Pain Relief For The Aging Dog

[DingoGirl]

Hey all,

My older girl Tika/Stinker (in photo) is nearing 14, getting very arthritic and stiff in the last couple of years.....but just in these past few weeks I've noticed her groaning nearly every time she lays down or shifts position. It just breaks my heart to know she's in pain.

So......I"ve got her on glucosamine/condroitin in canine pill form and also capsules of glucosamine sulfate (for humans) which I empty into her food.......I started this a couple of months ago but.....she's still groaning all the time, and I can't take it.

I don't have money to do expensive treatments......the doctor has mentioned steroids - but I don't trust this vet any longer - he is all about money, I have discerned (we're going to a new vet).

Just wanted to know if anybody has any different advice.........are there inexpensive pain pills I can give, human, canine, over-the-counter - anything?

Thanks!

[Belinda Meeker]

Hey all,

My older girl Tika/Stinker (in photo) is nearing 14, getting very arthritic and stiff in the last couple of years.....but just in these past few weeks I've noticed her groaning nearly every time she lays down or shifts position. It just breaks my heart to know she's in pain.

So......I"ve got her on glucosamine/condroitin in canine pill form and also capsules of glucosamine sulfate (for humans) which I empty into her food.......I started this a couple of months ago but.....she's still groaning all the time, and I can't take it.

I don't have money to do expensive treatments......the doctor has mentioned steroids - but I don't trust this vet any longer - he is all about money, I have discerned (we're going to a new vet).

Just wanted to know if anybody has any different advice.........are there inexpensive pain pills I can give, human, canine, over-the-counter - anything?

Thanks!

Hi DingoGirl,

I'm not sure of any pain meds but try a heating pad of some kind where she lays the most,my parents had simalr with their dog and placed one in her bed and it seemed to do some good. Good luck!

Bea

[jerseyangel]

Hi Susie,

I wish I had some good advice, but I want you to know that we're going through the same thing right now with Allo (16 years old).

We had him to the vet 2 weeks ago, and an x-ray showed arthritis all along his spine, and it was terribly concentrated at the base of his back.

He is also visibly uncomfortable when he goes to lay down or go up stairs.

He's on the glucosimine capsules, also, but the vet said it would be a couple weeks before it would begin to kick in.

We are trying to make things as comfortable for him as possible--we added another litter box on the main floor, put food and water on both floors he goes to and things like that. I also plan to get him a heated bed--I've seen them in several catalogues.

Maybe Stinker would like a heated bed, too?

[finally diagnosed]

Hey all,

My older girl Tika/Stinker (in photo) is nearing 14, getting very arthritic and stiff in the last couple of years.....but just in these past few weeks I've noticed her groaning nearly every time she lays down or shifts position. It just breaks my heart to know she's in pain.

So......I"ve got her on glucosamine/condroitin in canine pill form and also capsules of glucosamine sulfate (for humans) which I empty into her food.......I started this a couple of months ago but.....she's still groaning all the time, and I can't take it.

I don't have money to do expensive treatments......the doctor has mentioned steroids - but I don't trust this vet any longer - he is all about money, I have discerned (we're going to a new vet).

Just wanted to know if anybody has any different advice.........are there inexpensive pain pills I can give, human, canine, over-the-counter - anything?

Thanks!

Hi Susie,

Sorry to hear about your dog. We are going through something similar with our dog abigail, she is only one and moans alot when she is laying down. she has arthritis in her leg with a luxating pattella. the vet put her on rimadyl 100 mg. she takes 1/2 in morning and 1/2 at night. there is rimadyl for humans, but i don't think it is quite effective for pets. it seems to help her and it keeps the inflamation down in her joints. she is also having surgery friday the 14th for her leg , so we are hoping her pain will be gone. they had given me a large bottle i think it cost 60, but it will last a long time. good luck lorrie

[Glutenfreefamily]

My dog was on rimadyl, It worked great for him. From what I remember it wasnt too costly. It was the only thing that worked. Within a short time he had the spring in his step again which was a wonderful site to see as before he winced everytime he climbed on the couch. It was our miracle pill. Please check into the cost of it from another vet as each vet charges differently especially since you dont like your other vet anyways and it will make your pooch much happier and you . The only thing it requires is a blood test to take them initially.

[DingoGirl]

Oh thank you girls. I had actually considered Rimadyl - we have a leftover bottle from Annie's surgery and I"ve given her a couple.....I will ask the doctor about this!

Unfortunately, I can't get Stinker a heated bed.......she is a constantly overheated, panting dog, pants like crazy even when it's 60 or 65 degrees outside, so, I"m pretty sure she would have nothing to do with it. She really loves to sleep outside in the dead of winter - can't get enough of these cold nights.

I"ll call the doctor on Monday! (I still have to go see the evil vet for her thyroid med refill)

[BRUMI1968]

Please consider METACAM over Rimadyl; it has fewer side effects. We had our old dog on Rimadyl for a couple days and she had terrible kidney problems. She had cancer, not arthritis, but nonetheless.

