Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 23
  1. #11
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Belgrade, Serbia
    Posts
    4,081
    Thanked: 4633
    Quote Originally Posted by SamsonsMom View Post
    Samson has it in his knee. He was on golden paste. I wanted to give him a break from it so he hasn't been on GP since Jun? I haven't seen a decline so I didn't make more. I have been taking him swimming once a week since November. I can tell big difference in muscle tone. Do you take Cookie for walks? If so, how long? Samson is 5. I haven't walked him much at all this winter due to the snow and ice. I find so many differing opinions on how much to walk a dog that has arthritis or HD. Just curious on what you do.

    Hope Cookie feels better soon.
    I walk him 40 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes in the afternoon and 20 minutes in the evening. I take him swimming regularly during the summer months. I've reduced his walks now to 20 minutes top per his vet's advice, until he feels better.

    I'm not stopping the supplements, I've been giving him the golden paste for years now, I've read somewhere it may thicken the blood or something but his bloodwork is fine (I do it twice a year). He is almost 12 though and I am trying to keep him mobile for as long as possible.

    When he was younger, his HD and ED and spondylosis (yes, he has that too!) were asymptomatic, but he was in great shape. I think his muscle tone was the reason he was asymptomatic and also what helped him survive the accident when he was hit by a car. It was really a close call, and he ended with "just" a dislocated hip. He also had knee surgery when he was young, tore his other acl a year after that. We did conservative management on knee #2 and he never had an issue again. He played with younger dogs, walked with me long distances, climbed mountains with me with no problems. My advice, from my experience with a young(er) dog with joint issues would be: maintain a good muscle tone, put him on supplements and reduce the carbs in his food as much as possible. Cookie really developed a great muscle tone with a raw diet and regular exercise.
    Cookie Black Snowflake
    July 12th, 2006. - May 25th, 2023.

    Hidden Content

    Hidden Content

    Hidden Content
    Hidden Content | Hidden Content | Hidden Content | Hidden Content

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to Berna For This Useful Post:

    SamsonsMom (02-20-2018)

  3. #12
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Upstate New York
    Posts
    1,683
    Thanked: 787
    There is another pain reliever/anti-inflammatory drug called "Metacam". This is supposed to be easier on a dog and works very well.

    Not sure if it is available in your area...you could always ask your Vet.

    Hope Cookie feels better soon.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to lovemylabby For This Useful Post:

    Berna (02-19-2018)

  5. #13
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Central NJ
    Posts
    2,603
    Thanked: 2277
    When Scully was older, the Deramaxx was no longer enough on it’s own so we added Tramadol to her regimen and yes, she needed it every day. She also received regular acupuncture, but despite that would have occasional flare-ups if she tweaked something (mostly elbows for her). The best thing for her though, which gave us probably an extra year with her was swimming. She would get worse in the winter but we’d start her swimming as soon as we could after the ice melted and it made a huge difference in her comfort and mobility. She made it to 15 and we lost her to kidney failure.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

    Hidden Content

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Annette47 For This Useful Post:

    Berna (02-19-2018)

  7. #14
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Belgrade, Serbia
    Posts
    4,081
    Thanked: 4633
    Quote Originally Posted by Annette47 View Post
    When Scully was older, the Deramaxx was no longer enough on it’s own so we added Tramadol to her regimen and yes, she needed it every day. She also received regular acupuncture, but despite that would have occasional flare-ups if she tweaked something (mostly elbows for her). The best thing for her though, which gave us probably an extra year with her was swimming. She would get worse in the winter but we’d start her swimming as soon as we could after the ice melted and it made a huge difference in her comfort and mobility. She made it to 15 and we lost her to kidney failure.
    Didn't the cold water aggravate her arthritis?

    The other NSAID available here is Previcox. Cookie handles it well too, but the vet ran out of it so I bought Rimadyl. He also got another NSAID a few years ago which caused gastric ulcers. I don't remember the name but I remember what the pill looked like, I'm not getting that again!

    There are injections and then there are steroids.

    Anyhow, Cookie is doing better now. I hope it lasts longer this time!
    Cookie Black Snowflake
    July 12th, 2006. - May 25th, 2023.

    Hidden Content

    Hidden Content

    Hidden Content
    Hidden Content | Hidden Content | Hidden Content | Hidden Content

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to Berna For This Useful Post:

    lovemylabby (02-19-2018)

  9. #15
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Upstate New York
    Posts
    1,683
    Thanked: 787
    My Toby was on Previcox for a while for a sore shoulder, and this helped him quite a bit without any side effects.

    Glad to hear Cookie is feeling better.

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to lovemylabby For This Useful Post:

    Berna (02-20-2018)

  11. #16
    Senior Dog Black Labbies's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    952
    Thanked: 825
    Hi Berna,

    Opal does great on homeopathies, especially a cocktail of Rhus-tox/Arnica 30CH and Ruta (prescribed by her vet). Here are others to consider: 12 Homeopathic Remedies For Your Dog - Dogs Naturally Magazine
    Holistic Treatment Of Arthritis - Dogs Naturally Magazine

    You know me, I don't believe much in mainstream meds and besides, we see better results with natural treatments. This winter has been long, snowy and cold for Opal's joints/arthritis (and our, too). This afternoon we went for a long walk in the country and Opal did better than I did - lagging behind with a bummed leg (yes, I also take homeopathies).

    Wishing you and Cookie all the best!!!

