arthritis supplements/medications - Page 1

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by Nans gsd on 14 September 2019 - 21:09

As far as supplements what has worked best for your dog? Medications that are not a threat to your dogs health that have worked for your dog(s)?

Thank you in advance. Nan

bantam7

by bantam7 on 14 September 2019 - 23:09

Anti-inflammatories from your veterinarian, at the prescribed dose, are going to provide the best possible relief for your dog, and they are quite safe, regardless of what people without degrees in animal medicine post on the internet. Most drugs can be ordered via online pharmacy for a slightly lower price than at the vet; some vets will price match if you ask.

Some dogs respond to glucosamine & chondrotin (the chondrotin component is important). Two tablets a day of a typical Osteo Biflex-type human supplement is a good place to start, but you may ask your vet for their exact recommended dose. The human ones are cheaper than the dog ones and work perfectly well, you just need to check the ingredients over for no-nos like xylitol.

There is evidence for omegas but the dose needed of e.g. fish oil for a measurable impact is so high that it's prohibitively expensive, and high calorie.

Make sure your dog is at a 4 or 5 on the body condition scale. Ribs easily felt with a light touch. Ribs slightly showing is fine and even beneficial (less weight = less load on joints) as long as muscle tone and energy are still there. Keep muscle tone up and joints moving with daily walks if you aren't already. Stay on soft ground where possible and go at his/her pace. Swimming is especially good, low impact exercise.


by Nans gsd on 15 September 2019 - 00:09

Thank you Bantam: have you had any luck with Adequin injections or CBD (oral)??

Koots

by Koots on 15 September 2019 - 04:09

I gave my senior gal medical-grade CBD oil purchased from a gov't-licensed medical marijuana provider (Canada) and it seemed to help her. I gave less than 1/2 the dose for humans, and waited for 90 min. to see if the amount was right. The thing with CBD oil is that when ingested, the CBD takes a while to become effective, but it lasts a long time. It provided her relief at night so she could sleep, and sometimes during the day if she was feeling tough she would get it. I had to watch her so that she didn't over-do it during the day that she got it because she seemed to act like a puppy afterwards, lol.

Hundmutter

by Hundmutter on 15 September 2019 - 06:09

This is what I have found, over the years feeding multiple dogs, of varying ages:  MOST dogs will show a LITTLE benefit from supplements, PROVIDED THAT these are presented to them early enough. It is next to useless IMO to start a middle-aged dog on supplements and hope these will make significant difference to e.g. arthritis that is already starting to be present.

Glucosamine / hyonalluric acid / chondratin / turmeric / Omega 3 ... (haven't tried CBD but I'd lay odds it would be the same) - all are some help for the later years, when added to the dog's diet as s/he is growing up. The growing body seems able to utilise them successfully if they are established as a regular intake from early on in life. [Along, of course, with a good quality balanced diet, and keeping excess weight off !]

Otherwise, once your dog has symptoms, you are better off channeling your money to veterinary pain-killers.

Depending on when I actually took charge of the individual dog, I would use supplements from about 6 months upwards (I don't support messing about too much with the diet of younger puppies).  Get the youngster to have established good eating and digestive habits, then add in the substances which may help with developing strong joints muscles and bones, and act as a preventative.


TIG

by TIG on 15 September 2019 - 07:09

I have found fish/salmon oil to help and yes I give 3 g a day. TG I'm a Costco member keeps the cost reasonable. The other thing I use is SAMe - well documented in medical lit to help with bone issues. Was used & documented in Europe 4 decades b4 we got. Costco puts it on sale every 3 mo so I stock up 4 the next 3 months. I KNOW this one works cause it kept me up & walking for 10 years b4 knee replacements. Still take it for fingers hands shoulders feet ....

I have given to my dogs esp current one who has a gimpy leg due to injury when younger & see a difference if I run out or forget to give 4 a couple of days. I would be careful combining with CBD since SAMe raises serotonin levels. For that reason also you have to be careful combining it with tramadol and mao inhibitors. Tho I took it with Ultram(brand name tramadol slightly diff formulation) for years without any problems. Note the Ultram was not used on a regular schedule but as a breakthrough med or if I knew I was in for some walking challenges - ex tracking for IPO :)).

RE the vaulted anti inflammatories- they often aren't what they are cracked up to be and carry severe side effects. So it's  worth trying  more benign treatments first.

This is from someone who used a great variety of them over 30+ years of joint problems and whose Mom & sister also suffered similar joint issues (The xrays of my poor Mom whose every bone was bent twisted inflammed so scared one "expert" he threw in the towel)

Realities re inflammatories.

It takes time to find the one that works 4 you cause everyone's chemistry is different. What worked for me did not for mom or sister and vice versa. There are literally more than a dozen (& I tried most of them) tho I only think 2-3 have been approved  for dogs.

Most have a long "loading " period b4 effectiveness can be determined (couple months) and if u were switched off something that worked but scared the docs because of potential side effects you well may lose ground( this happened to mom a # of times until I finally said no more).

Most people who have taken them will tell you they eventually just don't  work anymore- so they stop them. How do we evaluate this in our dogs?

When my primary one stuttered one of the ones they tried on me was meloxicam wh is one that is used for dogs. Don't  know if my experience was atypical  but missing a single dose would send me crashing where I was worse off than when I started the drug. I got the impression it was not stopping the inflammation and damage it merely masked it - in the end leaving me much worse for the time I was on it. That experiment did not last long and it was about that time I got off the anti-inflammatory kick and tried the SAMe which btw I only tried after thoroughly researching it - at the time I had access to paid medical databases the public does not have.

Just my experience.  


by Nans gsd on 15 September 2019 - 14:09

What about a simple bayer aspirin for anti inflammatory? Also can probably cause GI problems but I don't think is as bad as vet anti inflam's??

Thank you all this info is very helpful.

emoryg

by emoryg on 15 September 2019 - 15:09

I used buffered aspirin twice daily on all of my older dogs, especially the police dogs who normally retired around 8-9 years. They were put on the aspirin when they first started showing problems, which was usually why they were removed from service in the first place. A few dogs took it while still on the job when they would get injured. All of them enjoyed healthy lives surviving until they were 13-14. Considering the physical stress of their constant activity, that is a very respectable age. One had to be euthanized just a few months before his 13th from a stroke.

I always gave half a tablet twice a day with their meals. With meals is an important component for absorption and to prevent common GI related side effects. I started with a quarter and brought it up to a half after a few weeks. My department paid the dog’s medical bills for life, so I had access to all the pharmaceutical meds available, but I didn’t see anything working better than the buffered aspirin.

by Nans gsd on 15 September 2019 - 19:09

Thank you emoryg what mg are you talking about, I am thinking low dose which is eco coated 81 mg's. One in AM and one PM with food was my thought. Just want something to fall back on if needed; am using supplements now but how long will they help my guy?? also no pain med's in the supplement.

by Nans gsd on 15 September 2019 - 19:09

thank you for all the info above and will look into every option, so no one used Adequin??





 


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