequan worked, I wouldn't hesitate to try it for an arthritic dog who needed a little something to help them get around more comfortably. 

Hope this helps. 

[ShebasMom]

17 hours ago, Time4ANap said:

I missed the original thread somehow. 

I will second Springtime Fresh Factors and Joint Health.  None of our dogs would chew the Advanced Hip and Joint Chews which are a different product than the Joint Health. I like the Fresh Factors and Joint Health tablets because they are scored. They can be broken into 4 pieces and miced in the bowl witht he kibble. No one knows that they are getting something healthy.  We usually saw every dog become more energetic and playful after a week or two on the Springtime Products. 

When Rocket started having issues with his back legs and spine, we did Adequan injections. They bought us several extra months with him that we wouldn't have had otherwise. They worked well until they just kind of stopped working and it became evident that we needed to make the decision that none of us want to make. For Rocket, they were a "last fix," but based on the way Adequan worked, I wouldn't hesitate to try it for an arthritic dog who needed a little something to help them get around more comfortably. 

Hope this helps. 

I second the Adequan injections. They helped Sheba for about a year until, like you said, they stopped helping. Sadly, she passed at almost 14 years last December, but I'm sure the injections helped prolong her mobility and life. 

[Remolacha]

Adequan injections are certainly worth a try. The effectiveness seems to vary widely from dog to dog, but when they work, they work really well. Until they don’t. 

[FiveRoooooers]

1 hour ago, Remolacha said:

Adequan injections are certainly worth a try. The effectiveness seems to vary widely from dog to dog, but when they work, they work really well. Until they don’t. 

Agree. They worked for Seamie until they didn't.

[macoduck]

Adding this since my original photo didn't post.

[MP_the4pack]

[Time4ANap]