Hip dysplasia, arthritis and medications?

Is she on omega-3 supplements too?

Some fish oil can do wonders, and it's a drug that';s going to do in her liver.

I have had some bad things happen after a while with Metacam, so I try to stay away from it.

They seem to get up to a threshold, and then some of the NSAIDs don't work.

Instead, you might go back to good old Rimadyl, and try not to give it to her on her good days, if there are some.

Powdered ginger - just a pinch- can also be a good anti-inflammatory, with no contraindictions or interference with anything else.

If she doesn't already have one, a Cool Mat II is wonderful - these arthritic dogs tend to like a cool place to lie down, and the Cool Mat acts like a water bed for dogs.

Be careful of all purpose joint supplements - they often contain MSM and yucca, both of which are anti-coagulants that can cause other problems.

How is her weight? It really helps to keep OA dogs on the thin side, and just a little weight loss can make a big difference.

That's no such an advanced age - have you had her tested for Lyme disease?

I have a severely HD rottweiler and he was on Norocarp (Carprofen NSAID) which worked a little. The medication unfortunately takes the edge off the pain but does not fix the problem. There is also a drug called Pentosan/Cartrophen that is injectible. It helps repair joints and cartilage you need 4 over a month then as needed. Call your vet about this it really does work wonders. For the joints use Glucosamine + Chondroiten + MSM supplement for people if you can and give an adult dose, as well as Fish Oil capsules as the Omega oils are good for arthritis. Thin down your dog, you want a thinner then average dog, if you can just see ribs then it will help the dog immensly. Do not starve her but give her 2-3 small meals a day of premium quality dry food and exercise her in small bouts. Make sure she is warm all the time and her bed is raised off the ground. Acupuncture needs to be in conjunction with physiotherapy and some chiropractic and my dog is off medication in 5 weeks! He also goes swimming to help maintain muscle and take the pressure off the joints. Just wade up to her elbows will help her a lot! Unfortunately NSAIDs do cause organ problems, so the more you can do to help without them or wean off its better in the long term. My Rottweiler is only 11 months old and was nearly euthanased because he needed 150mg of Norocarp a day and still squealed in pain, but we found a lovely vet who has given him another chance at life.

Louise, there is only one person you should trust, to discuss medications you will be giving your Collie and that is a vet. A lot of the kids answering on this site I've seen as young as 8 years old. If it were my dog, I would not trust kids telling me what medications would be good for my dog. Your dog must be in pain I understand, but only a vet is able to prescribe stronger medication for your dog. If you are thinking over the counter meds, never give any medication to your dog without talking to your vet and your vet telling you which medication you should give, how much of a dosage to give for your dogs weight and how often to give the medication to your dog. If your vets office is closed, find the phone number of an Emergency Vet (open 24/7) in your area, give them a call it's free, explain the situation your dog is in, what treatment your vet has given him and what medications and dosage he's been taking and they would be the best people to advise you, on how to properly help your dog until you can talk to your regular vet. They may ask you to bring your dog in, so they can further examine him. The fact that your Collie has Hip problems and a lot of Arthritis, that is very painful. The sooner you do this or better yet take him in to an Emergency Vet, the sooner you can get him some kind of pain relief, so he doesn't have to suffer in pain until you can get him in to see your regular vet this coming week. He should not have to suffer that long.

Only what your vet can prescribe. Giving an animal human medication without instructions from a vet first can be very dangerous because not only are most of them toxic to animals, even the ones that are safe have to be given in very different dosages. Animals' bodies work very differently and metabolize medications differently than people do, so it's not just the size difference you have to consider. Just wait till you talk to your vet and try to keep your dog as comfortable as possible in the meantime, no running or strenuous exercise. I know it sucks, my dog has severe hip dysplasia and had to stop running years ago, something she loves.

Imagine for a moment your arthritis completely vanishing right now.

If, in a moment, your pain and stiffness melted away. And your joints all of a sudden functioned like a well-oiled machine.

