Arthritis

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megschristina
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Arthritis

Post by megschristina » Wed May 06, 2009 4:11 pm

Does anyone have an arthritic dog, and if so how do you treat it? I have been using low dose aspiring 81 mg, but I really don't think it is helping very much. She isn't too bad every day, but some days she won't bend her legs hardly at all. I am just trying to think of quality of life here. Oreo is an older girl, she is about 12 or 13 now.
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Chaingang
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Re: Arthritis

Post by Chaingang » Wed May 06, 2009 8:17 pm

I would check with your vet, but aspirin isn't something their likely to recommend for long term use. Fine for sore muscles for a couple days but for long term anti-inflammatory use Rimadyl is the preferred choice. Rimadyl works very well, but is prescription only.

For milder cases of arthritis you should also look into Glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplementation. If it's going to give any relief It normally will take up to 6 weeks or so to see any results.

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megschristina
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Re: Arthritis

Post by megschristina » Wed May 06, 2009 8:43 pm

Chaingang wrote:I would check with your vet, but aspirin isn't something their likely to recommend for long term use. Fine for sore muscles for a couple days but for long term anti-inflammatory use Rimadyl is the preferred choice. Rimadyl works very well, but is prescription only.

For milder cases of arthritis you should also look into Glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplementation. If it's going to give any relief It normally will take up to 6 weeks or so to see any results.
Is rymidil the same as tramedol for humans? I think she was on that once. She only flares up like maybe a couple days every two weeks, but I know it sucks for her, not to be able to move or play.
The reason a dog has so many friends, is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.
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anthonyauto

Re: Arthritis

Post by anthonyauto » Thu May 07, 2009 6:29 am

They had my 13 year old irish on Rimidyl. They ended up having to take her off of it due to kidney issues. Now she's on vetaprin, which is like Pet Aspirin. Works fine. Ask your vet what the dosage should be.

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Chaingang
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Re: Arthritis

Post by Chaingang » Thu May 07, 2009 9:04 am

Not sure about the Tramadol/Rimadyl connection. I think the Vetrin (Rx pet aspirin) is basically a buffered aspirin. Ascriptin which is an off the shelf buffered aspirin is probably the same. The problem with aspirin (this according to my vet) is that for long term use it can cause bleeding or upset in the stomach as well potential kidney issues. That's the knock with most NSAIDS in general. If you only had to give say a half dozen aspirin a month to get through a rough period I would say go for it.

On the other hand if it were me and since it seems to be only an occasional flareup I would try the Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM route. It's very safe and although it can take some time to take affect it could be just the ticket for mild arthritis cases. Of course there's no guarantee's it will give the relief your looking for, it is safe to say there are no known side affects that sometimes accompany prescription drugs. If you should decide to try the glucosamine see if you can find it in a CAPSULE form for better assimilation and use about half the human dosage.

MikeB
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Re: Arthritis

Post by MikeB » Thu May 07, 2009 1:52 pm

Rather than using drugs I prefer to use this product first. Animal Naturals Joint Strong. You can buy direct from this site.

http://www.k9power.com/joint_strong.php

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Sharon
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Re: Arthritis

Post by Sharon » Sun May 10, 2009 9:21 pm

I use "Sashas's Blend" - $90. for 3 months - glucosamine/chondroitin . It has been shown by scientific studies including x-rays to give an older dog a couple more years of an active life. I use metacam ( NSAIDS) as a pain reliever.
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