kaye1234 Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 (edited) HI there iam new at this but i hope you can give me some advise my beautiful dog D'arcy has arthritis in his ankle i have been to the vet and there have given him pain killers he is only 7 years ld i would like to try something more natural than the pain killers so i was wondering if anyone could help me. He is on a diet he has to lose weight so im hoping this might him. He is 7 years old and he is a Brittany. ANYONE WITH ADVISE WOULD BE GREAT darcy1234 Edited September 22, 2004 by darcy1234 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toohey Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 This was discussed recently :rolleyes: If you do a search within this site, you will find a lot more information. Good luck. http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?showtopic=12956 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elise Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 I wouldn't recommend Rimadyl. Long term effects "can" be bad or even life threatening. You could try your baby on Cartrophen injections. I have found Cu-Algesic is very effective. You can also try Glucosamine and if you want something natural, you can buy gelatine from the supermarket which has natural glucosamine in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye1234 Posted September 21, 2004 Author Share Posted September 21, 2004 Elise thanks for your advise i also have heard bad things about Rimadyl i had to give D'arcy Rimadyl for 2 weeks i did not like to give him Rimadyl. I will try the gelatine he is still very very active he's never still i get tired before him. thanks darcy1234 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toohey Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 You can also try Glucosamine and if you want something natural, you can buy gelatine from the supermarket which has natural glucosamine in it. Can you explain why you would give something like gelatin instead of just outright glucosamine and chondroitin? Would there be any problems with giving this considering it is a swelling compound? Darcy did you read the link provided? You will see that Steve recommends adding glucosamine, aloe vera juice and apple cider vinegar to the diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye1234 Posted September 21, 2004 Author Share Posted September 21, 2004 Hi Toohey yes i did read the links provied by you i will try glucosmine and the aloe vera and the apple cider. Thank you darcy :woof: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elise Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 Can you explain why you would give something like gelatin instead of just outright glucosamine and chondroitin? Would there be any problems with giving this considering it is a swelling compound? YES Toohey, I will explain. Darcy said in her post i would like to try something more natural than the pain killers so i was wondering if anyone could help me. So, if it's natural she wants, gelatine has natural glucosamine in it. "Some" vets will actually ask you to try this first in "some" cases. A very good horse & dog chiropractor/manipulator swears by this. I have tried it with success. Due to the fact that gelatine does have a swelling compound, it will not hurt the bowels. It is actually used in such products as Metamucil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirajam Posted September 21, 2004 Share Posted September 21, 2004 In humans, the omega 3 'good oils' are great for arthritic changes and joint irritation - I've seen some people here also use these oils in their dog's diet. I've used flax seed oil (keep it in the fridge for best medicinal benefits, and only buy stuff that's been properly refridgerated) with fantastic results on mobility and pain due to a spinal fracture (mine ) Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dali-love Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 check on Vets All Natural for more info about shark cartilage and their joint formula. Have found that it works really good for my dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazz Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 There are many natural herbal alteratives you can try. - Devils claw, this is a herb which is great for arthritis - also is a 'picker upper' makes the dog feel comfortable and happy. Also anti-inflamatory - Glucosamine, another natural substance that helps motility - MSM - Also with any of the above you had add cod liver oil which also helps with arthritic conditions and works as an anti-inflamatory hope these help somewhat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazz Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Yes Apple cider vinegar is also good but remember to slowly increase the amount otherwise you might find your dog will not eat it's dinner because of the strong smell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim'sMum Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Can only add that Cartophren was wonderful with our last dog and I would consider it gave him at least 2 more years of pain free life. Glucosamine is good also. I only used Rimadyl towards the end of his 14 yrs but it was at the stage where I don't think anything would have helped much. I have seen a few dogs respond really well to Cartophren - wish they would introduce it for us 2-legged animals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest goldie_girl Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 I have some a powder formula called "Sasha's Blend" which I bought from my vet. I have a 13 yo JRT who was pretty stiff and used to trip up alot etc. He has been on it several months now and the improvement was noticeable within a week or so . It's not cheap (about $50 for 250gm) but they only need a little each day on their food so its been economical and certainly worth it. They have a website: www.sashasblend.com.au if you want more info. