<p>Rimadyl uses lactose (milk sugar) as a binder. This is not well known (my dog has allergies so I called to ask). Many dogs don’t tolerate lactose (like many people).</p>
<p>My previous dog died at age 12 of mast cell cancer. Rimadyl made her last three years quite comfortable.</p>
<p>He is so much better today. I think all he needed was a trip to the vet. It really is unbelievable the difference between today and yesterday morning. I think I’m going to try a supplement to see if I can keep him off the meds, but I won’t hesitate to use the Rimadyl if he seems to be in pain. I also gave my horse a monthly shot of Adequan. The combo of Adequan and Lubrisyn seemed to be the magic potion for her.</p>
<p>My 15-year-old part Russian Spaniel has had spondylosis and arthritis for almost two years. I almost lost him last year because the pain was so bad, but I found acupuncture. It is AMAZING. We went at first about twice a week to get him more pain free, and then twice a month for maintenance. He had lost 7 pounds and gained it all back, and he gained back almost all of his mobility.</p>
<p>Now we are going down a little, but at least we have gotten an entire extra year because of the acupuncture. Also, I have him on herbs from this website: </p>
<p>[Herbs</a> to Heal and Support Recovery - Robert McDowell’s Herbal Treatments - Intnl. Herbal Remedies, Online Herbal Consultation, Herbs to heal cancer, Herbal Cancer Support, Herbs for Dog, Herbs for Horse, Herbs for Mare, Help with using herbs to cure,](<a href=“http://www.herbal-treatments.com.au/]Herbs”>http://www.herbal-treatments.com.au/)</p>
<p>If you email them with all the details about your dog, they will come up with a formula that is right for you. With these herbs, and also COQ10, Cosequin, and Omega 3’s, I was able to keep my dog on just 1/2 a Previcox pill every other day (down from 1 a day), for an entire year. The herbs are more economical than pharmaceuticals.</p>
<p>Now we are forced to use Tramadol (we need to up the pain meds a little), and I hope that will help. We will make that switch tomorrow.</p>
<p>The recovery was dramatic for us, and I hope these suggestions can help you. My sister’s Chow had terrible scoliosis in her back, and she was almost crippled in her hind end. My sister massaged her legs about 15 minutes, several times a day, for about 2-3 weeks, and the dog lived another two years. It was quite dramatic as well. </p>
<p>I have a question for any of you out there. Do you think it is possible to do permanent damage to a dog with spondylosis/arthritis from one long walk? We normally only walk for about 30-40 minutes, and about two miles. We went on a six-mile walk (did not intend to go so long), and after that, he rushed up some stairs before I could prevent it (about three flights). Do you think it is possible for him to have permanently damaged his hind end from that? Since then, his hind end has seemed weaker, but it could just be that it was going to happen anyway. I worry that I ushered in his weakness sooner than it had to be.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>We gave something similar to my golden retriever who recently passed away this January at 13yrs of age. </p>
<p>At one point she has extreme difficulty in getting up. She tolerated the meds just fine and they helped, but only to a point.</p>
<p>What really really helped her was laser treatments. There was a difference after the first time. She started to go up steps again with a lot more ease and got up better. There was a huge decline if she ever missed a treatment.</p>
<p>She eventually passed away because of an infection of a tumor (well, we put her to sleep, she was in a great deal of pain) on her belly which wasn’t able to be removed anymore.</p>
<p>I think the laser treatments helped her a great deal towards the end of her life.</p>
<p>Here is a link to an article about it: [Cold</a> laser helping dogs get arthritis relief](<a href=“404 Not Found | wkyc.com”>404 Not Found | wkyc.com)</p>
<p>((RIP Ali 1996 - 2009))</p>
<p>My vet gave his lab Riimadyl but suggested Duramaxx for my lab since more info came out on it. He gets tested every 6 months for his liver but after a year or two, he said he probably wont show anything, although we’ll keep doing it. I also give him a strong combo of glucosimine and Chrondrotin which also contains Omega 3. I did notice a differnce after a month or so when we started it.
His arthritis at 13+ is worse now in the hind legs and after some recent surgery for removal of an abdominal cancerous tumor, we found tramadol made him feel a lot better. The vet suggested we use a lower dose later in the day and give him the duramaxx also. (There isn’t a conflict with it.) Since I don’t know how long we will have our pal, I want him to be comfortable but able to enjoy our company. So far we have that and his blood work, etc. is fine. One month at a time…it’s hard getting old!</p>
<p>Brooke, I think from what I’ve been told, it’s best to keep walks shorter but you can have more. One long walk can make them tired and achy for a day or so, but shouldn’t do permanent damage…in a way they are like humans, if you overdue, you feel it.
