Arthritis in dogs and adequan injections?

[mscho]

Excuse me if this has already been a topic, but my search function rarely works well for CoTH - although feel free to link if there is a helpful thread that I just suck at finding!

My senior brittany (who also happens to have diabetes insipidus) Has developed arthritis in his hips. He’s on a senior feed with a high glucosamine content, additional glucosamine/chondrotin/MSM and duralactin supplements. I’m currently looking into adequate injections as well. Other than the significant expense, which is not a major concern for us, has anyone had any experience with adequate injections? Other thoughts/help for arthritis maintenance? He’s a pretty active, happy guy otherwise and we’d like to keep him comfy and happy as long as possible!

Thanks in advance!

[Simkie]

I asked my vet for pentosan and found it very useful in my dog. Far cheaper than Adequan

[SquishTheBunny]

Adequan and Polyglycan tend to work very well on dogs. Catrophen (pentosan) is more hit and miss, but does work very well in cats. All are quite reasonable in price for arthritis management

[mscho]

Thanks! I’ll research it. Just starting down this road and trying to sponge in as much info as I can!

[mscho]

Squish (can I can you squish? ha- love the name btw), I see you’re also in Canada, is it safe to assume those are all available options in Canada? (maybe a dumb question but I HATE finding a great option only to find out that its not approved for use here!)

[jetsmom]

Adequan at the loading dose for a month worked really well for 2 of the dogs I tried it on.

[CrowneDragon]

I tried Adequan for my older guy with elbow and hip arthritis, and noticed no effect from the loading series. Disappointing.

[vacation1]

I will write a book because half my life is about canine arthritis management

I tried adequan injections last year, and it seemed to help a bit - the very slight morning limp vanished. We haven’t done it again as she had a quite scary arthritis flare and I went more aggressive with drugs and physical therapy, as her situation needed a more immediate, direct approach.

Drugs:

Rimadyl/Deramaxx (NSAIDs) - we all distrust them, but there comes a point when there is no life without them. And it’s probably better to start them before that point, even if just on an “as needed” basis, so a) you can treat the pain they’re having before they show it, and b) you can make sure your dog is ok on them. If a dog who, for instance, is showing issues with Rimadyl and needs to try Deramax, is in pain, the washout period between switching them is going to be hard on him.

Painkillers (opiates) - I also had to be dragged kicking and screaming to this, but now we’re doing regular Tramadol. Also can be added on an “as needed” basis.

Supplements

• there’s virtually no regulation on supplements, I would buy these from the vet. - there is little evidence that supplements work. They may work, they may not. I feel a bit silly saying this, as I’m regularly buying 2 for my dog.

Fish oil -specifically, omega-3 fish oil, may be good for the coat and the joints. I use Nordic Naturals, which our vet recommended.

https://www.nordicnaturals.com/en/General_Public/Products_for_Dogs_&_Cats/469

• Dasuqin (glucosamine/chondrotin) Dog has been taking these since she was 10, as a preventative, long before developing arthritis. Dunno if it helped.

Action
Exercise - I strongly suspect that the fairly late onset of my largish dog’s arthritis was due to the fact that when she was 10, I began taking her on long, easy walks in the woods. I didn’t do it intentionally to delay her arthritis, but it seemed to have had that effect.

Physical Therapy - since long walks in summer are out for my old and shaggy dog, we’re doing underwater treadmill in a/c comfort. It really helps keep her in better shape. Whenever we take a break - during this brutal winter cold, or when she had an infection - the difference in her stability is noticeable.

Decor

• nonslip rugs/mats
• raised dog bowls
• multiple water bowls
• quiet zone

I did all these only after an arthritis flare scared me badly. They probably needed doing earlier. The second water bowl is great - dog really prefers its location to her regular bowl in the kitchen and hydration is important for arthritis.

There are many other therapies - massage, accupunture, cold laser, stem cell, etc. I’ve tried some, unsure if they work. I figure the massage at least feels good There’s a good bit (though not too recent) at this vet blog that examines popular treatments and how proven they are (or aren’t).

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2013/06/american-academy-of-orthropaedic-surgeons-evidence-based-review-of-arthritis-treatments/

[mscho]

WOW! vacation1, Thank-you! I’m so sorry that you’re going through all of this, but I really appreciate the comprehensive answer!

I also am the no opiates/NSAIDs kicking and screaming type, as he has an existing kidney condition (sort of… normal creatnine levels, but that a whole other post) and I want to stay away from any serious pharmaceuticals as long as possible to avoid any chance of kidney stress.

I’ll switch out the water bowls asap and were already on the non-slip train.
He’s fairly early on in the prognosis - mostly stiffness and limping when he gets up. But he’s been a problem child so I want to be as proactive as possible. Fortunately (…or not), he’s a pretty active guy so regular walks and swims are a daily occurrence!

Thanks much for the website. I come from a science-based back ground and always appreciate a well researched, well referenced source! Often a lot of the alternative, new age business makes me shudder… which begrudgingly brings me to my next point…

RAW diets. I know theres a lot of ‘fluff’ around the RAW and BARF diets, but I like the option of limiting grains in his diet. Although he is on a very good quality kibble, and I worry that the high protein content may stress his kidneys. Any thoughts or experience with RAW and arthritis or is most of that just blowing sunshine where the sun don’t shine?

