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  1. #1
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    maggie update- does anyone else give aspirin daily?

    hi everyone!
    i know i was on here about a month ago when maggie suddenly had a hard time doing stairs/going outside, etc. (she's only 5!!)
    we did x rays (the sedation was terrible... poor girl) and she was found to have hip dysplasia in the left hip. we treated with rimadyl for 5 days since we believed she probably just tweaked it and that's why she was having an issue.
    a week later we went in and got the full update. her conformation is "poor" on the left which is upsetting. but the artritis is minimal right now, AND her right hip is practically breed worthy so that's good news... the vet said the goal with hip dysplasia is usually to make sure they have one good hip so they can still get around later in life, so in that regard she will be ahead of the game. plus, we're catching it early before any serious arthritis sets in.

    so, the vet suggested Rimadyl for life. i was super uncomfortable with this. especially given that she is only 5! when she's 10 or 12 sure... but not now. i asked what else we could do and he said that aspririn could be a good choice right now if we wanted to go that route. i also wasn't comfortable with the rimadyl because it made her feel like a STAR... she was playing chase up and down the stairs in 4 days. i want her to feel great, obviously, but i also want her to recognize that she has limits.

    so that's where we're at. she gets one pill every morning. she seems to be tolerating it well... no GI issues (knock on wood) she is up and down on the couches like she used to be, and yesterday we attempted the park for the first time in a month or so. she romped and played like she has been for about a year now.. i just thought she was "slowing down" and that's why she no longer zoomies around the park... which could be... or i think she's getting a bit sore.she definitely plays and enjoys herself but she's no longer a maniac. i watched her last night afterward and no limping or favoring at all, and she was able to get right into bed. phew.

    so that's where we're at. i also bought cosequin and plan to start that this week but i wanted to start one thing at a time and make sure she was tolerating the aspirin well.

    does anyone else do aspirin therapy?

  2. #2
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    The Veterinarians I work for do not recommended aspirin long term due to the destructive side effects to joint cartilage and possible stomach ulcerations. Continued aspirin use can actually cause more orthopedic damage. Dasuquin and Duralactin can help tremendously, particularly if the damage to the joints is not too bad yet.

  3. #3
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    wow, that is extremely depressing. i did some research online and found a lot of evidence to suport what you said. now i feel like an idiot for not looking it up sooner. siiiiiiiigh

  4. #4
    Senior Dog shellbell's Avatar
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    Have you seen an ortho vet, or is this all coming from your regular vet? Might be worth getting an ortho consult. Tux went through something similar with our primary vet diagnosing HD, I felt much better after getting an ortho consult.

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  6. #5
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
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    I prefer glucosamine and chondroitine supplements. My dog had two knee injuries and has mild ED in his right elbow, he was also diagnosed with spondyloarthritis some months ago. I keep him active but I limit some types of exercise, like fetch. We do long walks, swimming and hiking.

    If his quality of life was that bad only then would I consider NSAIDS for life, and even then I would do regular blood panels.

    But with a 5 years old with hip displasia in one hip... um, no.
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  8. #6
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    My first suggestions would be as follows and what I use for my 8 y/o girl with spineal and hip arthritis:

    Hylasport, Vitamin C @ 1000 mgs, Grizzly Salmon Oil and Vitamin E, 3 times weekly. I also give her sardines 2/3 times per week.

    Fortunately we have not yet had to use pain meds but have plenty of Tramadol on hand if necessary. I do not like Rimadyl, Deramaxx or other anti-inflammatory drugs. We had a very bad experience and I am certain they caused the untimely death of my 8 y/o. I understand many use them without issues but never again for me. I urge you to do lots of research before using them at all let alone long term. I consider them a very over used drug, often without proper monitoring or careful thought to the potential side effects. JMHO.

    Sending good thoughts your way!
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  10. #7
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Ah, so sorry. We had a bad experience with Rimadyl; within a couple of weeks Potion's liver values were off the charts. It took three months and frequent returns to the vet for blood work to get her straightened out. With using Rimadyl it is a must to keep up with liver values.

    Mardi has one bad hip and a bad knee on the other leg. We keep her on supplements, exercise her as she can tolerate, and have Tramadol on hand for the bad spells.

  11. #8
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    No advice just sending healing mojo for Maggie.

  12. #9
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Aspirin once in a while is ok but not long term. However dosage is important too and one pill, 325 mg? is not a high dose for a Lab sized dog. I've read the recent reports in the media too that say aspirin is now thought to delay and even prevent healing in some kinds of ailments. I know for myself it does beat most other meds for pain control though. Except for migraines.

    You can get Cartrophen Vet in the U.S. if your Vet will go through some hoops and red tape for you. It's a miracle drug for some kinds of arthritis. I've been very impressed with it. CV will stimulate production of synovial fluid and cartilage regrowth if you catch the arthritis early enough. Pain control may be used with it. Adequan is, I believe, close but not quite the same thing.

  13. #10
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    thank you guys SO MUCH for the inpiut. i did a bunch of research and also talked to a friend of mine who is a vet tech. we are stopping the aspirin. it's strange... the first vet we saw (in the same practice) is younger and newer. she is the one who did the x rays. when she called me she told me she had MILD dysplasia and the START of some MILD arthritis. she recommended supplements and pain meds on hand for bad days.
    then we went in for her f/u with the vet we used to normally see (although there has been a lot of rotation lately) he is older and seems to be much less enthused than he was years ago. he told us that her conformation was POOR but that she was in the very early stages of arthritis. he recommended the rimadyl every day which is just couldn't stomach. my sister's dog had a very bad experience with it and ultimately died. it was horrible. i asked if there was ANYTHING else we could do and when he said aspirin i thought... sold! keep my eyes peeled for GI issues but sounds good.

    sooooo... she really has been doing very well. we talked it ober today and decided to do the Cosequin, look into adding other supplements (like the vit c someone mentioned, etc) and see how she does. if we start to see anything concerning we will get another opinion from an ortho vet.

 



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