Dog brace for my dog who has hip arthritis

[dis2cruise]

My almost 12-year-old golden retriever has problems with her back hips. she's on Rimadyl and she still getting a little tougher to get up I really don't want to up the dose of Rimadyl because the vet said it can effect her more health wise
She has other health issues besides the hips.

I've been looking online and I saw dog harnesses does anybody know if they're good for dogs & do they actually work I really would like to help out my dog !

 

[rszdtrvl]

Never tried one.

But... does your dog take Glucosamine? My dog takes a multivitamin daily that contains Glucosamine/Chondroitin, and takes Gabapentin and Duralactin twice a day for his arthritis/back issues.

He also uses a ramp to get up/down the stairs into the backyard for potty breaks. He had ACL surgery last February on his right leg, and his left leg is having issues with strength now.

Poor elderly pups,

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Working as a vet tech, I have cared for quite a few dogs needing a harness for various reasons. BUT...I like to use a towel better believe it or not. I think it disperses the weight more evenly.

Even just using it to get the dog up off of the floor or up/down stairs can be a big relief to them.

Good luck!

 

[smokeyblue]

Our very dear golden passed several years ago. Once he got to the point where he was having issues with getting up we did the Rimadyl and glucosamine/chondroitin routine. Other important things for our situation was looking at environmental things. We made sure to put down skid-free rugs all over, especially on the hard surface floors so he could get up much easier. Sometimes he would lay down on the laminate floors forgetting his issues getting up on that surface and we would bring one of the rugs over to him and drag him onto the rug so he could get up. At that time we had a new porch put on the house and the step was just a smidge too high for him. The contractor made him an extra step out of left over materials that made getting up to the door very easy on him.

The other thing is to make sure they aren't doing too much activity. Our golden wouldn't stop walking until we would turn him around. When he started getting bad we had to cut the walks in half. Sometimes we would have to physically turn him around because he didn't want to stop. The other thing is that some times they get to the point where they may get weak and kind of fall. Our dog would get a little bit panicky when this happened. It helped to kneel down next to him and reassure him it was okay to take a little break.

Good luck with your golden. They are the best dogs ever.

 

[rszdtrvl]

Other important things for our situation was looking at environmental things. We made sure to put down skid-free rugs all over, especially on the hard surface floors so he could get up much easier.

We have Dollar Tree carpet squares ALL OVER our house in the walkways that our dog uses because we have laminate floor. Our house looks like a cluttered mess because of them, but our dog can grip them much easier. His left leg kind of slides when he stands because of the lack of muscle tone in it, and on the laminate he loses his grip.

 

[yoopermom]

You've gotten great advice above. I would do the following:
1)keep him as thin as is healthy (we all tend to keep ours chubby!)
2)keep his nails trimmed so they're not contributing to him sliding
3)minimize his exercise/jumping/climbing
4)use the towel idea for assistance (cheap+easy)
5)if you have other dogs/children/etc in the house, don't let them harrass the older dog, make sure he has quiet space/time to himself

Honestly, we have faced a similar decision about quality vs quantity of life when it comes to medication, and it always seems to come to the point where we take a chance with the organs so at least the dog can be painfree. That's not an easy decision, and may not be one that you're willing to take (at least not yet at this point).

Terri

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree with yooperom, it's time for the meds. We did metacam with our GSD this past year. G/C would have been more effective years ago; not so much now. People think it's the "hips", but actually it's usually more a problem of the spine, which interferes with functioning of the whole rear end. It's a degenerative process, and, unfortunately, once it gets to the point you've described, it progresses fairly rapidly. We've gone through it now with two of our dogs; one, we just lost in July. (I had a thread about it if you want to look at it.)

I would definitely recommend the harness over the towel. I was so thrilled when I found a harness had become available between the time of our dogs having this issue - it's a back saver. At some point, though, the rear end can become completely useless and getting them around becomes very difficult, even with a harness. (Many have made the decision to let them go by this point.) We chose to get wheels for both of our dogs, since they were still enjoying life and even chasing the ball in their carts. Generally pain isn't an issue; they're numb in the rear. Yes, there's some general arthritic pain, but that's likely been there for years and doesn't necessarily increase a whole lot. Again, it's a degenerative issue (usually) so it is progressive. Many, many large dogs get this.

ETA you can sort of see in this pic that we kept the harness on her (near the rear) so we could help move her around. It was so helpful.

 

[poohlover]

Google help em up harness. I t worked wonders for our 12 year old Newfie for his last 3 months. We never had any skin or irritation problems, and sometimes just having some extra support was so helpful to him.

 

[Squirlz]

We have a natural herbal product that has helped a lot of animals. http://www.fiascofarm.com/herbs/mollysherbals.php/products/arthritis-and-joint-support