Dog joint pain

[Lucky_P]

Joint supplements, like Cosequin or Osteo-BiFlex(Glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM) may well be helpful. Products with UC II (Instaflex?) have had scientific trials done in dogs with arthritis, with good results.
Acetominophen(tylenol) is a good first-line pain reliever - and safe for dogs (NOT cats!); worth trying before you move on to bigger guns, like meloxicam, and the opioids like tramadol, oxycodone, etc.
CBD... who knows... probably won't hurt, and I've seen anecdotal claims of miraculous results. We grow CBD hemp on the farm here, but I can't afford to buy CBD oil. lol

If you can find a veterinary acupuncturist, they may get better results for your dog than all the above.

Note: I am a (retired) veterinarian, married to a veterinarian(who was certified to do acupuncture 25 yrs ago, before it was 'cool'); I don't just play one on TV.

 

[J Kuch]

Glyde has done amazing things for my lab border collie mix. Absolutely amazing difference.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Canna-pet dot com my dog tore her acl she is a nuffie and 130lbs Dr said surgery was a coin flip and 5k. 4 weeks of limited movement to let it heal she limped a lot and was in clear pain. Put her on cbd pills and in a week she lost the limp and was playing again. She gets stiff in the cold and we give it to her in the winter and there is relief right away.

 

[yoderjac]

Canna-pet dot com my dog tore her acl she is a nuffie and 130lbs Dr said surgery was a coin flip and 5k. 4 weeks of limited movement to let it heal she limped a lot and was in clear pain. Put her on cbd pills and in a week she lost the limp and was playing again. She gets stiff in the cold and we give it to her in the winter and there is relief right away.

She may still be in pain....but doesn't really care much now

 

[Tree Spud]

We give our dog Thor, whose 10 years old and has rear hip pain after a day romping, ... fish oil in his food (inflammation), glucosamine, and a couple of dog asprins.

 

[Knehrke]

WeedyJ hit all of the high points with a great primer on keeping your dog's systems working as they age.

A few additional thoughts: glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are the building blocks of glycosoaminoglycans, a specific type of sugar that modifies proteins that are important for joints to function. However, most oral delivery systems result in very poor bioavailability. Think of it like pouring gas on top of your car and expecting the engine to run. These supplements are in vogue, but the benefits are questionable.

We add 800U of fish oil to our lab's diet every day, and the 12 year old gets half a Rimadyl once per day, as well. We've found that the Rimadyl does not interact well with her heartworm medication (vomiting and diarrhea), and so we discontinued the later.

Finally, I can't emphasize enough the benefits of keeping the dog's weight down and activity level up. Of course, that goes for us, too lol.

 

[WeedyJ]

WeedyJ hit all of the high points with a great primer on keeping your dog's systems working as they age.

A few additional thoughts: glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are the building blocks of glycosoaminoglycans, a specific type of sugar that modifies proteins that are important for joints to function. However, most oral delivery systems result in very poor bioavailability. Think of it like pouring gas on top of your car and expecting the engine to run. These supplements are in vogue, but the benefits are questionable.

We add 800U of fish oil to our lab's diet every day, and the 12 year old gets half a Rimadyl once per day, as well. We've found that the Rimadyl does not interact well with her heartworm medication (vomiting and diarrhea), and so we discontinued the later.

Finally, I can't emphasize enough the benefits of keeping the dog's weight down and activity level up. Of course, that goes for us, too lol.

Agreed on the glucosamine/chondroitin. If you need NSAID's, have you tried Galliprant with the heartworm meds? Seems to be much easier on the stomach (as advertised). Being in Ga I hate not giving heartworm meds :-)

 

[Knehrke]

Thx for the advice. I will look into it.

Interesting tidbit for those who know NSAIDs, the space my lab occupies currently belonged at one time to the guy who discovered COX2, the enzyme that's targeted by second-gen pain inhibitors (like Celebrex). Our institution after many, many years of it being in court, eventually lost the patent lawsuit because we'd never identified a pharmacologic targeting COX2, even though it was identified here for the first time and shown to function in the prostaglandin pathway. KK, done geeking out now.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I have to ask because I don't know much about this topic, which treatments mentioned above are over the counter?

My 2nd child (12 year old faithful mutt but looks like a beagle) has had seizures for roughly the last 2 years. She still acts like an energetic puppy but last night she was whining and wouldn't move without coaxing even when the word "treat" was thrown around so I know something is going on. She kept trying to walk without using much of her back legs. I called the vet but it was late evening and they are booked for over a week unless it is an emergency. I can't see how she can act like a puppy one day and for only 24 hours can't move and call it arthritis, but I am not a veterinarian. I did remember seeing this post so I skim read this and gave her a Tylenol around midnight because she was whining and I felt horrible for her when it woke me, I had to try something. She acted 100% normal this morning but I don't know if they Tylenol helped or not so wanted to try and get her on some of the older dog suggestions above.

