Old collie cross - arthritis

FlipperThePriest

I have a 15 yr old cross collie with worsening mobility, quite common at this age. His back legs are the main problem and he has trouble getting on his feet and sometimes stumbles around. Are there any good over the counter treatments for this? I've been giving him a cod liver oil tablet every second day now for some time. I've heard of people using Rimadyl with good effects. Not sure of the availability of this though.

tk123

I give my dog Flexicose (he has a hock deformity and had had both back legs straightened)- it's a liquid glucosamine supplement. We ran out of it there a few weeks ago and I decided to see how he managed without it - I could tell he was getting pains after a week or so - back on it 2 days and he was good as new! I get it from flexicose4u.co.uk

FlipperThePriest

tk123 wrote: »

I give my dog Flexicose (he has a hock deformity and had had both back legs straightened)- it's a liquid glucosamine supplement. We ran out of it there a few weeks ago and I decided to see how he managed without it - I could tell he was getting pains after a week or so - back on it 2 days and he was good as new! I get it from flexicose4u.co.uk

Thanks for that, I've been reading a bit on glucosamine supplements alright. I might try something like this as it's not near as expensive and it's available locally. People seem to think that the human grade of the pill is not harmful to dogs, is actually probably better quality.

Millem

zippy84 wrote: »

I have a 15 yr old cross collie with worsening mobility, quite common at this age. His back legs are the main problem and he has trouble getting on his feet and sometimes stumbles around. Are there any good over the counter treatments for this? I've been giving him a cod liver oil tablet every second day now for some time. I've heard of people using Rimadyl with good effects. Not sure of the availability of this though.

I give my old lab arthriaid In liquid form and find it great. One of my neighbours gives their dog a supplement called stride. I was at vets at weekend and she did mention if dog limps they may in be pain and need pain relief e.g metacam. I think there is an older thread on here about using human supplements on dogs!

Zapperzy

If you can afford it I'd bring him to the vet and they'll put him on long term pain relief to give every day (metacam or some version of it), it's just a liquid you squirt on the food every day. You could even just try a small bottle of it first for a few weeks and see does it make any difference, works well for most older arthritic dogs.

boardbrowser

sorry to hear that his condition is worsening. a think a trip to the vet might be the solution here rather than going down the route of over the counter interventions.
with 15 years of service under his belt, old dogs are the dearest of souls.
My arthritic dog has been on loxicom for the last 4 years.
This is a generic version of metacam and considerably less expensive.
as an non steroidal anti inflammatory drug it can cause side effects associated with the kidney and liver organ systems and obviously this is something to consult your vet about.

Having taken that into account when the medication was 1st mentioned , i elected to treat with this medication and my dog's quality of life was enhanced immediately as a result of being pain free.
I feel it an honour to continue to be able to attend to her needs as an aging dog especially given all the fun and happiness she has provided in her lifetime and still does 11 years young.
good luck and please let us know how you get on.

FlipperThePriest

Cheers for the suggestions. I'm not sure a trip to the vet would be worth the mental anguish it would cause him.. he isn't used to travelling by car and this would be a 60min round trip. Last time I took him to the vet about 2 years ago he was pretty distressed and I got the impression he thought "this is it!!"

boardbrowser maybe I'll give loxicom a bit of thought. It can be bought online too. Were there any side effects? Did it take long to kick in or make an improvement?

Actually I notice on that link I provided that prescriptions are still required.

Zapperzy

zippy84 wrote: »

Cheers for the suggestions. I'm not sure a trip to the vet would be worth the mental anguish it would cause him.. he isn't used to travelling by car and this would be a 60min round trip. Last time I took him to the vet about 2 years ago he was pretty distressed and I got the impression he thought "this is it!!"

boardbrowser maybe I'll give loxicom a bit of thought. It can be bought online too. Were there any side effects? Did it take long to kick in or make an improvement?

Actually I notice on that link I provided that prescriptions are still required.

I wouldn't use any website where prescriptions are not necessary, as with human medicine you wouldn't know what your getting. It's a pain relief given every 24 hours so you should notice an improvement after 3-4 days of starting, if given long term it can cause kidney damage along with the usual loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhoea if it doesn't agree with their stomach.

You can get a prescription from the vet to buy it online but the vet will need to have seen the dog before they can write a prescription. You could ask the vet do they do house calls, most will but with an added charge.

FlipperThePriest

Zapperzy wrote: »

I wouldn't use any website where prescriptions are not necessary, as with human medicine you wouldn't know what your getting.

Agreed!

Zapperzy wrote: »

It's a pain relief given every 24 hours so you should notice an improvement after 3-4 days of starting, if given long term it can cause kidney damage

People seem to think that as kidney damage may take months or even years to develop, at 15 years this becomes less relevant and that the most important thing is immediate relief. But then, without a check, he could probably have other underlying ailments, which may render the medicine unsuitable.

Zapperzy wrote: »

You could ask the vet do they do house calls, most will but with an added charge.

Again, I'm about 30 mins away from the nearest vet, so it would probably be pricey!

Zapperzy

zippy84 wrote: »

Agreed!

People seem to think that as kidney damage may take months or even years to develop, at 15 years this becomes less relevant and that the most important thing is immediate relief. But then, without a check, he could probably have other underlying ailments, which may render the medicine unsuitable.

Again, I'm about 30 mins away from the nearest vet, so it would probably be pricey!

Long term use in a healthy animal can potentially damage the kidneys, if he already has impaired kidneys it certainly won't help but you have to weigh up the benefits against side effects.

Does he get stressed in the car?

