Arthritus in 7 year old GSD

I'm not sure what I'm asking here to be truthful but just some words of advice I suppose.
I have a 7 1/2 year old GSD girl - she has hip dysplacia but up until a few months ago had no problems as such. She has now developed full blown arthritus in her back left leg. She is on Trocoxil (1 tablet a month) which is a new generation Metacan apparently. I have always given her glucosamine and she wears a magnetic collar. She has also had green mussel tabs which give her wind...not pleasant whilst I don't believe she is in any pain, when she walks or runs now her left leg is almost crossed in front of her right one and it looks as if it's not really doing anything much at all. I am certain one of these days it's going to completely let her down. It's awful to see her like this, very upsetting. I have just ordered some Devil's claw online and will see if that helps, but my question really is, is there anything that will help her leg strengthen up and recover in the smallest way or is this it now? She is still pretty mobile at the moment but I am worried for her future...has anyone got any suggestions please.....I have thought of water therapy but not sure it's available anywhere close to where I live and to be honest money is a factor......of course the insurance doesn't cover any of this...

Our eldest Boxer aged 8 in renal failure has a very sore arthritic hip. She couldnt weight bear, was lame & very stiff after sitting/lying. Now she is not stiff, she leaps about like a Boxer with her brother, jumps in & out of the car & is just great. A Boxer breeder told me about this product. She gets the full dose & a 500mg bag lasts approx 6 weeks. I buy it on eBay as its a bit cheaper

JointAid

http://www.gwfnutrition.co.uk/prod_c...taid/index.htm

I am so sorry to hear about your dog's problem NSGirl. The one thing I dread is for any dog I have to develop a 'painful' condition - don't mind anything that requires a lot of time and attention as long as they are not in pain. In fact I don't want anyone I like to be in pain!

Velvetboxers that sounds amazing. I hope NSGirl is able to source some and try it on her dog. eBay shouldn't be a problem in Spain.

Good luck.

Thanks you two - long time no speak eh? hope you're both okay. Have just had a quick look at that supplement and will go back and read it again. I have just ordered some Devil's claw online, her breeder has recommended that together with a friend who has rescue dogs and helps at a rescue so I am hoping they have good knowledge too. She'll rattle at this rate.... what with the green lipped mussel tabs she'll be like a walking rattling fart machine!! bless her.....and yes I have Ebay access here so will check it all out on there too. xxxx

Well your description of what your dog will turn into has made me laugh out loud!

And I now fancy some green lipped mussels too! Gawd why do I always fancy nice things to eat at about midnight?

Hi Gill, yes it's been a while but I thought I recognised your user name. I'm sorry to read about your lovely GSD and I do hope some of the things you are giving her and which you're looking at buying will work.

One of our two (Baruska) was 9 in March and is very old now and has always had medical problems we are not sure how long she will be with us but as you say if they are not in pain, are eating well, and can move around a bit then we will do all we can for her as you are doing for yours.

Sorry I can't recommend anything, we once had a lovely Labrador who suffered the same but that was a very long time ago and I can't remember what medication we gave her.

Hi NSgirl, we have missed you.

Really sorry to hear of your GSDs joint problems. Must be very worrying for you. What is her weight at the moment? Did your vet weigh her last time you visited? Obviously if she is overweight this will put more pressure on her joints.
I found this physiotherapist in Malaga who offers a variety of treatments including hydrotherapy, so may well be worth checking him out.

http://www.fisio-perros.es/fisioperr...rotherapy.html


This article provides a view that most pills (apart from anti inflamatories) and supplements don't really do much.

http://www.arthritisdogs.net/canine-...8217;t-work-2/

Trocoxil seems to be the current breakthrough drug for the treatment of joint conditions, so it seems she is on the right medication. But it suggests that you give it a break at 5 months, see below:

Info on Trocoxil
Trocoxil is a major breakthrough in the treatment of arthritis in dogs. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in the same class of drugs as Rimadyl, Metacam and Previcox but because of its very slow rate of elimination from the body it only needs to be given once a month!

After the initial dose of Trocoxil the second dose is given 14days later to ensure therapeutic levels are reached in the tissues. The dose is then given once a month for 5 more doses. It is then important to miss a month’s treatment before starting a new round of treatment. This is to ensure the level of drug does not accumulate to above therapeutic levels. In most dogs Trocoxil will continue to provide pain relief during this ‘month off’ period and extra pain relief is not needed. A few dogs however may need to have daily dosing with an alternative NSAID during this ‘month off’ period in order to stay pain free.

Hope this helps
Apache

Losos and Apache - sorry never did get the hang of the answering thing, but thank you so much for your postings. I will have a look at the hydrotherapy guy in Malaga for sure. Ailsa is a good weight and the vet is pleased with her, always has been in fact weightwise. One more thing should I restrict her exercise do you think or just leave her to do her own thing out in the garden as she pleases?

hydrotherapy is probably your best answer to be honest, all the meds will do is keep her pain free(which is good) but the hydrotherapy will strengthen the muscle around the joints helping to hold then in place.

The problem is, when they are sore on a particular leg, they stop using it as effectively as the other, this them allows the muscle to weaken, and exasperates the problem, due to the joints having no or little support.

Its a bit like putting a putting a plaster around the arm of your glasses to strengthen the loose screw.

Hope some of that helped.

She has lost a lot of muscle bless her. I'm going to look into the hydrtherapy, maybe if I mention I help out at a rescue then I might get a bit of a discount! can only try can't you. Thanks for the reply.