Arthritis in an old lady.

dashoonage

Hi All

So my dusky has been diagnosed with arthritis, thankfully I have a very good vet and it will be managed well. She got her first injection on Wednesday , i was a little upset over it , but when i was coming out i met the gooodest of labs on the way in for his injection with his tail waggin living his best life and he was on them a year at this stage and his owner said he's flying it round the place and happy out, so I'm a little more positive

So i just need to change a few things, were not walking at the moment but will be back to them next week, Vet said this wont be a problem. However our daily game of ball is probably a no more. So were going to replace that with some messing with the rope.

Now she has her kong, and another toy which is a challenge for her mind, but im looking to get a snuffle mat, I'm looking for recommendations on one that's durable, she pulls everything to pices in a matter of minutes. I just want to keep her entertained now games of ball arent an option

Is there anything else I should be doing for an old lady with arthritis ? she has a nice soft bet etc.

P.S the two of us were standing in the kitchen at 5:45am yesterday morning , with no walk... looking at each other going.....now what :P

Ave Sodalis

Thankfully, canine arthritis is a pretty manageable disease in dogs and there are quite a few resources for owners now.

You're correct in that the game of ball in probably a no go. However, instead of "chase the ball", it can be replaced by "find the ball" or "wait until the ball stops moving then go fetch". The problem with fetch and other ball games is that they tend to be repetitive, high impact, and sudden unpredictable movement changes which really aren't good for joint health.

There are some great canine enrichment groups on social media now. Kongs, Kong Wobblers and other bought enrichment toys are great. In fact, it's good to get several Kongs and keep a few frozen once you up the difficulty. Most people I know have made their own snuffle mat using a dish mat (with holes) and felt strips. You can also play games of find the food, hiding food in toilet paper rolls (if she won't eat them), scatter feeding and in general making it difficult to just eat food.

The problem with food related enrichment is your dog's weight will become so important as excess weight really does not go well with arthritic dogs, especially as their movement slows down. Instead, start replacing meals with enrichment activities. Eventually, you may even ditch the bowl altogether (unless medications need to be given).

Other than veterinary treatment, physiotherapy is a great help for dogs, especially ones that have access to a therapeutic laser. They can make sure the joints are supported and strong, give you appropriate exercise regimes and help relieve the over compensated muscles in the rest of the dog which can make overall pain levels worse. Make sure your physiotherapist is qualified and insured. A physio might also help with making sure the home environment is appropriate.

Similarly, hydrotherapy is brilliant. Arthritis needs movement, and water takes away some of the impact of exercise whilst still providing that essential movement. I would say go to a hydrotherapy centre, as dogs tend to over-do it and make themselves worse (especially high energy breeds) and a centre can make sure they're getting appropriate amounts of exercise for their fitness level and disease progression.

Be sure to check out Canine Arthritis Management and CARE, both of which are resources aimed at owners with arthritic dogs.

Finally, in terms of vet care, there are some really promising new drugs out there now. Arthritis can be a bit of a scary diagnosis and it does mean some changes, but the good news is that there are far more things you can do now than ever.

P.S. your soft bed might not actually be helping. It can be more difficult to get out of a soft bed and an arthritic dog may over-exert themselves trying. The joints also may not be supported, particularly if it's so soft you can feel the floor underneath when there's weight on it.

bluejelly

do You know what injection she got? My lab has recently been diagnosed with arthritis too & got her first injection of librela last week. New to market apparently so fingers crossed it works.

mary 2021

I got Librela i month ago it was a huge difference after 2 weeks approx, the second month just the same no extra movement she can walk around and do her pee and pooh where she likes now outside in the fields she was struggling to get out the door but i reckon it will only be good for a few months she is elderly to boot so sad times coming for me.

dashoonage

Also Librela here as well I think , Mary do you mean the dog got no relief the second month ? or am i reading that wrong.

Sorry about the lack of replies to the OP but this new boards is a struggle! were back to our usual walks now and she seems to be flying it , much more lively in herself. She is panting a little bit more than normal, but i think its just this clammy weather, were off to the vet in the morning anyway for a check in just to be safe.

bluejelly

Sounds very promising on all accounts, fingers crossed it continues to keep them both moving well. Being able to do her business in her usual place is a huge positive in itself. My lab has arthritis in 1 joint so she still has good movement but limps on 1 leg, we are restricted to a slow 2k per day for now.

Best of luck with tmrws vet visit.

lea26

Hi , I have a 10 1/2 year old female lab too. She has had issues with legs and arthritis since she was two. She had two knee replacements when she was three years old so we have had years of adapting to her needs. She now has degenerative myelopathy so is slowly using the use of her back legs. Very stressful times

We had laser therapy ( they recommended 6 days in a row for full effect). It definitely made an improvement. Would recommend you try that maybe.

She is also on medication but along with that we gave her Kurasyn (it's for horses also but was recommended by our vet). That definitely helped her too.

Lately she can only walk really small distances, so now if the sea is calm , I get in with her and we walk along for a lot longer than she can on the ground, and she is so much happier walking in the water, so maybe try that too. We also got for little spins in the van so she can stick her head out the window and bark at nothing . Best of luck, it's tough to watch them slow down but once they are happy that's the main thing 😀

dashoonage

Thanks all

So.... my doggo is...... warm :P everything checked out , heart rate is bang on etc, its just a bad time of the year for a double coated duskie . and im a little extra paranoid about her at the moment. Never the less vet was happy to see her, he poked around the legs again today 9 days post injection and now a single yelp of discomfort out of her, compared to the day she got the injection.

