Aging pet

[Hudson_Hawk]

I think our dog might have arthritis. He''s a 13 year old chow chow who has never had mobility or hip problems in the past. He''s one of the happiest, sweetest animals I''ve met. I just came into his life a little over a year ago but I''m already his "mommy". I''ve noticed that he''s been a little moody and lethargic this week, FI is in Seattle for work and I just figured Piju was mad because we were gone all weekend and then FI left again. But I think it''s more than just separation anxiety. This morning, when I let him in the house from his morning potty-run, he had trouble getting up the back stairs, like he couldn''t get his back legs to work. Once he got them under himself again, I noticed that he was favoring one leg over the other as he went up the rest of the stairs and was limping a bit around the house. I''m thinking he''s started to develop arthritis and his joints are bothering him. I also think it might be time to invest in puppy insurance (we haven''t spoken to the vet about this yet). Do any of you have it? What company do you use? Are there any at-home remedies for his pain and stiffness? I don''t want to resort to medication unless I absolutely have to, but I don''t want him in pain either. I''m so sad

 

[Lorelei]

Firstly, I would take him to the vet for a firm diagnosis regarding the stiffness, hind leg weakness etc. There could be other reasons, or he may have injured himself. However arthritis is a possibility especially at his age, but there is a lot that can be done to improve his quality of life and keep him comfortable. First thing you might need to address is his weight, if he is overweight that will be putting a lot of extra strain on his joints, but your vet can advise if this is the case. Various home remedies are thought to be helpful by some, such as cod liver oil, glucosamine supplements etc, you may need to do some research and trial and error.

Hang in there and keep us posted!

 

[door knob solitaire]

Agreed Vet visit immediately!!

Your pup could have something as simple as something lodged in the paw...and torn toe nail, and cut in the fur that you can''t see...the symptom may be an effect of the issue and not the cause. Don''t fret until the vet checks it. But go immediately. Your baby can''t tell you it hurts...

It could just be swollen and needs a antiinflammatory.

I would not allow the dog to navigate any steps. You can really make the injury worst.

DKS

 

[bee*]

Date: 10/4/2007 8:59:26 AM
Author: Lorelei
Firstly, I would take him to the vet for a firm diagnosis regarding the stiffness, hind leg weakness etc. There could be other reasons, or he may have injured himself. However arthritis is a possibility especially at his age, but there is a lot that can be done to improve his quality of life and keep him comfortable. First thing you might need to address is his weight, if he is overweight that will be putting a lot of extra strain on his joints, but your vet can advise if this is the case. Various home remedies are thought to be helpful by some, such as cod liver oil, glucosamine supplements etc, you may need to do some research and trial and error.


Hang in there and keep us posted!

Agree with all this. Take him to the vet first off for a check up just to make sure that it is stiffness and not something else. IF it is arthritis, if he''s overweight, keep his weight down as that can make them improve a huge amount. In Ireland, there''s a medication called arthri-aid, which is a glucosamine supplement and metacam which is a pain killer. Both of those can be put in the food and the improvement is unreal when they''ve been on those two.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thanks everyone. I spoke with the vet yesterday over the phone and she said that from the symptoms I described it definitely sounded like arthritis. The good news is that he''s not overweight so we wont have that struggle, we''re going to start giving him glucosamine supplements as it doesn''t seem to be a constant issue that needs to be treated with anit-inflammatories at this stage.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/5/2007 8:36:59 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Thanks everyone. I spoke with the vet yesterday over the phone and she said that from the symptoms I described it definitely sounded like arthritis. The good news is that he''s not overweight so we wont have that struggle, we''re going to start giving him glucosamine supplements as it doesn''t seem to be a constant issue that needs to be treated with anit-inflammatories at this stage.

Couldn''t she fit him in for an exam? I know it probably is arthritis, I would just be concerned in case he had an illness causing hind leg weakness or he had injured himself. How is he now - as you mentioned he was also moody and lethargic in your first post?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

She said to wait and watch him over the next week or so to see if it continued or was just a one time thing--I checked his leg and paws for cuts, abrasions, and swelling and didn''t find anything. She said that she didn''t like to prescribe meds unless she absolutely had to, especially in this instance where the dog is elderly but still active.

FI is now home and puppy is happy as pie, hopping up and down (he doesn''t jump) and trotting all around the house showing us his toys. He''s eating and drinking well also.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/5/2007 9:08:24 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
She said to wait and watch him over the next week or so to see if it continued or was just a one time thing--I checked his leg and paws for cuts, abrasions, and swelling and didn't find anything. She said that she didn't like to prescribe meds unless she absolutely had to, especially in this instance where the dog is elderly but still active.

FI is now home and puppy is happy as pie, hopping up and down (he doesn't jump) and trotting all around the house showing us his toys. He's eating and drinking well also.

That is excellent news! I would say too, look at the recommendations Bee gave you and similar with the supplements containing glucosamine / chondroitin etc, but don't try everything at once. Choose your supplement, then stick with it for a while to see if it helps, if not - then move onto another one, to give each the best chance. Also you can look into other alternative remedies such as cider vinegar, cod liver oil etc.