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to Black Labbies For This Useful Post:

    Berna (02-20-2018)

  13. #17
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Central NJ
    Posts
    2,603
    Thanked: 2277
    Quote Originally Posted by Berna View Post
    Didn't the cold water aggravate her arthritis?
    Never seemed to ... at least no more than the cold air.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

    Hidden Content

  14. The Following User Says Thank You to Annette47 For This Useful Post:

    Berna (02-20-2018)

  15. #18
    Real Retriever fidgetyknees's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    349
    Thanked: 103
    I have a prescription of gabapentin for my 13 year old. I have not had to use it yet but wanted it in store should it be needed ... which will probably be in the spring when it is warm enough to walk longer distances. She is slightly arthritic and is on adaquin shots every three weeks.

  16. The Following User Says Thank You to fidgetyknees For This Useful Post:

    Berna (02-22-2018)

  17. #19
    House Broken
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Spokane, WA
    Posts
    161
    Thanked: 338
    Hi. Chronic pain in Labs. I remember when aspirin and Bite were our only options. Then came the magic drug, Rimadyl. Oh my goodness it helped a lot of dogs and when it hit the market it came with a claim that there were no side effects. Wow, we bought tons of it. Then, lots of labs started coming down with acute liver toxicities associated with the drug. The company blamed it on the purebred labs. It was a numbers thing and it was obvious that many dogs put on Rimadyl had acute adverse liver toxicity. Norden had to change its label. Now, we focus on the potential liver problems and recommend that if you give it to your dog, you need to have blood work done at least annually. So, we focus on the liver potential and tend to ignore the real side effects that are long-term and much more harmful, like decreased mucous production in the stomach, leading to stomach acid aggravation, GERDS and esophagitis. Many, many more.

    Then came Metacam. Metacam was the new and improved NSAID. It was more specific for harmful type 2 prostaglandins then Rimadyl. That was good. The trend continued with more new and improved NSAIDS. They weren't more effective, but more specific and less potential side effects. Cost was always about the same. Some are given once a day, some are a liquid and you can squirt it on the food. Then, we started having a major problem with older dogs put under anesthesia that were on NSAIDs. They started going into kidney failure. And why, because the harmful prostaglandins that we were wiping out with the drugs actually had some benefits. One in particular was that they kept the body from making a natural adjustment to rapid drop in blood pressure. When blood pressure drops rapidly, guess what, the kidneys are deprived of blood/oxygen and they die. The companies were ok with that because the number of dogs that had acute traumas with rapid blood pressure drops was pretty small overall, but they forgot that giving general anesthesia without IV fluid compensation would do the same thing. Ouch.

    So, I asked my self the question for many years, "Why is Rimadyl still around when there are so many other NSAIDs that have less potential side effects? The answer- name recognition. Most people have heard of Rimadyl and have had experience with it. That is why the vet has it and that is why I see so many dogs that are on it for years. Really bad idea.

    My advice for using NSAIDS; if you must use them, do so for short periods of time and at the lowest effective dose. Read the label on a Metacam bottle and even it says not to use it every day and at maximum dosage. I never recommend using Rimadyl beyond 7-10 days and if I need an NSAID, which I usually don't anymore, then I will go with a safer version like Previcox. Dont be fooled about the blood work. It doesn't tell you anything about the potential reaction to Rimady. It is considered an idiosyncratic toxic reaction and you would only know by putting your dog on it. It can have a perfectly healthy liver and have a toxic reaction. And, if your dog is on Rimadyl and never had a liver reaction, then it is likely never going to have one. Doing the blood work is great for us vets. Good income and keeps the company happy and the client some false sense of security. Sorry, but the truth. Also, another secret is that you can get the human form of Metacam called generic Meloxicam for about 1/4 the cost at your local pharmacy. The vet might tell you that the human form will cause stomach erosions, but you can avoid gastric upset by giving with a full meal. Thats why they make it in a liquid and tell you to put it on the dog's food.

    There are so many new natural anti-inflammatory products, modalities for chronic pain (chiropractic, acupuncture, etc), great joint supplements, stem cells and much much more. Do your research and don't give in to the easy way by putting your dog on harmful drugs that WILL eventually catch up to them. And a couple of words about Tramadol and Gabapentin. Before you give it to your dog, take some yourself. They are both human approved drugs. See how they make you feel. Your dog is going to feel the same way, but it can't tell you that they feel like crap when on the drugs. And, look at the food you are feeding. Chances are, it is the source of the chronic inflammation that has led to chronic pain. We have been conditioned to allow our pets to get these chronic diseases and rely on harmful drugs to treat the symptoms. Time to make a change. And, this is coming from a vet that has practiced on dogs and cats for over 37 years. Hope I haven't bored you to tears. Have a good evening.

  18. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Dennis Thomas, DVM For This Useful Post:

    Berna (03-08-2018), bueller (05-01-2018), Jeff (03-08-2018), kelsyg (08-09-2019), SunDance (03-08-2018)

  19. #20
    Senior Dog Black Labbies's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    952
    Thanked: 825
    Quote Originally Posted by Dennis Thomas, DVM View Post
    We have been conditioned to allow our pets to get these chronic diseases and rely on harmful drugs to treat the symptoms. Time to make a change. And, this is coming from a vet that has practiced on dogs and cats for over 37 years.
    Right on, Dr. Dennis!!!
    I picked up some Hepato support supps for Opal and a homeopathic for Ursa at the vet today and quickly talked with Dr. Wanda (holistic vet), who asked how the girls were doing. "They're doing good, as we like, thanks to natural treatments", I said. We're so grateful for Dr. Wanda and her expertise and other vets like her and you.

    Your dog is going to feel the same way, but it can't tell you that they feel like crap when on the drugs.
    As for the Gaba, my sister and late Mom took Gaba for a while and both complained about dizziness and nausea.

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •