Gun Dog Forum

Well some questions about my Britney, I noticed last year he received an injury from hunting one day. I took him to the vet. She said the dog injured his front shoulder, probably strain it our pulled a muscle. Well after 6 months he was back to normal. During dove season, I noticed after some hunts he was a little sore but being 10 years now, he is in great shape and still hunts hard. I was given some medication for his joints and some pain pills after those hard days of hunting when needed. Well just yesterday after a 6 mile walk myself, I noticed my dog was really sore. I gave him a joint supplement along with a pain pill. Didn't do much for him. I felt bad for him. He is doing much better this morning but moving around like an old man. I know he is getting old but he is still in great shape for a 10 year old Britney. I just feel bad seeing him stove up after a fun day of hunting. I know there is a time and place to retire the dog but I just don't think he is there yet. Any suggestions on making his life a little more pain free after a hard day of hunting.

Ask your vet, but joint supplements aren't usually given on as needed basis. Probably your dog might benefit from getting them every day year around. My ortho vet recommended Dasuquin MSM, it's a chewable. I found the best price on Amazon, and get the ones for extra large dogs; then I half them for my setters. It helps with the cost.

You don't mention what kind of 'pain pill' you're giving, so can't specifically help there. But my older dogs get Carprofen, an NSAID. They get a dose the day before they work hard, then also on the day of, and maybe the day after. The instructions say one dose every 12 hours but for now, they do OK on a 24 hour regimen unless they're stoved up.

It depends on what the particular injury is, muscle, tendon, or bone/joint, so get some input from your vet on this - I've found my old dogs do better by staying in shape all year, and not doing the weekend warrior thing where I pull them off the couch for a day or two, then put them up until next time.

Good luck with your old fella. If only they could stay young for much longer.

Good advice from shags. If you don't get any more replies, it's because there's not much else to say, other than agreement. And of course, there's no reason he has to hunt a full day (whatever that is) if it's hard on him. As my dogs age, I generally get another and rotate every hour or so.

My 12 year old has a bad knee ( worse than mine) ) She gets Tramadol ( pain meds) before running and Rheumocam ( Meloxicam) - anti inflamatory daily . Both have solved her problem.
An hour and a half of running is her limit. She's about 35 pounds.

https://flic.kr/p/ZZLjBA

My dog get a joint supplement everyday, I usually give him an extra one after a long day of hunting. The Joint Supplement is called Dasuquin. The pain med, I was told from the Vet, that she compares it to Advil for dogs, it's called Rimadyl. Well maybe the does is just not strong enough for him. I will give the vet a call this week and see what else we can do for him. I don't think there is any swelling going on but the vet told me that his front shoulder is underdeveloped compared to his other shoulder. I don't know why its underdeveloped, I have not noticed it but the vet has. I know getting older you just don't bounce back as you use to. Not only my dog was sore. I felt it a little too. Well I will check with the vet and I will see what she suggests. I will post an update next week. He doing better tonight going out tomorrow.

Thanks for the info.

big difference between a joint supplement and an anti inflammatory med

It's a personal call (imo) . Everyone knows their own dog !
...
Looking for a supplement or med to have the dog perform or do what it done before age came in to the frame .?
I look at myself these days and say ' Ya old fool' , you can't do that..! You may know how to do it ,and you may well have done it , but that don't mean you can do it now.

I hear you. True, but when you have terrible pain in a joint , even if you are lying on the couch , an anti inflammatory can make all the difference.