Gillie is seven, going to be eight in April. He has always been a fit, active, healthy dog. He's not overweight at 30kg. In September last year he developed a RF limp so we went to the vets and he had a couple of weeks rest and some Metacam, which cured the lameness totally. As the Metacam was reduced the lameness increased again so the vet referred him to Anderson Moores who did a CT scan which identified various things in the elbow and shoulder. The surgeon operated and although he found some fixable cartilage in the elbow the shoulder was very inflamed with frayed ligaments so he could only inject steroids. Four days after the op, he went very lame and was on massive doses of painkillers (Tramadol, Gabapentin and low dose Paracetemol) he wasn't able to take Metacam due to the steroid in his shoulder. A joint tap showed no infection in either joint. He improved very slowly and after five weeks was still around 4/10 lame at walk. At this point the surgeon said to reintroduce the Metacam which I did and he showed a massive improvement both in the limp and his personality which returned to the cheeky boy he has always been. Hes on Yumove tablets. Unfortunately after four days in the Metacam he has developed severe diarrhoea which I know can be a side effect (he had no diarrhoea when he was on it pre surgery). I'm so upset as his quality of life is the number one priority for me and I can't bear the thought of him being in pain but he's a young dog still and the thought of possibly losing him is killing me. I'm going to speak to the vet today but if anyone has any suggestions/alternatives to Metacam please can you share them. Thank you.
Our last Lab, Cocoa, also became arthritic in mid life. Like Gillie she had digestive problems with Metacam, though they were not consistent. After an episode when Cocoa reacted badly to Metacam the vet switched her to Rimadyl and she stayed on that for several years. We also found that Chondroitin and Glucosamine supplements helped.
Thanks. I've made an appointment for Wednesday when our usual vet is back and I'll not give him any more tonight or tomorrow. The Yumove has Glucosamine in but do you know of a better supplement? Thanks
Sorry to hear your boy is going through this. Have you tried massage therapy or hydro therapy? Hydrotherapy is something my neighbour does with his dog as he is 3 and has arthritis. It's really helped. My girl has massage therapy monthly as she sometimes gets a bit stiff. Hope you manage to sort something out for him.
We have a lab with arthritis, he will be 8 next month. It really helped to see an orthopaedic vet, to consider all options. He is doing really well at the moment. We keep his weight at least a kg under what is normal for him, so he is on the lean side. He is on Yumove Advance plus salmon oil in his food. He is also on a high quality kibble with a high single source protein content, which is high in protein but low in fats. He also gets a bit of raw food, cooked veg, meat and raw eggs. We limit his exercise to mostly 30 mins x 3 sessions a day, he does have longer walks, (on his good days...) we give him Onsior for any stiffness. (NSAID) I am loathe to give him much in the way of NSAIDs at this stage in his life, as this will be a limiting factor when he is older. I would push for an orthopaedic referral, it won't hurt to get a second opinion. In the meantime, gentle walks, drop a bit of weight, and absolutely no stop start exercise..so no throwing balls etc...hunting games using scent are a great alternative though!
It hasn't been very long since your boy's operation, so you maybe just have to give it a bit more time as you work through a rehabilitation. Have you got a rehabilitation programme set out for your dog? My dog does not do well on any NSAID, and we've tried them all. (He had cruciate repairs in both hind legs). This is a dreadful disadvantage, because NSAIDs are extremely useful drugs. He seems to be helped by cartrophen. Whether this would help your boy, I don't know. Charlie is on an injection each month - which is often used but not as the maker of the drug recommends - and I'd say it helps. Also what helps is keeping him very slim, a lot of exercise but in short bursts rather than one great lump. I used physio and hydro, which helped, I think. But I'm careful about free swimming, and he uses a water treadmill at hydro which keeps joints stable while exercising.
Consult your vet for physical therapy and hydrotherapy. These helped my boy a lot. I have a 10 1/2 year old who was hit by a car, suffered a complete hip luxation and had to undergo surgery. He is now a happy, moderately active boy (he also has arthritis in spine and elbows). If you want to hear about the supplements I'm giving him, please PM me. Good luck!
Arthritis showed up in Jet at 8 years old after a play with a younger dog. She was on Metacam too. But after I read about weekend warriors and actually INCREASED her mid week walk length, so the greater part of her outing was no longer just on Sat. and Sun., we were able to go off the Metacam. She did stay on a glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM supplement. This held her till age 12.5 when her back went out. Smoothing out exercise make not make such a difference for your pup (or you) but it is probably a good thing to look out for.
