Arthritis help for my poor old collie.

[selwynsmith]

To cut a very long story short, Bryn is 12 yr old border collie with addisons disease. which means he can't take any medication for pain relief from his arthritis. Can anyone recomend a natural remedy that works that might help my poor old boy. Any suggestions would be gratefully received. Thankyou.

Have had two collie crosses both suffer from arthritus and now our mutt does too - all have been on glucosamine chondroitin which you can get at exorbitant prices from the vets or more cheaply on the internet - current dog ison something called 'flexipaws' - vet approves. The vet also said it might be worth trying a magnetic collar when I last took dog for a check up as some people find that they do help.

(Btw, often takes several weeks for it to start working - up to 3 months - but we've seen a significant improvement in all 3 dogs we've tried it with as long as we stuck at it)

My collie boy is almost 13 yrs and suffers from cushings disease as well as stiff joints. He has an orthopedic dog bed as well as well as a special vet bed fleece for older dogs which is supposed to help ease the discomfort.

Mistlethrush - I have been using Joint Aid at great expense with little result so thanks for the tip re the glucosamine chondroitin .

We give ours the glucosamine/chondroitin supplement as well, and cod liver oil can be helpful for keeping the joints supple.

I assume your boy can't have the anti-inflammatory injections (Cartrophen)? Can he not have any medication at all?

We have a very elderly collie girl (14) who suffers arthritis and spondilitis of the spine. What has helped her tremendously is a thick heavy duty memory foam dog bed on top of a heavy duty dog mattress. Both bought at Pets at Home for a total of about £50. The difference it has made for her is obvious, especially as the memory foam stays warm underneath her joints.

Thankyou to all who have replied.
Ephiny because of Addisons Desiease which is similar but at the other end of the scale to cushings he can't have any steroidal or non steroidal pain killers. He has half a tin of oily fish Mackeral or Sardines in the evening. His food has glucosamine in, but maybe I should try some tablets.
I've had lots of dog walkers tell me theyve heard that various thing are good, from green lipped mussels, stinging nettle capsules, paracetamol cod, liver oil, royal jelly I thouht if I asked a larger group of people who could say they had tried something and it works, I would have more confidence and not feel I was throwing my money away.
Thankyou All.

After researching natural supplements for my arthritic dog, I use G&C, Green lipped mussel, Devil's claw (a natural anti-inflammatory) and a magnetic collar. He is a different dog now, but as I started all the treatments at once, I don't know if it is just one that works, or a combination of them. Something has caused a real improvement, though. I thought the magnetic collar sounded a bit woo woo, but they are very well spoken of online. (ebay may sell fakes, though. i got mine from bioflow website.)

tabby - am thinking of getting a collar to see if it will help - approximately what sort of cost are we talking about?

Talk to the vet about getting Tramadol, an opiod based pain relief, not an anti-inflammatory.

I can second Green Lipped Mussels, you can buy from Boots. I used to get mine when they were on "3 for 2". Worked wonders on Bulldog, who I gave 2 capsules a day.

We have an elderly greyhound bitch with arthritis. I'd go back to the vet, and ask to have a specific consultation regarding pain relief, if necessary asking for a specialist consultation. Other things which we find help are making sure that dog beds are warm, extra comfortable not just in the house but in the car too so travelling is as smooth as possible. Warmth is particularly important - the cold always makes our dear old girl sieze up. Consider a coat for cold nights or cold walks. Make sure no excess weight on joints. Sounds as though you've covered diet. What we are also looking at is hydrotherapy. Again, discuss carefully with your vet, as to its appropriateness in your case - many places will accept referrals, and can be covered by your insurance - worth looking into. With any arthritis, it's so important to manage the whole package as there's no cure, so pain relief, diet, weight, temperature, environment and maintaining as much movement in the joint and mimimising muscle wastage are the key things. Getting the pain relief right will have a huge impact on your dog's quality of life.

Are there any vet acupuncturists in your area?

Sorry to hear about your dog. Try Yumove, which ours have been on for nearly a year. (Google and have a look at the details.) If you email them they're extremely helpful regarding dose etc. etc. My dog is on Tramadol, Gabapentin and Onsior too, POM from the vet.

Ask your vet about cartrophen injections for your dog - they work a treat for ours. She has them once a month. PetPlan pays for them I'm not sure if they are classified as NSAIDs or not - I THINK not, but worth checking ... good luck

Thankyou everyone for your input. I have to see vet to take lung worm sample, (the things you find yourself doing with a test tube!) So will quiz him, do lots of googling on your advice and let you know what we do and it's affect. Thankyou again.
X

bioflow collar was about £25, selwyn.

Our old Lurcher has been having accupuncture for the last few months for his arthritis - and the difference is amazing!

Hi my border collie bitch Skye is 7 and has arthritis in her right back hip which started in March this year, she was firstly given the injections once a week for 4 weeks which helped her but only lasted a few weeks. I took Skye back to the vets and she was given NSAID first metacam, rimadyl then onsior, all upset Skye. The vet then gave her tramadol and said see how you go with that. Frustrated and sad for my beloved Skye i sat and surfed the internet for answers. I came across Winstons Joint System and a £60 for 30 days of tablets was reluctant. However, I ordered these pills and Skye has been on them 7 weeks and she has improved. Skye no longer struggles to raise up, but if she has had a long walk she does sometimes hold her right hind leg off of the floor when stood. We also bought Skye a memory foam bed and fleese over blancket again all helped. I am curious about the magnetic collars as wondered if this would also help as winter is only around the corner and arthritis is always worse in the colder months. I would love to hear from anyone who also has used magnetic collars.
amanda

We use the Ortocanis all natural anti-inflammatory with Devil's Claw and Yucca for my dog who has arthritis. Could help! No medicine or drugs so should be okay for your pup.

My 9 year old sheltie has developed arthritis and we have had her on Seraquin which is a Glucasomine and chrondroitin supplement. Started on a 2g tablet daily for 6 weeks and now onto a maintenance dose.

We have noticed an amazing improvement- she has gone from quite stiff with a bit of a limp every time she gets up, to a sprightly bouncy pooch.

I have had dogs on Cartrophen www.cartrophen.com/dog_owners_what_is_cartrophen_vet.html It is apparently helpful in about 80% of dogs. The side effects are minimal and it works in a different way to Anti-inflamitories and you can use other supplements as well. Our dogs did well on it. One of them was diagnosed with crap hips and potential arthritis when she was about 3. We lost her aged about 18 through old age. Cartrophen is an alternative to anti-inflamatories and a course of treatment from your vet shouldn't be expensive.

Synoquin. My dog has elbow dysplasia and this has worked wonders, it's the only thing she takes