Apparently supply chain of Librela is an issue at the moment though as its been so successful and launched in so many countries they are struggling to keep up with demand .

This mornings walk she was back 100% to her old self. Met her friends and had a little bark and a shout and all. this will taper off over the month until the next injection though so ill just manage walk lengths and rest

bluejelly

That’s great to hear, you must be very happy. We are 7 days post injection & no improvement yet but I’m still optimistic based on what I’ve read.

lea26, agree that water def seems to help movement. my lab is spending more time swimming than before too. bringing your furry friend for a spin with her head out the window is a lovely idea & it’s true that once they are happy that’s what matters most.

I have been looking at large doggie prams too , even though we are a long way off that stage it might be handy for trips/longer walks with my 2nd dog. Just another option to look into.

tk123

I did one Librealla with Bailey and saw improvements after maybe 4 days.. however he had his spleen removed and it’s still so new with side effects being reported I decided to stick with his Galliprant rather than take any chances. He also gets laser every week and acupuncture every month. The acupuncture is fantastic - if the vet was closer I’d be taking him more often.

mary 2021

Of my 2 months to date on Librela i see less pain in her eyes but her movements are much the same. She has not expanded her distance s and gets up all 55kg of her easier to her feet but she is not that interested in a lot of movement or coverage of ground. I will go another 2 / 3 shots / months but then i will see how she is feeling maybe i am just masking her pain and the body is continuing its disintegration in a less painful state the end is nigh sadly !

tk123

Ah i’m sorry to hear that. I had decided to give it 4 goes but then didn’t want to take any risks after his surgery as it had be linked to high calcium levels etc etc. Hopefully you’ll see an improvement and get some more time

bluejelly

That’s tough Mary but seeing less pain is the most important benefit of all and their eyes tell you everything. I do hope she gets further comfort over the next while. 🙏

shanos

Has anyone ever tried holistic remedies for arthritis and pain in their dogs? I see one person mentioned acupuncture which I find great personally but never heard of it for animals.

tk123

My guy gets laser and acupuncture along with his pain relief and supplement wise he gets fish oil and another senior/all rounder supplement. I’d just urge caution going with some natural options as they’re supplements rather than a replacement for pain relief. Also natural doesn’t mean it’s completely safe - cbd can raise liver enzymes, turmeric can act as a blood thinner and can be harsh on the tummies etc etc

When my girl had kidney failure we were very limited in what we could use for pain relief - the acupuncture made a huge difference with her back pain and quality of life.

dashoonage

So back again. My dog has had her second injection of Librela  and has been doing very well. She ended up on an antibotic for the panting as some roughness in her lungs was detected and it seems to have sorted the issue.

However were onto the next issue, shes now putting all her weight on one back leg. Were booked into the vet tomorrow again, the vet was a little concerned when I initially brought her in over her cruciate ligament and I fear we may now have an issue.

She is 12 , does anyone have experience of repair surgery in an older dog ?

Different species, but we had a very arthritic cat who lasted several years on medication and had a very happy, if somewhat less bouncy life.

He was struggling with stairs and would get his claws stuck in carpets and soft furniture. Basically he’d lost some of the ability to retract his claws. So you’d hear him clip/clopping around on hard floors.

Didn’t seem to worry him and didn’t do any damage to any floors or furniture, but you’d occasionally get meowed at to ask for help releasing his paws from something and you’d just have to gently unhook each claw.

He’d also expect and ask for a hot water bottle, as it seemed to help a lot. You’d get a meow and head butt and a big load of purring.

We did a bit of physio with him, just helping him stretch the joints a bit, massaging them and stuff and he genuinely seemed to know what we were up to and was highly cooperative, like he would lay down on the sofa with his legs up in the air, waiting for a leg massage, which made a huge difference to his ability to move around.

He had no issues with managing his own toilet stuff, but he did need a rub down with a warm facecloth and a brush, as he could no longer groom behind his ears.

Good humoured cat though. Always very friendly, still very playful even as a very, very old guy - batting around a ping pong ball and all that stuff.

In the end he just passed away of natural causes at 20!

tk123

Bailey had TTA at 10. For us we had done conservative management and it’d be fine for months then one moment of madness eg running after a squirrel and we’d be back to restriction again. I felt like we were stuck in that cycle and rather than do months more rest and end up needing surgery, I opted for surgery rather than wait any longer. It was fine - he was restricted to one room at a time and after the first two weeks we started with short walks again building up each week.

Iliopsoas strain can cause the same symptoms as you’re seeing now so don’t panic just yet!

dashoonage

Thank you both for your response.

So was at the vets this morning, definitely something up with the cruciate ligament , unsure if fully gone or degenerating.

I have to go away for a bit so she's on anti inflammatory and then she's booked in straight away when i come back to be sedated to explore it further and if its gone they will do surgery there and then.

Vet seems happy enough that she will be ok for the operation. She's 100% healthy other than the leg and the arthritis thankfully. Everything else is functioning as it should be.