My vet discovered “substantial” arthritis in the back and hips of my dog. He’s a 10 year old border collie/lab (guessing) who is still super fit. He’s about 45lbs and gets around well but my vet says I shouldn’t wait til he shows me he’s hurting to take action so he suggested to get him on this regiment.
Are there any potentially negative side effects I should be aware of?
Rimadyl can be pretty hard on the gut and liver. I wouldn’t start an NSAID until the dog indicated he was starting to feel it, slowing down, harder time getting up/down, limping esp after resting.
However, Adequan and a GOOD oral joint supplement I would absolutely start now. Look into Dasaquin, it has a natural antiinflammatory in it and many clients have had good success. I’d also look into acupuncture if it’s available near you. Wonderful results for so many dogs and literally no risks/contraindications.
I believe he mentioned Dasaquin as well. There was so much going on (dog had a malignant mass removed, non aggressive so he is now “healed”) that i was much more focused on the present moment than figuring out a joint supplement plan for the future.
Are Adequan and Dasaquin used together? Is on given subcutaneously? I know we touched on one that was. I just want to do a bit of research on my own before meeting up with the vet again. I’m so glad that I seem to have a healthy dog back.
Adequan can be given subq or in the muscle. It also seems to have the most benefit when given with an oral supplement. I would do the loading dose of both for a month and then go to maintence.
What kind of malignancy did he have removed? There are a few types that might change the “ideal” plan I would make for my dog in similar situations.
Use NSAIDs with caution. Bloodwork should be monitored. Some dogs handle it great, some don’t.
For my almost 15 yr old arthritic dog, I use Adaquan SQ, fish oil, an oral joint supplement, and Tramadol. I keep the carprofen on hand if she has a rough day…like wrestling too much with the puppy. Then she might get 50 mg of it once or twice a week. She also stays on Pepcid.
I too would wait until you start seeing signs of slowing down before starting an NSAID, it can be hard on their tummies especially. Adequan is great, I’ve never used it in a dog personally, but it works wonders for my horse. I would recommend an MSM/chondroitin supplement over glucosamine, there’s studies that show glucosamine doesn’t have much effect on dogs; Skeptvet has a good article on that. If you do want to do one w all three I’m sure it couldn’t hurt, I would just definitely make sure there’s the MSM and chondroitin in there as well. As mentioned, fish oil is good too.
Best of luck.
Another that agrees with do in Adequan now and an oral supplement like msm,chondroitin sulfate. They can also do Shockwave therapy on dogs. Rimady or previcox or other nsaids can be helpful when other things don’t keep him comfortable.
Just bumping this up for any additional thoughts or experience. Am heading to vet thursday to discuss options for dog starting to show discomfort.
My dog has disc/back problems, then had an issue with his leg he had surgery on (probably arthritis). Snoopy has Robaxin and prednisone for back/disc.
I was used to using Rimadyl, but vet prescribed something else I can’t think of the name. He said it’s like Rimadyl, but not. But he did mention he can’t have the Prednisone and Robaxin at the same time as the other med.
How did vet discover the arthritis? X-ray, physical response to exam?
Rimadyl is one of several NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories) used for arthritis in dogs. They lessen pain by reducing inflammation, similar to Prednisone (and as someone already said, you can’t give pred to a dog who’s taking an NSAID). Even if your dog isn’t showing pain, it may be worth starting an NSAID now, as the reduction of inflammation also delays the progression of the disease. When my dog was just starting to show symptoms (slipping going up steps sometimes, for example), the vet said we could use the NSAID on an as-needed basis.
The NSAIDs are scary because they’re strong, and can have negative effects as well as positive ones. It’s recommended that you watch for signs of stomach upset - vomiting, diarhea, etc - while they’re on it, and that you do blood work after an initial period, to make sure it’s not causing trouble. Giving an NSAID does carry some risk, as with any medication. The risk is generally considered acceptable when the reason for giving it is a disease as relentless and crippling as arthritis.
The three most common NSAIDs are probably Rimadyl (aka carprofen), Metacam (aka meloxicam) and Deramax (deracoxib). They work the same way, but a dog can respond differently to each, so if one doesn’t seem to work, or seems to produce a negative response, you can try another. My dog’s been on all three - Deramax worked beautifully, then the maker had a production shortage and we switched to Metacam. She reacted poorly to that (saw sudden uncontrolled urination) so we switched to Rimadyl. She’s done well on that.
Things like Amantadine and Gabapentin can be added to the NSAID as the arthritis progresses; they seem to both enhance the NSAID’s effectiveness and provide some pain relief themselves. Painkillers like Tramadol are also added at that point.