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozzie Posted September 25, 2004 Share Posted September 25, 2004 We use Sasha's blend on our 16 year old Labrador. She went from walking painfully slow to running after the GSD! She runs to the gate... about 150m down the drive when we come home after being out. The arthritic swellings have decreased noticably as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aatainc Posted September 26, 2004 Share Posted September 26, 2004 I have a generic alternative to sasha's blend here: it's glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate, MSM and green lipped mussel extract. For a 20-40kg dog, 2 month's supply costs only $12.20. You can even buy in bulk for better savings. I have changed from sasha's blend to this glucosamine plus and can't tell the difference - i.e - the dog is just as good as he was after starting sasha's blend in the first place. Honestly, I dont' know how they can justify the cost of that stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted September 26, 2004 Share Posted September 26, 2004 Rimadyl is a very useful drug that I think certainly has its place, particularly in the early and acute management of pain. Don't discount it entirely because of bad press from the US. Certainly investigate other treatments - there's plenty of options. Veterinary treatments include Cartrophen / Pentosan injections. Cosequin capsules and Sasha's blend. Waltham also produce a diet with a "Joint Support " formula that some of our patients do well on. Other things: - It's really important to get his weight down, often just this can lessen the clinical signs significantly - Regular gentle exercise on lead, try to avoid or limit activities with sudden changes of movement like ball chasing. - Raised beds, with a warm place to sleep - Certainly try some kind of joint supplement - glucosamine, MSM, fish oil capsules etc. Herron's Osteo-eze was recommended to use at uni and I've heard about some good results using that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye1234 Posted September 26, 2004 Author Share Posted September 26, 2004 I would like to thank everyone for there suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye1234 Posted September 26, 2004 Author Share Posted September 26, 2004 Hi Rappie. D'arcy was on Rimadyl for 2 weeks it did help him and my vet is very supportive he has lost weight he was 42 kilos he is down to 39kilos which iam very proud of him it was not easy i can tell you.Tryin to ingore them pleading eyes but i know it for his best he had pentosan injections also which helped him. I have tried sashas blend but i did not see any difference in him. I have ordered Cosequin so i will try these. He is walked on a lead for 30 min twice a day it was hard for him because he was used to running free for at least one hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted September 26, 2004 Share Posted September 26, 2004 Well, 3 kg down is a great effort! Sounds like you're doing well so far - just find the treatments that suit you best and stick with them . Don't forget stuff like acupuncture also.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aatainc Posted September 27, 2004 Share Posted September 27, 2004 39kg for a brittany???? WOW! He's still got about 19kilos left to shed - that's going to be a big effort but I wouldnt' be surprised if he's a totally different dog after losing it all. In fact, I wouldnt' be surprised if he has no signs of arthritis at all after losing all that - considering that he is more than obese. Just wondering - I honestly cannot get my head around this - but how did he get so large in the first place? Was it hard to tell that he was gradually putting weight on, or just a case of unable to resist him? Sometimes when puppy carers return their dogs to me as adults they are a little overweight. I dont' understand the sympathy feeding thing - I just look at them pleading at me and say "no, you're fat - you're not eating." And I stick by it - they eat nothing but one chicken wing a day and vegetables for a week or more until they're not fat anymore. Seriously, with a dog so overweight he is likely to have serious complications with heart, joint troubles etc. If I were you I'd be aiming for pretty rapid weight loss. I'd feed him as above - 1 chicken wing (raw) per day plus 1/2 cup vegies (not potatoe or corn or other starchy ones) and NOTHING else for at least a month! (vitamin supplements perhaps a good idea). Anyway, I know I'm sounding negative - I just abhor an overweight dog - they look so slow and sad. You have indeed done very well with 3 kg down. How long did that take overall? Keep it up and good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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