Also, try some herbal remedies that work as well/better than asprin (which is also an option, though should be buffered as can cause stomach upset; and if there are any concerns about bleeding, should not be used)

I have read some studies that show of another remedy. My doctor talks about it here:

October 2004Inflammatory conditions and ayurvedic medicine

by Virender Sodhi, MD (Ayurved), ND

.......

Boswellia serrata

Boswellia, prized in the Middle East as Frankincense and brought by the wise man, grows in India, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Extract of Boswellia has been used to treat arthritis, asthma, ulcerative colitis, crohn's disease, and skin conditions.

*** Osteoarthritis and Boswellia. In combination form with Ashwagandha, turmeric and zinc, studies have shown positive effects in its treatment of osteoarthritis.

In a double blind placebo control study, patients showed a significant improvement in pain severity, and disability score.

In an animal study, the dogs showed improvement in intermittent lameness, localized pain and stiff gait. All external factors that aggravate lameness, such as "lameness when moving" and "lameness after a long rest" diminished gradually.

In another study, all patients receiving Boswellia treatment reported a decrease in knee pain, increased knee flexion and increased walking distance. The frequency of swelling reduced considerably.

In my personal experience I have treated thousands of patients with a Boswellia preparation for osetoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. With a combination of the Panch Karma treatment, nutritional changes and yoga, we were able to take people off Prednisolone, methotrexate and embrel treatment.

Okay, but it works best combined with zinc, turmeric, and ashwanganda (also called Winter Cherry).

I've used "Boswelia Plus" by Ayush Herbs. It contains Boswellia, Ginger, Winter Cherry and Turmeric in glycerine and alcohol...so it's drops. They also make it in pills, but my dog is picky. Pills (90) 29.70 and drops 17.00. Probably three pills per day - I'm guessing since I don't recall. They are real horse pills, that I remember.

Anyway, it's helped us quite a bit, though we've ended up having to supplement with Metacam when we work our dog out too much. (His arthritis is from an injury - h e's only 9 but gets pretty stiff in one of his front elbows.) As for maintenance and taking the edge off, it works great.

good luck!

[DingoGirl]

Please consider METACAM over Rimadyl; it has fewer side effects. We had our old dog on Rimadyl for a couple days and she had terrible kidney problems. She had cancer, not arthritis, but nonetheless.

Also, try some herbal remedies that work as well/better than asprin (which is also an option, though should be buffered as can cause stomach upset; and if there are any concerns about bleeding, should not be used)

thanks! I will look into this stuff also.

I gave her Rimadyl yesterday, and there was almost NO groaning in pain last night......just got to evaluate these options here. Going to vet next week.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Poor dingo!

Is she on a grain-free, dairy-free food? That's what Dogtorj recommends. I have found one for cats, and it's made a huge difference for our diabetic cat. It seems logical that if gluten can cause rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid problems in humans, it can in dogs, too.

[blueeyedmanda]

I just wanted to tell you I am keeping your baby girls in my thoughts

[ravenwoodglass]

Poor dingo!

Is she on a grain-free, dairy-free food? That's what Dogtorj recommends. I have found one for cats, and it's made a huge difference for our diabetic cat. It seems logical that if gluten can cause rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid problems in humans, it can in dogs, too.

I hope she is, that also made a big difference for our older pets. We use the Innova Evo line.

It is so hard to deal with our furry friends pain. I am thinking of you both and hoping you can give her a few more pain free years.

[dlp252]

No suggestions, just adding some hugs for both you and little Stinker!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I hope she is, that also made a big difference for our older pets. We use the Innova Evo line.

It is so hard to deal with our furry friends pain. I am thinking of you both and hoping you can give her a few more pain free years.

Evo is not dairy free, at least not the cat food (it has cottage cheese in the ingredients).

[rock on]

Hi Dingogirl.

I'm sorry that your doggie is feeling bad. I was thinking that fish oil could help her. It's all natural & very lubricating. My husband takes it for his arthritis. We weren't sure if it was helping all that much, but he ran out of it for a while (of course he didn't start taking it again until I went out & bought more pills!) But, during that time, his knee started bothering him much more than it had been. So, it's all natural & may help your doggie. Plus, it could make her coat luxurious!

The pills my husband takes are Nordic Naturals "EPA". They're a really high concentration of EPA, the active ingredient in omega 3 oils that helps battle inflammation.

Just a thought!

Best of luck!

[Cheri A]

I'm also sorry to read of your dog's troubles. We used to have a Dalmatian who developed hip displaysia at a very young age. My DH read an article on how hunting dogs that had it seemed to respond to Ester-C vitamins. We started giving them to our dog, and he improved greatly. We gave them to him for years, and he lived to be 15 years old. Here's a few articles for you to read. It also says that arthritic dogs were helped with it. Our vet said that it wouldn't hurt our dog, but that it wouldn't help him probably. But it did, and it's helped a few others that we have run into along the last few years.

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