Arthritis is a 5 year old labs elbow and paw - suggestions alongside painkillers

[Marmitemyway]

My 5 year lab had an op on his elbow when he was 1 and intermittently he limps so about a year ago started having librela injections for the arthritis that was developing around that site. He has been on yumove senior for the last year and the regular yumove for a year before that. He is not over weight we keep him trim so not to make the situation worse as labs ,love food! for ages he wouldn't let you touch his paws but vet didn't seem too concerned when i flagged this as he wasn't having any visible trouble but more recently he started licking his paws and getting very vocal with growling if you tried to take a look (very unlike him). I took him back to vets again yesterday who said he has definately got arthritis in his paw and one toe particularly looks and feels (she muzzled him) very swollen around the joints so has given us previcox daily to take for the pain alongside the librela injections . My question is what else can i do for his diet/ lifestyle - i've ditched his ball action which he loved and lived for so now he just mooches on his park walk which he's getting used to and i keep to a walk of around 40 mins door to door. I read about turmeric being good - anyone tried ? the vet said all the other supplements will be in the yumove so no need for further omega oils etc but any idea on his regular food and changing this ? he has a mix of wet and dry as went off all dry! is it better to charge to the frozen foods i see at pets a home? somewhere i read about stem cell therapy - i'll do anything to make his life better. should i ask to be referred to a specialist rather than regular vet - i know it can't be cured and he's stoic and never wimpers with any pain but can't bear the thought he's in any pain and that it will only get worse

I don’t know of any supplements other than the ones you’ve tried. Hydrotherapy was a game changer for arthritis in the elbow and paw for my lab. I don’t know if it would work on the toe specifically. My insurance paid for a course and then I kept him topped up with monthly sessions. It was about the same cost as the meds and supplements I was buying.

I had to cut his walks down to 20 minutes three or four times a day too which he was not happy about.

Be careful if you change insurance companies I did this and didn’t realise (stupidly) that meant no future claims could be made for anything related to arthritis.

If you do try hydrotherapy make sure your dog likes the therapist/ pool. The first one we tried he hated and would not go in, despite him loving the sea and any water. We tried a different provider and he loved it.

You need to ask for a referral to a specialist ortho clinic. They will be able to advise better and there are a lot of things that can be done to improve quality of life. These clinics have huge experience of treating injuries in working and sports dogs and also treat pets.

Librela didn’t work sufficiently for my spaniel and he was still in pain so it’s possible the same is happening with your dog. He would also chew at his painful joints.

Mine is on a cocktail of gabapentin, paracetamol and Metacam every day which seems to be keeping on top of things. I am aware though that this combination isn’t something we can do long term. However he’s 13 now and it’s more important to keep his last remaining time as comfortable as possible.

@Alwaysoneoddsock i definately think hydrotherapy might help, good to hear that it helped your lab - how old was he when he started ?
@Newpeep i'm going to be asked to be referred to a specialist, my vet is part of a chain so hopefully that will help
anyone tried stem cell treatment which i have read about ?

Hi, he was six. It delayed the need for pain killers which was good because each combination of pain killers only seemed to last so long before they caused side effects.

all the info you need here CAM

@IngGenius thanks

Second https://caninearthritis.co.uk/ as a very helpful resource.
I can also recommend a referral to a specialist chronic pain management vet hospital provided you can afford ir or have insurance who will cover it. Three years ago my very old girl would not move from pain from arthritis. Local vet meds were nor enough. She had physio, laser treatments, acupuncture and a thorough review of drugs for pain management. Thanks to that she went back to a very good quality of life.
It’s only now it’s dropping down to good mostly fair but the specialist has given us three more good years. These days it’s mobilisation with a lot of sniffing and gentle enrichment with a lot of elderly dog snoozing. Hope you manage to find the right care plan to help your beloved dog.