[khall]

This is what I have done, it may help it may not. I have a 9 yr old 95 lb bully mix who has bad genetics and we knew he would have issues. Bi-lateral stifle fix before he was 2 and bad elbow, hips thankfully ok. He has been on glucosamine/msm supplements since a young dog, upped it to HA Cosequin/Lubrisyn about 18 months ago, saw a difference for about a year, then added pentosan, again saw a difference but not totally sound. Tried adequate as a youngster did NOTHING. So put on NSAID just a few months ago meloxicam and he is totally sound. Only still doing the pentosan, but no other supplements.

I also have a 7 yr old lab/hound X with a terrible right hip, thankfully left is good. off and on lame when over done it for a year or so, then this year he became pretty lame. He is very active farm dog. New AVMA protocol for hip dysplasia is previcox after blood work and after so many months (6 I think) you can start to wean them back some and possibly can pull them off of it. I was facing FHO with this dog if not, that is how bad his hip is. Hip replacement is not an option, too much $. I have also tried acupuncture with both dogs, helped some but the NSAIDS have been the best answer for my two so far. Blood work on both dogs was good.

[SquishTheBunny]

[QUOTE=mscho;7673350]
Squish (can I can you squish? ha- love the name btw), I see you’re also in Canada, is it safe to assume those are all available options in Canada? (maybe a dumb question but I HATE finding a great option only to find out that its not approved for use here!)[/QUOTE]

Yes, all three are available in Canada. Cartrophen (Pentosan) has been used for YEARS up here, like 20+ I believe. Adequan and Polyglycan are newer but have also been around several years that most vets will have at least one on hand (or be able to get it in).

If your dog isn’t showing any major symptoms of arthritis, I would suggest adding something like cosequin to his daily regime.

The “big guns” with severe arthritis is NSAID + opioid + glucosamine (like cosequin) and injectable like adequan. PT, laser and acupuncture can also be helpful.

Start small, so if the arthritis advances you have somewhere to go. Most dogs with typical ageing arthritis do very well with minimal support such as adequan and or cosequin

[mvp]

FYI, a vet of mine said that Adequan and diabetes don’t mix, at least in cats.

Be sure to ask your vet. it would suck to create a diabetic crisis.

[Mara]

[QUOTE=mvp;7675079]
FYI, a vet of mine said that Adequan and diabetes don’t mix, at least in cats.

Be sure to ask your vet. it would suck to create a diabetic crisis.[/QUOTE]

My late cocker was diabetic and did just fine on Adequan.

ETA - I see OP’s dog has diabetes insipidus, which is different.

[mvp]

[QUOTE=Mara;7675285]
My late cocker was diabetic and did just fine on Adequan.

ETA - I see OP’s dog has diabetes insipidus, which is different.[/QUOTE]

Good to hear!

I do consider myself relatively clueless about drug interactions and the small animal world. Sorry to confuse you all.

[stolen_virtue]

I have a 14 year old Irish Wolfhound mix that is doing well on HA. I do sometimes get an adequan injection for her but the HA works well for her. She also gets flaxseed oil, vitamin E and a walk (not long) daily.

Hope things get better.

[Bristol_Bay]

[QUOTE=CrowneDragon;7673432]
I tried Adequan for my older guy with elbow and hip arthritis, and noticed no effect from the loading series. Disappointing.[/QUOTE]

Adequan has given my dog her life back. It took a couple of months, but one day we realized she had jumped on the bed, which she had not done for months. I was already buying it for my horse, so it was much cheaper that way.

Stick it out for a few months. And good luck!

[frisky]

I am another one who had to be drawn kicking and screaming into the nsaids camp. Rimadyl did not work for my dog and still scares me. We tried it, but it upset my dog’s stomach. I think the deramax worked but there were distribution problems at the time. Metacam gave my dog a quality life. It made a huge, huge difference. I only wish I had started the metacam sooner.

I also tried the whole supplement thing. I was determined that they would work, but they did not do a thing. Buy them if it makes you feel good, but ramp up to something else to help your dog.

I had a dog many years ago that I gave adequan. I even had to buy the stuff from my large vet because it wasn’t popular with the small vets. As I recall, she decided to get into more trouble again and we came to the conclusion the adequan made a difference.

[theblondejumper]

Hi everyone, just bumping this up for some advice.

About a month ago, my SO and I adopted a very sweet 12 year old, soon to be 13 year old rat terrier. She has brought so much joy to our lives in such a sweet time, I absolutely adore her.

In her foster home she was fed adult food and wasn’t very active leading to her to be slightly overweight (22 lbs).

Roughly two weeks ago we found out she likes to swim! She will swim on her own for roughly 10 minutes at a time. However, she slipped and fell on that first swimming venture – her left hip and it’s been bothering her ever since.

In the morning she is yips and yelps after a long night’s sleep. I’m currently feeding her Taste of the Wild, no treats, and a glucosamine supplement (500 mg).

At her last appointment the vet said that early in the day she could do longer walks (30 mins) and that she can swim as much as she’s willing.

We did discuss Adequan injections and I’m hesitant about them. I thought that giving her another month with walks and regular swimming may help a bit. But she’s been really yelping and favoring her left leg on a daily basis.

Suggestions on what to do?