[Pepitopet]

My pets now over 11 years old and she's got arthritis. As I live in upstairs home it's difficult for her to go up and down the stairs. For now she can make it but over time it will get harder. Any tips for helping her go up and down? When we try to carry her it seems to hurt her more so we avoid that, unless it's an emergency. Maybe some sort of brace?
If anyone has had to deal with a similar situation please let me know.
Thanks

 

[RonE]

Talk to your vet about pain-relief meds. I keep some Gabapentin on hand and use it only when my senior lab/weim mix is having a particularly bad day. She also doesn't like being carried.

 

[Pepitopet]

Thanks for the response. Have you tried glucosamine or dasuquin, this was recommended by someone else?

 

[Dilly Bean]

Thanks for the response. Have you tried glucosamine or dasuquin, this was recommended by someone else?

Hi, were you able to get your dog any relief from a prescription or holistic treatment? My border collie is starting to show some early signs of arthritis. She is very slow to get up off the floor, or off whatever bed/chair/couch she is on. Once she is up and moving she is ok, but you can see her trembling a little while she is getting all the joints working again. I hate giving my babies prescription/traditional meds, I go the holistic route whenever possible. I've had people recommend Flax Seed Oil, but there seems to be a question on how to give it to them so it's most effective. Anyway, I would appreciate any first hand knowledge you have. Thanks!

 

[Doglight]

New Zealand green lipped mussel extract works, I'm embarrassed to say, like a miracle for chronic joint inflammation and pain. My dog Benny was hit by a vehicle sometime before I met him, leaving his hips seriously damaged, and the difference taking NZGLM extract is like night and day. There are various brands out there. Benny is 18 kilograms (39.7 lbs) and currently takes one 500 mg capsule of Swanson brand every morning at breakfast. He has taken NZGLM for six years now. Really amazing stuff.

^ Benny Dog

 

[storyist]

There are a lot of supplements that can help with arthritis, but I think ones that work for a particular dog - or human - can be trial and error. For instance, glucosamine/chondroitin did wonders for me and fast, but I know people it had no effect on. I've used Cosequin for my dogs and seen benefit. I have a girl now with moderately dysplastic hips and she gets Cosequin and Adequan shots. IMO it's the Adequan which makes the biggest difference, but unless you can get the it through a prescription from your vet and give sub-cutaneous shots yourself, it's extremely expensive. Of course my girl is 85 pounds and a smaller dog wouldn't need as large a dose, which would reduce cost.

I've never heard of flax oil having any beneficial effect, but have heard people say fish oil helps. Never seen or experienced any anti-arthritic effect with it.

I'd start by trying a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement for a couple months and see if it helps. If not, try something else. As to helping up stairs, a towel under the back end that enables you to give some support and even lift a little can help. I've got some devices like that but with handles that vets supplied after surgery. Maybe you can get one from your vet. Don't know where you could buy one.

Since a lot of anti-inflammatories and pain relievers can have detrimental effects to liver and kidneys with long-term use, I try to avoid them until nothing else gives relief. At some point relieving pain now matters more than long-term effects with senior dogs.

 

[Sanne]

I second Green Lipped Mussel Powder. My boyfriend's dog has terrible arthritis, she used to limp for small amounts of time almost daily. She was on a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement which helped but only for a short while. After about 6 months, she was back to daily limping and refused to go on walks. Poor dog would would run in the opposite direction when we would open the front door, leash in hand, She has been on the GLM for a few years now and I am happy to say she still walks with us to this day. Not as long of walks when she was younger of course, but now she really only limps if she tries to jump too far and does not stick the landing right. Great stuff and it's cheap. Doesn't hurt to try.

We do keep aspirin around that her vet gave us, for days when she is just really sore. With the GLM she doesn't have bad enough days to warrant the aspirin very often though. We are talking less than once a month.

 

[Dilly Bean]

There are a lot of supplements that can help with arthritis, but I think ones that work for a particular dog - or human - can be trial and error. For instance, glucosamine/chondroitin did wonders for me and fast, but I know people it had no effect on. I've used Cosequin for my dogs and seen benefit. I have a girl now with moderately dysplastic hips and she gets Cosequin and Adequan shots. IMO it's the Adequan which makes the biggest difference, but unless you can get the it through a prescription from your vet and give sub-cutaneous shots yourself, it's extremely expensive. Of course my girl is 85 pounds and a smaller dog wouldn't need as large a dose, which would reduce cost.

I've never heard of flax oil having any beneficial effect, but have heard people say fish oil helps. Never seen or experienced any anti-arthritic effect with it.

I'd start by trying a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement for a couple months and see if it helps. If not, try something else. As to helping up stairs, a towel under the back end that enables you to give some support and even lift a little can help. I've got some devices like that but with handles that vets supplied after surgery. Maybe you can get one from your vet. Don't know where you could buy one.

Since a lot of anti-inflammatories and pain relievers can have detrimental effects to liver and kidneys with long-term use, I try to avoid them until nothing else gives relief. At some point relieving pain now matters more than long-term effects with senior dogs.

It’s funny you mentioned the flax oil. I was talking to a friend this morning, and she mentioned flax seed oil. She gave it to a few of her older dogs (retired K9 dogs) and had really good effects from it. She mainly used it for arthritis but said it helped with some other issues as well. I’ve started looking into it but there is a lot of information out there. Has anyone actually tried the flax seed oil? Or know someone who did?

 

[storyist]

Good to know about green lipped mussel powder. I keep a list of things to try as my girl ages and the arthritis inevitably progresses.

One thing I forgot to mention is that no one should count on foods or treats that are promoted as having glucosamine in them. They have it, but if you do the math, they don't have enough to do any good.

The only thing I know about flaxseed oil is that a lot of sources say it shouldn't be used as a source of omega fatty acids for dogs because they don't absorb omegas from plant-based oils well.

 

[Dilly Bean]

Good to know about green lipped mussel powder. I keep a list of things to try as my girl ages and the arthritis inevitably progresses.

One thing I forgot to mention is that no one should count on foods or treats that are promoted as having glucosamine in them. They have it, but if you do the math, they don't have enough to do any good.

The only thing I know about flaxseed oil is that a lot of sources say it shouldn't be used as a source of omega fatty acids for dogs because they don't absorb omegas from plant-based oils well.

I was up til 230 this morning doing some research. I had heard about a program by Johanna Budwig, who I had heard of but never really knew exactly what her research was. She developed a method of "changing" flax seed oil so that it is water soluble and is absorbed into the system. There is some data showing it works on humans, but the company I found only makes products for dogs. It's called Buddy Custard www.buddycustard.com. The product is made of 4 ingredients; cottage cheese, flax seed oil, stevia and peanut butter flavoring. They also have an "original" formula that does not have the peanut butter flavoring. I ordered some, no matter what it won't hurt her, and it actually has shown to help with other ailments as well. There is a ton of information about Budwig, her trials, results, scientific data on the website that's really interesting. I emailed the owner and asked him some questions - I will be happy to post more information here as I get it.

 

[nick86hayes]

Arthritis is the biggest cause of chronic pain for dogs. I would suggest to try out herbal remedies (Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM) for your furry friend along with the regular exercise. This will definitely help to relieve the joint pain, soreness, protect from long term damage, and help your dog stay healthy and active.