My 5 year old Shih Tzu being diagnosis with Arthritis.

texas star

As title says I'm just looking for a few tips to help my furry friend life a little easier.It's her hind leg into her hip.Vet has her on anti inflammatories,herbal concoction and arthritis medicine.She on a strict diet from now on as she is over weight and was wondering if I increase her fish intake will this help.Any advise and tips appreciated.

maggiepip

Glucosamine, Green lipped mussel, Ester C are all brilliant. Also salmon oil and tins of sardines. They're all what I use for my arthritic lab. Cartrophen injections are also brilliant (available from your vet) if your dog isn't already on them you should ask your vet about them, they actually help the arthritis by increasing the fluid around the joints amongst other things. Cartrophen is also very safe with basically no side effects. Your dog is lovely!

texas star

Thanks for them tips your very knowledgeable.Vet said in a couple months we will look at injections if no improvement on the medication.Glad you like Molly she has that affect on people.I though she was very young to be getting it but apparently it's common in that breed cause there longs backs.Thanks again.

DBB

Did you vet x-ray your gorgeous lil dog OP? She is very young to be contracting arthritis in the absence of other complicating factors.
Hip dysplasia is a condition associated with larger breeds, but I know more than a startling amount of Shih Tsus that have been diagnoised with it.
Small breeds are also prone to a degenerative hip condition called Perthe's Disease, which can look like arthritis but it's not the same thing.
There's also a chance that the problem is in the knee (again, common in small breeds).
So, just wondering if the vet diagnosed definitively, or just went for the "quick root" approach

texas star

Hi vet did xray last week and went through results today.She did say something about her hip socket rubbing and arthritis has gotten into it.Vet was very good this is our second option.Vet did say she is on the heavy side which isn't helping.So hopefully diet will help.But Molly's only allowed light walks from now on and no running so I don't know how I'll get her to loose the weight with hardly any excerise.

maggiepip

Personally I would press to get her started on the Cartrophen, if she were my dog. I'm not being critical of your vet or anything but Cartrophen will actually aid in halting the progression of arthritis whereas the nsaids (metacam etc) won't. The vet I use choses the Cartrophen as a first choice for this reason and nsaids for bad days. One course of 4 injections might be sufficient for a year. Different vets have different ideas but its worth bringing up.

DBB

Ahhh, it sounds like your dog has Perthe's Disease so... it causes rough edges on the top of the leg-bone (the ball that fits into the hip ball-and-socket joint), which tends to eventually become arthritic. I would be happy with that 2nd opinion too
Yes, losing weight is terribly important, and it is awkward trying to limit exercise whilst trying to get rid of weight!
So, here are some tips that might help.

Try "activity feeding", rather than feeding her from a bowl, whereby she has to work for her food without impacting on her joints, and her meals are stretched out over a longer period rather than scarfing it all down in one go.
So, things like stuffed Kong Toys, cleaned milk cartons containing her dry food that she has to rip apart to access the food, Kong Wobblers, activity balls and scatter feeding (the latter two limited to softer surfaces like carpets or grass).. scatter feeding is scattering her dry food around the garden so that she has to potter around and "graze" for her food.

Try supplementing her diet with mashed carrots and peas, a little bit of potato, perhaps with some low-fat meat like chicken, turkey breast, or fish (this mixture is great for stuffing Kong Toys with!)
If you're feeding dry, deliberately go for a high-quality, lower-fat but high-quality protein diet... I found Barking Heads "Fat Dog Slim" to be excellent for this, and James Wellbeloved do a good low-fat, cereal-free food too. My little pudge-pot Shih Tsu X has achieved her required body weight with the above diet (including that tasty but low-fat chicken stew).

You have to be reeeeally careful with treats, as they are probably right at the top of the list of what causes obesity... and they're very often being sneakily delivered on the sly by one member of the family
So, get rid of chew treats such as dentastix or any pork products (they're highly calorific), and opt instead for some dried beef treats like dried tripe, dried lung, dried heart... they stink but they're very good for dogs, and low in calories and fat. Also, if she'll have them, raw carrots for treats to replace anything fatty or calorific. And nail any humans who are sneaking food into her... they are doing her no favours at all... getting weight off her now could prolong her life by several years.

Be strict about her daily portions, and feed her to the weight you want her to achieve. So, if you want to get her to 8kg, feed her as if she's an 8kg dog. Measure her daily allowance out each morning on a weighing scales, don't rely on measuring cups as there can be a sizeable disparity in daily allowances when you use them. Keep her daily ration in one container, and don't be tempted to top it up if meals look small... they will look small, I guarantee you, you'll be troibled by how little you seem to be feeding her, but I found it really helped me when my vet explained that their stomachs are really small, the size of a small-med tomato, so I could visualise that the meals I was giving her would certainly fill that space and make her feel satisfied.

Finally, if you can at all, book her in for some hydrotherapy sessions! This is a brilliant way to get dogs moving without impacting on their joints.

Finally finally, as maggiepip listed above, there are some good additives that will help reduce inflammation and help her move more easily
Good luck! This will take months, rather than weeks, it is a lifestyle change for both you and her, so stick with it! Indeed, your local vet (or rather, vet nurse) may well run a weight-loss clinic for dogs, offering weekly weight-ins and helping to keep you motivated, so so ask if you can sign up, if they provide such a service... it's often free

texas star

Wow all them tips.We will wait to see about injections as vet thinks it's a lot to do with her weight.DBB I'm going to print of your post and highlight all the points and stick in my kitchen.I've never heard of scattter feeding.Will look into it.She's on Burns chicken and oats ment to make her feel fuller for over weight dogs 70grms a day it's tiny but I never realized her tummy is size of a tomato.So many tips thank u.I double checked it's her elbow you could see the fragments in xray.Il keep you posted on progress in a month or so.

TopTec

Texas, I wonder what were the symptoms that led you to going to the vet in the first place. Was it something specific or a general loss of movement.

I have a couple of girl Shih Tzu's, one of whom seems to have lost her mojo recently... I am wondering about a joint problem.

TT

texas star

Hi TopTec Molly would get up and start to limp then stretch it out but wouldn't put full weight on her paw.We put it down to a dead leg and the way she was lying.But started happening to frequently and especially after a walk she be limping or just getting out of her bed so knew something was up.As I've been advised she's over weight which doesn't help her joints.I hope your dog's ok.Shihtzu really are delightful little pets.

DBB

Can you just clarify, is it a front or a hind leg she has the lameness on? Not sure now whether it's her hip (hind leg) or elbow (front leg) that's the problem!

texas star

It's her back leg knee cap I just verified apologies I was calling it her elbow.She looks like she is trying to stretch it out all the time but still limps on it.

DBB

So, it it that her kneecap is dislocating (luxating patella)? It's possible that surgery could help, though we've gone from it being her hip to her elbow to her knee, so I'm not at all sure what's wrong with her at this stage!

texas star

No it's her knee cap definitely but she stretches it out from her bum.

texas star

Anyway Ive just read up on luxating patella that spot on what Molly's doing.I'll keep reading up on it so.Thanks again

tk123

YuMove is meant to be very good OP - I plan on switching my dog to it when one of his current supplement runs out. I know somebody with a dog with hip dysplasia and they'd had no degeneration in 4 years since switching to it.

texas star

Thank you very good reviews on these.I'll get her started as soon as she finishes her other medication.

daUbiq

Your shih zhu looks almost identical to ours.. I hope yours feels better soon.