My poor dog

[RF536]

I have a 11 year old Dalmation/Shepherd mix and recently the arthritis in her back legs seems to be getting worse quickly. We have her on pain meds and Glucosamine for her joints. She seems to be struggling more and more to get up from laying down and stairs are almost totally out of the question now. Luckily we live in a ranch, so there are not many stairs for her to climb. This evening she followed my boys into the basement and had a hard time getting back up the stairs. So I had to tell the boys that they need to shut the door when they go downstairs to play. Last weekend we ended up building her a ramp to get into and out of our travel trailer and truck, so that she can continue to travel with us. It looks like this weekend we will be building her a ramp to help her get back on to the deck when she goes outside in the yard.

I know she is getting old, but it just seems that things are progressing quickly with her hips.

 

[Squirlz]

Has she been checked for diabetes? This is a symptom that some vets miss. Has her water intake increased?

We make an herbal product that can help if it is arthritis. PM me if you'd like more information.

 

[Christine]

I had a shepherd mix that had similar problems. Seems to be a curse of the breed. My friend also had it happen. Hopefully things will level out a bit on the progression. You might want to talk with the vet about increasing and/or changing up the medications. And, yep, stairs will be a no-no.

 

[JessicaR]

Last year my dog had similar symptoms and he tested positive for lymes. The doctor put him on Deramaxx and it helped a lot. He also has arthritis and has problems and limps sometimes. I hate that they have to get old.

 

[mousey]

Squirlz--is that arthritis medicine for just dogs or can you give it to a cat. We have a calico that is around 15 yrs old. The dr. put her on 2 wks of prednesone and it really helped her a lot. They don't like to keep them on it though because it affects every cell in the body.

 

[Jockaroo]

I don't know how long you have had your dog on the pain medication. From what I've heard it can take up to two months to see a full effect. Also, if your dog has been on the medication for a long time, it can become less effective and you may need to change to another medicine or adjust the dosage. I doggie sit for my neighbor's cocker spaniel--she is a sweetheart--and she is having some significant mobility issues. Part of her problem is related to a disc in the spine.

One thing you may want to check into is the "bottoms up leash". http://www.bottomsupleash.com/?gclid=CJKm54bLsZ0CFRtO2godHTqzyw

Good luck.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

You sound very caring about your dog.

One of my dogs lost his ability to walk as a result of arthritis of the spine. (Most people usually blame the hips but it isn't always the case.) It happened gradually and he was not in pain; his rear end was just numb from the nerves being compressed by the spinal arthritis.

Our vet advised us that non jarring or strenuous exercise was good for him, like swimming and walking, to keep his muscles strong. It was important not to have any injuries that would compound his problem, so we were careful with him (which was difficult because he lived to play frisbee).

There are products that can help somewhat, like ramps and harnesses if you need to assist him with walking. We wound up getting our dog a wheeled cart when he became very advanced and he enjoyed it. Not everyone's up for the task (understandably), but I wanted to mention it in case you are.

www.eddieswheels.com

 

[Squirlz]

Squirlz--is that arthritis medicine for just dogs or can you give it to a cat. We have a calico that is around 15 yrs old. The dr. put her on 2 wks of prednesone and it really helped her a lot. They don't like to keep them on it though because it affects every cell in the body.

Yes, but the problem with cats is getting them to take it! You know how cats are.

 

[mousey]

Does the medicine come in liquid form?? The vet had given me some capsules of a vitamin but I have to open the capsule, dilute with water and use a syringe to shoot it in Kitty's mouth.

 

[Squirlz]

Does the medicine come in liquid form?? The vet had given me some capsules of a vitamin but I have to open the capsule, dilute with water and use a syringe to shoot it in Kitty's mouth.

No, it's a blend of powdered herbs. 100% natural.

 

[luvwinnie]

After a full check up, I would suggest a product called Dog Gone Pain. I've heard great things about it from others with dogs with arthritis. Hope he gets some relief.