FlipperThePriest

Zapperzy wrote: »

Does he get stressed in the car?

He does indeed, last time he looked like he thought it was end game!
I may just try a glucosamine supplement for a week or so and see how it goes.

maggiepip

Your dog in in pain. He is stumbling and having difficulty rising and is therefore in pain. I am sure he will get over the small amount of stress a car ride would cause in comparison to the ongoing suffering of 24/7 pain.

Glucosamine is very beneficial in aiding mobility but it takes time and it is not a pain killer - when the dog gets to the stage of showing obvious signs of distress (which is in this case) pain relief is also needed.

Just because dogs dont cry and complain like humans does not mean they are not in pain and suffering. They are genetically programmed to hide pain to the best of their ability as in the wild the vulnerable become prey. When a dog shows obvious discomfort he is in pain.

Please bring your dog to the vet to organise pain relief.

planetX

There have been a number of studies published in the British Medical Journal suggesting that glucosamine is no more effective than a placebo for alleviating osteoarthritis. Your money might be better spent on a vet visit.

Millem

zippy84 wrote: »

I have a 15 yr old cross collie with worsening mobility, quite common at this age. His back legs are the main problem and he has trouble getting on his feet and sometimes stumbles around. Are there any good over the counter treatments for this? I've been giving him a cod liver oil tablet every second day now for some time. I've heard of people using Rimadyl with good effects. Not sure of the availability of this though.

you won't be able to get any of the pain relief medication mentioned online without perscription. I didn't think my old lab was in pain at all until a lady in the park 15 months ago stopped me and told me that I should bring my dog to vet as there may be something wrong with her back legs. My dog kept trying to resist the vet stretching out her legs, and when she finally let her my dog starting screaming! I felt so bad as I had had her for 5 months and I didn't have a clue! The meds worked immediately and have given her a new lease of life.

tk123

maggiepip wrote: »

Y
Just because dogs dont cry and complain like humans does not mean they are not in pain and suffering.

+1 on this - I only knew my guy was in pain recently because he was looking back at his legs/back - he didn't cry or anything. Hell he was walking around on a broken leg held together with pins and plates and didn't ever cry. He even walked out of the vet hospital on the leg a couple of hours after it was done!

I thought you had already taken him to the vets when I posted about the supplement - definitely take him to be checked out as he's in pain. You could maybe try some kalm aid/dap to calm him for the trip if he's afraid?
I'm sure it must be worrying for you too with his age but it'll be worth the stress if he gets some pain relief?

FlipperThePriest

Bringing him, appointment for this evening. Thanks for the responses....

She gave me an anti-inflammatory tablet for him, said we should see the benefits in a week.. She also said he was in great condition for 15, and to keep giving him the cod liver oil I've been giving him. She said the tablet could damage his kidneys but as we said here - it's better to have a number of months pain free rather than a few years of struggling about. She said he's not in much pain at all, more stiffness than anything but he has arthritis and pain will come eventually.

Glad I took him anyway, hopefully the tablet does the job.

FlipperThePriest

Well, over a week on the rimadyl and no improvement whatsoever, to my disappointment. He's also had two bowel accidents inside the house since starting the meds.. this is uncharacteristic of him. The vet instructed us to give him a few days break after his first week of meds, to see if he deteriorates to his former state. Since there was no improvement in the first place, I hope he doesn't deteriorate further if I cease the meds for a few days.

tk123

zippy84 wrote: »

Well, over a week on the rimadyl and no improvement whatsoever, to my disappointment. He's also had two bowel accidents inside the house since starting the meds.. this is uncharacteristic of him. The vet instructed us to give him a few days break after his first week of meds, to see if he deteriorates to his former state. Since there was no improvement in the first place, I hope he doesn't deteriorate further if I cease the meds for a few days.

I'd go back to the vets and ask for something else like Metacam if it's not agreeing with him like that? My guy was on Rimadyl very early on and tbh I didn't see any improvement but did see it on the metacam.. That said he's had Rimadyl since for pain management for the 2 operations and the odd time after them both and it worked very well with no side affects. My vet did mention that Rimadyl can give them upset tummies etc and that if it was causing problems to call and she'd try him on something else.

boardbrowser

ah the poor thing. hope your vet can shed some light on this.
my dogs life changed dramatically having started her on metacam initially in conjuction with arthri Aid as a suplement.
i noticed a difference within a couple of days and had my old young dog back again.
it worked miracles for my dog but every dog is different and i hope that your vet finds the right meds for your dog.
please keep us informed.

FlipperThePriest

tk123 wrote: »

I'd go back to the vets and ask for something else like Metacam.

boardbrowser wrote: »

my dogs life changed dramatically having started her on metacam initially in conjuction with arthri Aid as a suplement.
i noticed a difference within a couple of days and had my old young dog back again.

I have asked for metacam and she has given me a week's supply. Did you notice much of a difference in a week, or any adverse effects with metacam? I just would like to see a bit more mobility in him if at all possible. He's pretty sluggish and mopey. He's not in any pain, so I suppose that's a big positive.

tk123

zippy84 wrote: »

I have asked for metacam and she has given me a week's supply. Did you notice much of a difference in a week, or any adverse effects with metacam? I just would like to see a bit more mobility in him if at all possible. He's pretty sluggish and mopey. He's not in any pain, so I suppose that's a big positive.

TBH with my guy I've always noticed an improvement in 24 hours but he's an unusual case - my vets only seen his problem once before in 10 years. He had no probs at all on the metacam. Hopefully it'll kick in for your guy soon.