Honestly I don't have much faith in our local vet, the meds they gave for the seizures (I don't recall the names) made her vomit and lethargic. Switching meds was better on the side effects (only diariha sp?) but the seizures continued and neither of the meds seemed to change anything and holy **** were they pricey. In all fairness I do understand that vet's have to diagnose a patient that can't translate what is going on to them like a person can, and without doggy health insurance I am not one that has the means to take my dog to Cornell and come out with a bill the size of a small loan. Obviously my dog's health is important to me and my daughter but I have already spent over $1,000 in 2020 and got no results at all with the seizures.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Canna-pet dot com my dog tore her acl she is a nuffie and 130lbs Dr said surgery was a coin flip and 5k. 4 weeks of limited movement to let it heal she limped a lot and was in clear pain. Put her on cbd pills and in a week she lost the limp and was playing again. She gets stiff in the cold and we give it to her in the winter and there is relief right away.

Is this stuff still working good for your dog? I have a 9 year old lab that I paid to have her left ACL done a year and a half ago, now the right one went out this fall. Not really wanting to spend another $4000 on an acl repair, but I hate seeing her in pain as well. I have been giving her 300 mg Gabapentin, twice a day, but that does little that I can tell. I have tried some other CBD treats for joint pain, but havent noticed anything better either. These treats are $64 for 30, and she gets 1.5 per day.

 

[Knehrke]

I think that both NSAIDs mentioned above are prescription only. And I assume that you can buy CBD and whatnot over-the-counter. That's the extent of my knowledge.

It sucks to have Fido hurting and not be able to find an effective answer. Good luck.

 

[WeedyJ]

I think that both NSAIDs mentioned above are prescription only. And I assume that you can buy CBD and whatnot over-the-counter. That's the extent of my knowledge.

It sucks to have Fido hurting and not be able to find an effective answer. Good luck.

Correct. All NSAIDs that can be used safely in dogs are prescription. For a 75-85 pound dog, you can get by using the 1/2 of a 7.5 mg Meloxicam human tab. Absolutely the most economical route. I have never looked into having that compounded for smaller dogs to see if that is cheaper than the veterinary preparations.

 

[RobertT]

I have to ask because I don't know much about this topic, which treatments mentioned above are over the counter?

My 2nd child (12 year old faithful mutt but looks like a beagle) has had seizures for roughly the last 2 years. She still acts like an energetic puppy but last night she was whining and wouldn't move without coaxing even when the word "treat" was thrown around so I know something is going on. She kept trying to walk without using much of her back legs. I called the vet but it was late evening and they are booked for over a week unless it is an emergency. I can't see how she can act like a puppy one day and for only 24 hours can't move and call it arthritis, but I am not a veterinarian. I did remember seeing this post so I skim read this and gave her a Tylenol around midnight because she was whining and I felt horrible for her when it woke me, I had to try something. She acted 100% normal this morning but I don't know if they Tylenol helped or not so wanted to try and get her on some of the older dog suggestions above.

Honestly I don't have much faith in our local vet, the meds they gave for the seizures (I don't recall the names) made her vomit and lethargic. Switching meds was better on the side effects (only diariha sp?) but the seizures continued and neither of the meds seemed to change anything and holy **** were they pricey. In all fairness I do understand that vet's have to diagnose a patient that can't translate what is going on to them like a person can, and without doggy health insurance I am not one that has the means to take my dog to Cornell and come out with a bill the size of a small loan. Obviously my dog's health is important to me and my daughter but I have already spent over $1,000 in 2020 and got no results at all with the seizures.

Troubles I would probably try a second opinion as far as the vet goes. As far as your dog being a puppy one moment and cripple the next that is pretty consistent with what we go through. We can always look back 24 hours and point to letting our dog over do it. Limiting her activity is key.

 

[WeedyJ]

I have to ask because I don't know much about this topic, which treatments mentioned above are over the counter?

My 2nd child (12 year old faithful mutt but looks like a beagle) has had seizures for roughly the last 2 years. She still acts like an energetic puppy but last night she was whining and wouldn't move without coaxing even when the word "treat" was thrown around so I know something is going on. She kept trying to walk without using much of her back legs. I called the vet but it was late evening and they are booked for over a week unless it is an emergency. I can't see how she can act like a puppy one day and for only 24 hours can't move and call it arthritis, but I am not a veterinarian. I did remember seeing this post so I skim read this and gave her a Tylenol around midnight because she was whining and I felt horrible for her when it woke me, I had to try something. She acted 100% normal this morning but I don't know if they Tylenol helped or not so wanted to try and get her on some of the older dog suggestions above.

Honestly I don't have much faith in our local vet, the meds they gave for the seizures (I don't recall the names) made her vomit and lethargic. Switching meds was better on the side effects (only diariha sp?) but the seizures continued and neither of the meds seemed to change anything and holy **** were they pricey. In all fairness I do understand that vet's have to diagnose a patient that can't translate what is going on to them like a person can, and without doggy health insurance I am not one that has the means to take my dog to Cornell and come out with a bill the size of a small loan. Obviously my dog's health is important to me and my daughter but I have already spent over $1,000 in 2020 and got no results at all with the seizures.

I just read this post. That sounds like back/disc vs arthritis. You are correct that arthritis rarely presents like that