I wish I knew someone who did pet acupuncture, but having an orthopeadic bed, warmth and his meds, seems to helping for now. I wish my dog could still run up stairs…he has a ramp to help him up ones over 3 steps or I do.</p>
<p>We have a senior lab with hip dysplasia and related arthritis. We thought he might have to have surgery when he was a puppy…it was really bad. He’s been on Glucosamine/Chondroiton supplements since he was 6 months old (3 per day). We also give him 6 fish oils per day. We also take him on regular walks per our doctor’s suggestions…he’s able to do 5 mile walks without any trouble. In fact, he seems addicted to our daily walks and has panic attacks when we don’t take him out because of snow or ice.<br>
Not sure how things will progress as he gets older but he’s doing fine right now.
Cartera, I hope your dog continues to improve!</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear about all the pets suffering, but glad they have such generous owners. </p>
<p>My dog is better. He was on the Rimadyl for just a few days and has not had a “bad spell” since. Keeping him active certainly helps but he hates the cold and snow. I do need to make arrangements for the acupuncture. That certainly helped my arthritis. </p>
<p>Another product I can recommend - if I haven’t already - I didn’t go back and read my posts - is Lubrisyn. I had great success with it for a horse and they make a dog product.</p>
<p>How do you prevent this?
Our Golden is 2.5 years old . As a male, he weighs around 77-79 lb. He runs a couple of miles every day. Should I put him on glucosamine supplements? He has no s/s of arthritis.</p>
<p>Has he been x rayed for hip problems? That is all too common with goldens and labs. Here is a great article on hip problems in goldens. </p>
<p>[Hip</a> Problems, Hip Dysplasia - Helpful Dog Info - Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue](<a href=“http://www.ygrr.org/doginfo/health-hips.html]Hip”>http://www.ygrr.org/doginfo/health-hips.html)</p>
<p>Clearly weight is an issue so do not let your dog get overweight. The article also suggests slowing the growth rate at an early age and says that diets too high in protein can be an issue. If you know there are hip problems in the family, then do not do things that cause a lot of jumping - like frisbee catching for example. If money is not an issue, Adequan injections can be used as a preventative.</p>
<p>Our Golden took Remadyl for a few years. It worked great in the beginning, but I think she developed a tolerance to it. Towards the end, I don’t think anything helped much, but she tried to struggle through. We also gave her glucosamine and in the end, the vet gave her a pain killer.</p>
<p>I think that happens to many dogs, they just build a tolerance or get worse. When I mentioned to our vet that he seems to be building a tolerance after 2 years, she said that could happen, but usually it was the dog is getting worse. He’s at his max for duramax, so the tramadol helps a lot right now…when that can’t and he gets that “look” I hear about, we will have to say realize we have run out of options. but I always hope he goes in his sleep. Maybe that seems awful too, but I never had to put an animal down and I don’t think I would handle it well.
I am grateful for every day and that although labs hide pain well, my guy seems to be happy (most of the time) and hopefully with the warmer weather coming, be less stiff.</p>
<p>Our 10yr old Golden ruptured her ACL around Christmas this year and her hips aren’t good enough for surgery. She is on deramaxx and dasuquin. The vet also put her on a joint repair food. (She also takes furosemide for fluid around her heart.) Unfortunately, the cost involved in all of this is unreal. She is doing well now, yet still limps a lot. My H built a ramp for her to get in and out of the house. More than one neighbor has called to find out what happened to us. Most of them think we’re crazy when they find out it’s for the dog.
Obviously, they have never had a Golden!</p>
<p>Yes, we have a ramp too…got it from a pet store on the net. I love it, it fold so I can use it for my van too. How did you know about the fluid around the heart? I was worried when my dog was panting a lot that is was his heart, but he seemed to check out okay. Panting is also caused by pain, cushings, and other things, but sometimes it’s hard to tell.
I had a neighbor see my husband gudie the dog up the ramp once and said, “Oh just let him go, I can’t stand to see him limp” I couldn’t believe, not knowing her well, she would be so bold…I joked I hoped when she had trouble climbing the steps, someone helped her…and left the rest unsaid. She seemed to get it and now just waves and smiles.</p>