Anyone have experience with arthritic dog?

[2BigKIdz]

My collie, Jack, has arthritis. He has trouble getting up but once he gets up he's able to move around normally. He is not as active as he used to be. I'm hoping to put him on a different medication next month, what he has now just knocks him out. He has an elevated liver enzyme that we are rechecking next month and if that is down we can put him on a different med. Now my question is this- would a puppy help or hurt him? I can see how a rambunctious puppy could do him harm if playing too rough (the puppy would never be left alone with Jack) but I also think a puppy to play with may help him by getting him more active. Anyone have experience with an older dog with arthritis and a new puppy? My cousin's dog had 10 puppies 2 weeks ago, she really wants me to have a puppy but even if I can convince my husband to get one, I'm not sure if it would be a good thing for Jack. We have an older, smaller dog but he doesn't play too much anymore and Jack still wants to play. Both dogs really love other dogs so I'm not concerned about that. We had 3 dogs until our chow/lab mix passed away last year. The puppies are probably going to be fairly large dogs, as they are part lab. While I'd really love a new puppy, I don't want to do anything that might harm my older dogs.

 

[Pagan Moon]

My german Sheppard named "Candy" had to be put down because of it in her hind legs... She could no longer walk to go to the bathroom...


Best Wishes... P & PD

 

[ilovepcot]

All my poodles have had arthritis as they got older. Unfortunately, the last one I had couldn't tolerate any medication for it. We did get a small heater for her....the kind you could actually place your hand on without it burning you. She LOVED to lay up against it and the vet said it could *possibly* loosen up her joints a bit. (It did seem to.) When she hurt terribly from arthritic pain, she would snap at other dogs and sometimes even me. I wanted a puppy terribly but the vet advised against it in our situation. Now, a year later and with a new poodle, we have a new vet also and his office provides physical therapy which consists of licensed personnel to provide massages and a whirlpool to aid in pain relief of arthritis. In other words, there's help out there now for your pet if you inquire. Hope you will and that Jack gets to feeling great!

 

[txaggiemomof3]

My 10 yr. old Golden Retriever is on Deramaxx and has good results with that. She has arthritis in her shoulder which causes her to limp when it is really bothering her. We tried Rimadyl and that helped a little at first but with the Deramaxx I have noticed a much bigger improvement. She takes half a pill now but with the cooler weather I've noticed she's been having a little more trouble so I will probably bump her up to one tablet a day. My vet writes us a prescription and I get it filled on the internet which saves a lot of money! Our vet also recommended getting an orthopedic bed. I found one at Wal-mart for $25 that has the memory foam in it. She seems to like it. The jury is still out on whether it eases her pain though.

We have thought about getting another puppy too. Our Golden comes alive around other dogs and especially puppies In a way I think it brings out the youth in her. On the other hand, I would hate for her to get worn out trying to keep up with a puppy. I go back and forth with that decision. I'll be curious to see what others post!