My lovely Border Collie is getting a bit stiff but I am loathe to put him on strong pain meds as he's only eight years old and I am hoping he'll live a very long time and he'll probably need to be on drugs for life now. Is there anything gentle I can try to put pack the spring in his step? I've been to the vet and he's ruled out major structural problems, he thinks this is the start of arthritis.
What have you tried that works? Ideally I'd like to avoid NSAIDs if at all possible.
Charlie Holdsworth, Watford
There are various things you can try before resorting to NSAIDs. The things my vet suggested to me for Tasha were - A glucosamine supplement, a magnetic collar, acupuncture, regular hydrotherapy, and Cartrophen injections.
ReplyDeleteIf your vet hasn't discussed Cartrophen with you, ask her whether it would be appropriate - it really seems to help a lot of dogs and when I was trying to find out about it, I could find nobody who had experienced any unwanted side-effects. It has an effect on the synovial fluid and keeps everything oiled, apparently!
Certainly acupuncture helps Tasha enormously, it is brilliant for pain relief.
Our very own Richard Allport offers a herbal supplement called Yarrow, which is actually a combination of herbs reputed to help with Arthritis.
At the end of the day there probably will come a point when stronger pain relief may be required, and you will know when this is the case. My Tasha will be 15 in April - that's a really great age for an Airedale - and is still pretty perky though she doesn't walk too far - thanks to a lovely DOGS TODAY reader who didn't require it any more she has a buggy! She has been on a half dose of an NSAID for a while and has recently changed brands and gone up to a full dose, but there's certainly plenty out there to try first, all of which have undoubtedly helped her enormously.
there is a brand new drug out called Onsoir and a few folk on doggy forums are reporting good results.
ReplyDeleteThe Carob-Plus range might be of interest to you. They make a Joint & Mobility Supplement that comes in the delicious form of carob chocolate. Each pack contains 30 tablets (one tablet for up to a 15kg dog). The active ingredients are Glucosamine, Green Lipped Mussel, MSM, Yucca, Boswellia and Omega 3 Oil.
ReplyDeletewww.dfordog.co.uk/acatalog/dog_supplements_remedies.html#a971
My dog is now four and was prescribed NSAIDS just before he was 3. I kept him on them for around a year while I worked out what was causing the pain.
ReplyDeleteNow he's off it more than he is (he's been on supplements the whole time as well), because I've cut back on all the activities that were making things worse. Not given them up, just cut back, and I know I can give him a week back on the tablets if he's suffering due to the cold weather, or we do overdo it.
I didn't want him to have his whole life on the tablets either, but every time I fill the repeat I take some pee in for testing. I came to the conclusion I'd rather he have a great life that might be shortened, rather than a longer life that was pretty boring.
I will look into that Cartrophen, although I worry with injections that if there are problems, I can't just stop the medicine.
Hi Mina
ReplyDeleteDoes your youngster have arthritis - I'm sorry, I can't remember! Have a look at www.arthritis.au.com for details about Cartrophen, which appears to have an incredibly low incidence of side-effects, most of which are very mild such as vomiting after treatment.
Cartrophen is NOT an NSAID, and is not to be confused with Carprofen, which is marketed as Rimadyl, and is! Goodness knows why they chose such a similar name, people keep getting them muddled.
Also there are some newer NSAIDs on the market which are reputed to have fewer side-effects, such as Zubrin and Previcox. Worth a look when you do reach that stage.
Enjoy the snow!
hi there, just reading your comments, Ive just started using vetrofen pet, its was lauched in the summer last year in the equestrian market and its been very effective with my horse. its been very good and all my friends with older horses are using with great results
ReplyDeleteHi All
ReplyDeleteVery interesting read!
I could find nothing that helped my 13 year old Labrador who had arthritis.
Tried all the vet recommended NSAID's.
Came across a New Zealand Deer Velvet product 6 months ago on the "net".
Check out nzvelvetagility
On to the 5th bottle and Meg is doing remarkably well.