It's arthritis.

[MontananDakota]

SO the update on Montana is : Arthritis in his back right hip. I knew the panting was real & out of the ordinary and it certainly does explain why he wouldn't lay down that one day. He kept seeking me out wherever I was. Poor baby. I had known he was getting a bit slower to get up but I was really afraid the last issue was his heart or something... So I've changed his routine we now avoid the stairs. Vet says the ramp for the truck is great, but now I have to put something in place for the beds. He jumps on & off the beds & its gotta stop so I've got to get him stairs or something for the beds...
No more full out running after his birds and to this my husband disagrees totally. Says I'm taking away Montana's joy. I say I'm still making sure he's getting his joy out of life...but why would I let him run mach 4 when he could really hurt himself?? What do you guys think about running with arthritis? And what do you guys think of Rimadyl? I've read some stuff but I'm not sure....Montana seems more comfortable but honestly he seems a bit spacey..and I'm not sure if that's ok or if I should ask for something else..

[BaconsMom]

Sending healing thoughts to Montana.

[Berna]

You can try some natural remedies for arthritis, and also add glucosamine + chondroitine supplements. If you decide to give Rimadyl, make sure you do regular blood panels.

And how active can a 10 year old dog be? I wouldn't limit his exercise. He needs his muscles and he needs mild exercise. Maybe you could try physical therapy too.

[MontananDakota]

Oh he's pretty active actually. We walk every day as long or short as he wants but he will run full out if we let him and with the twisting & turning they do chasing each other I'm afraid he would hurt himself worse. He was always on glucosamine until about 4-5 months ago I've been wanting to switch & hadn't' settled on a new one yet. Going with Drs Foster & Smith now. What is there naturally? And blood panels on Rimadyl? I've never used Rimadyl, know nothing about it....

[Berna]

Well I would limit the play & wrestling with other dogs, fetching, stairs and jumping. I'd go with walking and swimming. If you can do off-leash walks, even better.

Some natural supplements and plants that help with arthritis that I've been using:

- glucosamine and chondroitine
- devil's claw
- basil
- turmeric
- spirulina
- vitamin C
- salmon oil
- apple cider vinegar
- kefir

You can add these to his food every day with no fear, just take it easy, don't add all at once especially if he's not used to things other than kibble.

I've never given Rimadyl more than 3 days in a row so maybe some of those who have been giving it on a more regular basis can chime in. Personally, I would try some more natural things first and give Rimadyl only if these don't help and the dog is in too much pain it interferes with his quality of life. Physical therapy and acupuncture may also help.

[MontananDakota]

Thanks Berna, how much of these do you give to Cookie?

Next thing is: I'm reading some articles that say maybe its not arthritis every time...but an injury. Something I hadn't thought of while at the vet. I mean like I said he's been on gluc. forever...they still get arthritis even when your'e vigilant?? So I'm wondering if he hurt himself jumping on & off the bed....
Anyway yes see limiting his running with Dakota I feel is best. Oh and he's got Lyme's AGAIN too!!! So he's on doxy for that. Poor sweet sweet boy of mine.

Welcoming everyone's insight please...thanks in advance!

[POPTOP]

Poor Montana.

I start glucosamine/chon as soon as they join out family. That can be from age 10 for Melody to age 5 for Archie. Mardi has arthritis in a hip and the opposite knee. She gets Tramadol on bad days. I'm very careful with Rimadyl as Potion had a liver reaction and it took 3 months to get that straightened out. Blood work, liver level, before starting and careful follow up is needed. As you said, it could be an injury, pulled muscle. That would need rest for a while with carefully monitored exercise. It takes an x-ray to really diagnose arthritis.

I think I would cut back on the exercise for a while and monitor. If it's a muscle pull, it should heal. Sounds like he still have a lot of steam in the engine and wants to run and play.

Sending healing thoughts.

[MontananDakota]

Thanks PopTop-he does he is a go get em kind of boy. He is such a sweetheart.

[JenC]

I would definitely add a supplement. Hylasport has worked great for our dogs.

Rimadyl has problems, especially with labs. You need to be contentious about testing the liver every so often. All the NSAIDs are kinda of bad, but sometimes you do need them. Check with your vet to see if Metacam is an option, and then ask to see if the human version, Meloxicam, is OK. You can get that for like $4 a month from Walmart. We do that for Hudler, he gets 1 7.5mg pill a day.

[MontananDakota]

are Metacam and Meloxicam anti inflammatory too? They don't make Hudler a bit spacey?