Natural pain relief for dogs

[Family143]

I hope someone can offer recommendations. Apologies in advance for the long post but I want to give as much information as possible.

I have an 11 year old Irish setter who has arthritis but also (and always has had) a very sensitive stomach. He has hydrotherapy every 10 to 14 days which is due to commence again this week, after reopening following lockdown. I have tried him on Yumove 360 bit it irritated his stomach so I tried Yumove advance as it has less active ingredients and again it caused stomach issues. There are so many supplements out there but after googling I found, and I hope it's correct, that two particular ingredients are key, Glucosamine and Chondroitin so I give him a supplement which contains purely this and it hasn't affected his stomach. He is also on a daily probiotic.

Some days he is stiffer than others but I have noticed he is licking his paws more which I know can be a sign he is in pain. He has tried three different NSAIDs in the past and he hasn't tolerated them and the stomach issues made him miserable. He is coping without and still going for walks but I think if I could find a natural pain killer that worked he would benefit. As with supplements there seem to be a lot on the market but I would really appreciate some recommendations.

Many thanks

I haven’t used any for pain but I have used some of CSJ supplements and found them good.
Vince the vet is also meant to be good.

Turmeric paste/golden paste is said to be good for inflammation and pain, the recipe is freely found on google though I have given it to mine before (for general health) and find that even small amounts make her exude an odour that only be described as cat piss.

There's lots other pain relief medications than NSAIDS which maybe tolerated better eg Galliprant, gabapentin, amantadine, paracetamol (vet needs to give correct dosage). Can get referral or vet advice from pain specialist for more tricky cases.

Problem with natural is that may or may not help plus can equally upset gut and usually take some build up time before get effect which isn't ideal if dog currently uncomfortable. If go with turmeric start very gradually as can cause digestive upset/dire rear.

CAM are a brilliant resource for owners of arthritc dogs.

caninearthritis.co.uk/
www.facebook.com/CAMarthritis/
Holly's Army
www.facebook.com/groups/2161091580843717/

Talks on Supplements
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL36es_JbeNrYNeDLGQnaNNvEyJ7bsUIF8&feature=share

Thank for all the information. I've got a consultation with the vet to talk things through.
Scattyhattie that makes sense about natural. The vet has only suggested NSAIDS so far although when he stopped them due to the stomach issues the vet said to give him paracetamol if he seemed uncomfortable but not to use it regularly.

Awww, Irish setters are the best not biased at all. Ask your vet about Cartrophen injections. Usually one a week for four weeks, then, if helpful, monthly or so. Also paracetamol can be used on an ongoing basis if it's helpful, 10mg/kg/day so probably half a standard 500mg tablet for a 25kg dog. Also look at foods like Hills j/d which incorporate the glucosamine, chondroitin, green-lipped mussel extract etc.

Thank you everyone for your help.
@villainousbroodmare thank you. I've got a phone consultation tomorrow so will mention the injections. They might well be the way forward. I agree and I'm completely biased - Irish setters are the best! Mine is a big boy at 43kg. Here here is along with drool 😬

43kg?? A big lad!

I just thought I would come back and update this thread on case it proves useful to anyone else.
As @villainousbroodmare suggested I talked to my vet about Cartrophen injections and she said we should definitely try them.
We'd already tried him on gabapentin spreviously and it affected his stomach but as he seems to be ok with paracetamol her advice was to try the injections and use paracetamol if he seemed stiff but to limit it to 3 or 4 times a week if possible.
The hydrotherapy centre is now open and he's been weekly, with his third one this week. He had his third hydrotherapy session today and has his third injection tomorrow and his need for paracetamol has decreased. He is much stronger on his back legs and seems much more sprightly.
Thank you for all your advice.

Please excuse the typos!

Great stuff! Pleased to hear he is doing better.

Your dog is beautiful!

Ah thank you @tillytown