I don’t know much about Adequan. We tried one course of it, and it did seem to have a positive effect. It seems to be something you do early, before the symptoms become severe, so it might be nice for your dog.
Other ideas would be a high-quality fish oil (omega-3 fatty acid), and massage.
Just to update, I started him on a loading dose of Adequan. 2 shots in, and there is a difference in attitude and gait. He had been tracking very narrowly behind and is now back to body width apart.
I had blood drawn and everything looked good prior to starting. The vet and I had a good discussion about pain management vs joint maintenance. He initially suggested that I try the rymadyl first, but said we could do either one. My thought was that if the dog could be made more comfortable with the Adequan, less painkillers and NSAIDS would be needed. My vet generally agreed but said not to forget that the Adequan is not really pain management.
As far as how the arthritis was discovered, it was via x Ray.
My soon to be 11 year old agility dog is about the same weight as your dog and he’s been on Adequan for about 2 years now and it’s made a huge difference. He gets 1 ML a month subQ and then he also gets an oral supplement. Then he will get Metacam on show days when he gets home. All of that keeps him happy, healthy and supple. Along with regular chiro work and massages.
My dog did great on Adequan and Cosequin. We only gave NSAIDs when needed.
Glad to hear your dog is all healed form the tumor and doing well on the new meds.
My dog gets a shot of Adequan every week. We’ve been giving it to her for about 5 years. The vet says she can have it weekly with no harmful effects. It used to be monthly, then every three weeks, every two, you get the idea. I buy it from my horse vet because that way it’s only $50 a vial versus $95 from the small animal vet.
She has also been on Rimadyl about that long. She gets blood work done every six months. So far, so good. It’s really keeping her going. She has terrible hip dysplaysia.
Any thoughts about adding another supplement/painkiller/NSAID?
I like meta cam over rimadyl simply because dosing is easier. You can give lower doses easier as its a liquid. For some dogs who are “kinda ouchy” sometimes even a quarter dose of metacam does the trick.
Rimadyl, previox and dermax are also excellent NSAIDs and usually vets will keep just one or two in stock depending on promotions or cost/ease of stocking.
My go-to regime is Adequan, Cosaquin/Dasaquin and an NSAID as needed. Each dog responds differently to different NSAIDs, so I’m a big fan of using what works. I like Deramaxx and Rimadyl, but there is supposedly a new NSAID coming out with even lower risk of side effects that I would check into. I also really like a herbal product my acupuncturist recommended called Body Sore, it’s like an NSAID but safer and less risks. Worked pretty well for my old girl for years.
This dog has no obvious limp, isn’t slow to get up, jumps up into an F350 from the ground, but my vet insists he’s faking me out.
As I mentioned, I noticed him tracking narrower behind and after seeing xrays, came to terms with that, and now see that his conformation is changing. His front end is much more substantial than his hind end, and while he’s not atrophied yet, this is compensation. He’s also lost 7lbs in the last 5 years (47lbs to 40lbs last week).
I’d prefer to minimize potential side effects, but want to make him as comfortable and happy as I can.
Rimadyl has quite literally taken years off my doberman life. In a good way. A year ago we had x-rays done because he could barely walk, if he laid down he was limping, none weight bearing on a back leg. It was terrible. He was constantly in pain and we were considering options.
I regularly get asked if he is under 5. He runs for our entire 45 min walks. I think I have seen him limp twice this year. His muscles that atrophied came back.
He takes the chewable tablet no issues. At his age he is getting blood work done every 3 mths. His liver counts are slightly elevated but better then the alternative.
[QUOTE=AliCat;8642292]
As I mentioned, I noticed him tracking narrower behind and after seeing xrays, came to terms with that, and now see that his conformation is changing. His front end is much more substantial than his hind end, and while he’s not atrophied yet, this is compensation. He’s also lost 7lbs in the last 5 years (47lbs to 40lbs last week).I’d prefer to minimize potential side effects, but want to make him as comfortable and happy as I can.[/QUOTE]
That’s similar to my dog - the hips got hit first, hence the bunny hop going up stairs that was my first hint of a problem. When you have a stubborn, active dog, they can and will mask their discomfort for a very long time. The side effects of arthritis drugs are worrying, but arthritis is in its way as ugly a killer as cancer and I think it’s worth some degree of drug-related risk to aggressively counter-attack it in the early stages. You can’t cure arthritis, but you can delay it and one way is by giving drugs that reduce the inflammation that allows it to progress.
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