Like a magic wand was waived, you'd be able to jump up from your chair and run around the room like a kid.

And imagine that you'd never have to suffer as much as a pinch of arthritis stiffness or pain ever again.

I know this sounds impossible right now, but bear with me, because sometimes miracles happen.

It was a gift from a woman on the other side of the world. From the kindness of her heart, she took pity on my suffering and taught me how to completely reverse my arthritis.

Today, I want to do the same for you!

I had an old GSD with severe arthritis and spondylosis on Metacam in the last 18 months of his life. It did do wonders for him but as his condition progressed, I had to find other ways to help.

Attached is a link I`ve found really informative.

http://www.fionas-fastdogs.com/care/healthcare/art...

Things that worked for me :

- Bioflow collar - make sure you get the one in the UK (not sure where you are). They are worth every penny. The change in my old dog of 11 years was nothing short of amazing. It took about 3 weeks to manifest and don`t be surprised if your dog looses weight initially - I`ve had them on both my dogs and they both went through a period of detoxification in the first 10 days where they were a bit malaised and lost some weight - only to shoot back with increased vigor.

Here is the place I purchased from.

http://www.ecomagnets.com/bioflow-animals.htm

I also used Homeopathics - try Rhus Tox 200C - 3 globules down the throat once and then wait and see. I found it really helpful when he over-exercised and then felt stiff after snoozing.

In the winter and near the end (he was pTS at 11 years) he required narcotics (codeine to start) along with the Metacam. It was helpful in the winter at night when he was most uncomfortable - but narcotics do put considerable strain on the body - so I wanted to do what I could before going down that path.

The collar and the homeopathics really helped to reduce the dependancy on drugs and they made a huge difference in his quality of life.

I also had a giant bed for him, and got a ramp to get him in the back of my truck (tailgate was too high)

Your vet will have to prescribe stronger pain meds and you can always do both ...

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I had my dog on Tremadol in the last 3 months - it did give him relief for a bit but is expensive (over $1 per pill here in Canada)

The other consideration is diet - if you feed raw your dog will do better - as my vet explained - each of these `little things`` contributes to a big thing....

Good luck

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I found you have to experiment because not all things work for all dogs. And allergies - if you cook meat - that is REALLY hard for some dogs to digest - so raw is absolute.

I really found immediate results with Rhus Tox if the dogs symptoms are he improves from exercise and worsens after a rest - this is typical of arthritic dogs. My dog would chase me around when I cut the lawn happy as a pig in shyte and then be stiff as a board that night. I gave him the Rhus tox and within an hour he was noticeably improved and would stay that way until the next time he over-exerted himself. Then I just gave him the same dose again.

Herbs are also an option. They ship and according to my vet, some dogs are significantly improved.

http://naturespetherbs.com/

Good luck

Try swimming her more then once weekly if possible. You can talk to your vet about a multi modal pain management program. While metacam is an excellent anti-inflammatory there are drugs that can be used in conjunction to decrease pain. Tramadol, gabapentin and some opioids can be added to help with pain relief.

Below are some sites that you can direct your veterinarian to concerning pain management

Metacam is one of the safest pain meds, but they all have side effects. Hopefully you told your breeder about this as hip dysplasia can be bred out of lines that have it and your breeder should be notified that this particular line is carrying the gene for Hip Dysplasia.

Man up. Studies show that ladies binge on food more compared to men and, when food decisions are emotional, it’s a recipke for disaster. Instead, eat minor amounts when you’re hungry, certainly not when you’re bored or unsatisfied, and once a week go out with the girls for beer along with pizza – you’ve earned the idea.

Go back to the vet and have her kidney function tested to see if it might still be OK to increase the dose of Metacam or try a different version of it called "Meloxicam". Maybe the vet could prescribe Sucralfate/Antepsin to protect the stomach against those strong NSAIDS. The vet could also give your dog Tramadol for severe pain.