For the last 8 months we've been fighting a battle to keep Jen active and fit but also pain free from OA linked to her ED. We've had 2 courses of Cartrophen which have lasted 18 weeks and 15 weeks respectively instead of the hoped for 26 weeks . We've administered Loxicom on days of stiffness/soreness but only for 2 or 3 days at a time which seemed to be maintaining her condition. Then while on holiday in Devon last month we had 48-72hrs of vomiting. On return home went to see our vet and discussed a whole new treatment plan for Jen. Due to the vomiting a question mark was raised over Loxicom so we decided to switch her to Previcox for 28 days to hit the inflammation hard, new hydrotherapy and then review for more x-rays or a ct scan. All was going well until yesterday afternoon when Jen experienced a bout of diarrhoea, followed by huge pools of vomit last night, which has since been followed with more diarrhoea which now has definite blood content. Waiting for my vet apointment time and trying not to cry for my poorly girl
Sorry to hear this. Lilly was on Previcox - she got this after vomiting (with blood) one Christmas when she was on the first anti-inflammatory. The Previcox is a Cox-II which is supposedly gentler on your stomach lining. I know Lilly was fine with it. It's a bit like Celebrex or Meloxicam in humans as opposed to Ibuprofen or Naproxen. Is there anything else that may have upset her tummy? The timing is usually a bit of a giveaway though I hope you manage to get a suitable treatment plan for your girl. jac
It gets tough, for them and us. I am a huge fan of Cartrophen but it doesn't work on really bad pain. We had to go to something stronger for Jet and then stronger still. Her pain was in her back but a key was regular exercise. Much reduced in scope and not near as long but more frequent. What kept her spirits up was walks in new places. ONe of those new places was the park behind our house, which she had never walked in before as it was too small for a dog used to four hour outings, down to 10 minutes. Good thoughts you can find something to work better.
So sorry to hear your're both having a really tough time. Hoping your can find a suitable regime with your vet.
Unfortunately, although Previcox worked miracles on my Lab it made him vomit and vomit and vomit, he had gone off his back legs, I asked vet to come to the house to put him to sleep, he came down and said he would give him another 24 hours, he continued to vomit and was put down the next day. The consensus when the vets discussed his case was that the Previcox which made him so ill. Years ago I had a GSP who had bad arthritis and we used - ' something liquid gel' I can't remember the name (very senior moment) but it is from a plant that grows in the desert, you can rub it on or drink it. It was the medication that gave her more pain relief than any other.
Have you tried 4 x 1 weeks of Cartrophen, followed by 1 injection each month? The change to this from 4 x 1 week then nothing for 26 weeks made a massive difference to Charlie. It's quite normal (although off label) to use it in this way. Best of luck with your girl. Charlie can't tolerate any NSAIDs either, and it's difficult to manage without.
So difficult working with unwell dogs and trying to do the best for them...just wish they could talk and let us know exactly how they are feeling..
I just read this! I am so sorry to read this! Euan was also very painful with his back and for 2 years he was on carprodyl and tramadol. Never had issues with his stomach. Our first lab however had a very sensitive stomach from pup on. She couldn’t get painmedication...She never needed it, we were very lucky with her. She became 14,5 years old! Thinking of you in this difficult time! I hope you have been to the vet by now and that you found a solution what to give!
That's a new use for me. It has been the go thing for burns, especially sun burns for years, but I never heard of using it for joint pain.
Has anyone used DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide) on their dog? It is a byproduct of the wood products industry and in the 1970s was used by a lot of folks for arthritis. It was often prescribed by Vets for horses, with sore legs. The initial research was done by Dr Stanley Jacobs at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. Because it was not patentable, no drug company took up the fight. It is readily available, with the disclaimer that "there is no medical use" I use it for Pesudogout in my hand, and it does seem to help some.
