I have a 14 year old senior yellow Labrador retriever who has arthritis. She can still get around okay as far as basic functioning to go outside and move around the house. But, I can't take her for walks because it exacerbates her issues. These issues include involuntary muscle spasms and heavier-than-normal limping. One morning...she couldn't stand up and I thought that may be it for her. But, after I carried her outside, she got up and walking again. I've been treating her with a joint health supplement Cosequin (Glucosamine, MSM) and I am giving her the prescribed NSAID Previcox for pain and inflammation. I assume these are working at some level but it's hard to tell to what extent. The one morning when she couldn't get up...I hadn't given her a Previcox pill for a few days. So, that may have been why she couldn't get up. Also, aside from her being slow to get up and slower moving around, it's hard to tell whether she is in pain. Sometimes she will pant...which I assume is one form of exhibiting pain. But, it's not like she cries out loud or anything. She is also slow to lie down and get up. Occasionally, she falls down when trying to get off the sofa or on slippery surfaces. Do any of you have any experience with arthritis in dogs and could share your treatments? One thing I am truly interested in is CBD treatments. However, being in Texas, I'm not clear on how to obtain CBD for canines. For example, if you look on Chewy, then they sell hemp oil type stuff but not CBD. I assume it's a legal issue. I suppose I could go to one of these CBD shops popping up but that seems like a gamble...especially since it's basically unregulated as far as what you get. Anyone ever tried CBD treats or oils in their dogs for arthritis or otherwise? Another option I was thinking about checking out is Adequan...which is basically injections. People have said good things about this. I would like to be able to walk my dog again even short distances but not when it makes her worse off like it has. For now, I just settle for taking her out front off leash and letting her just do her own thing at her own pace...until she is ready to come back in. She's such a sweet dog and I've become really attached to her. This was my parents dog up until a year ago when they could no longer care for it due to being unable to care for themselves. Thanks for any input!
Do you feed kibble? Would you be open to changing her diet to raw? There are a lot of benefits to raw including alleviating arthritis. I don't know if it's too late though. Fourteen years is a damn good run for a lab.
Sorry to say but at 14yrs on a golden retriever, not a lot is going to help. My friend just put his down and I cried with him, thinking back when I had to put my other dogs down(not golden retrievers). All I can suggest is letting her soak up as much as sun as possible. The heat and being able to lay out in the sun helps tremendously for older dogs. I feel bad for her and you and any older dog that has to go through this.
She has been eating Blue Buffalo dry dog food most or all of her life. Right now, she eats the Adult Chicken and Brown Rice Healthy Weight formula. I add about a 1/4 cup of green beans and chicken or beef broth to stimulate her taste buds. She only eats it dry in the morning. Yea...she does alright for her age considering she is a big breed dog. She’s around 80 pounds in weight...not fat at all. It is not like she is miserable or anything. She is chill and low key. We have fun play fighting, playing with the squeaky toy, and barking at each other. I just wish she could walk better. She has had a good life.
CBD for dogs is a thing. Not sure whether it works or not for dogs (or people for that matter) but there are people who claim it does. Worst case, you end up with a dog who looks like this: I dont think it will hurt anything but your wallet to try.
maybe switch to Rimadyl?? but then you did say you didn't give Previcox for two days to her. I'm confident NSAID's help, but everyday. At age 14, ask your vet about steroids, too. They give them puppy-energy again. It's amazing. You'll be shocked by their response. But ofc, side effects. Ask your vet. My vet had the discussion with me that at some point in age, he does believe Pain Management trumps the Side Effects. as for CBD, I foster dogs in Colorado now. CBD makes them sleepy, fwiw. We use this on first day of fostering, if they're on edge from the long transport from Houston. It's like giving them a Benadryl.
I went through the same many years ago and gave my dog Rimadyl on the bad days. She probably would have done better had I gave it to her regularly, but I was concerned about the side effects. If nothing else, get the dog a good soft bed. They're cheap. If she has multiple spots where she lays, get her multiple beds. Any cushioning is better than none. Just make sure the bed is stable and doesn't slip out from under her as she gets up, for obvious reasons. Avoid long walks and jumping in particular (in/out of bed, off of furniture, etc.), but keep her as active as possible--not just for her joints but for her quality of life in general. Diet can play a huge role in arthritis. The question is, what do you give a dog? Most pet foods are loaded with cheap fillers and red meats can exacerbate her inflammation. I haven't thought about it in quite a while, but that's one area I would seriously look into. I'm sure the books they have today are much better than what was available years ago. Fish oil and CBD are things I would also check into (and CBD's cousin THC, if you can get your hands on it). Fish oil especially, but you'll have to give it time to work. Don't expect an overnight improvement with it. It's a battle you're going to lose someday, but hopefully you can improve her quality of life.
My dog is 13 and I give her CBD tincture sometimes. She has arthritis on her back. Got her a Purple dog bed too. Vet told me the Glucosamine Hydrochloride is a good supplement. Costco sells Cosequin and I give her two a day as well. I limit her walking and exposure to cold.
We have a 10-11 year ridgeback that is starting to get arthritis. She was a rescue we got around two years old and was neglected before we got her so she may have some issues from that. I started buying these at Costco last month. Hopefully they help. Didn’t think about cbd. Good thread
Those are all beautiful dogs, I know it's tough to see them suffer, and maybe they shouldn't. I'm still thinking about my last dog, and the next one. That's all I can say in this thread.
My dog is 7ish, had back spasms and occasional stiffness where she wouldn't move much. She's on both cosequin and CBD now. No major problems for quite some time. Could be luck. Could be the drugs. I didn't go in expecting it to work but it seems to be doing something.
ive had a lab and a golden and had the same issues with both. aside from the medication side, theres things you can do to help them too...as they get older, dogs have a hard time getting up from tile and wood floors. get some rugs and mats to minimize slipping. especially for areas where there is a step down or in front of their food and water bowls. when theyre younger you dont think twice about your dog jumping into or out or cars or off the couch, ect... when they get older you need to minimize the jumping...help them in and out of the car. help lift them up off the floor on the days when they are struggling. you can also massage the back legs. both my dogs loved it. they would lay on their back and i would work them gams.
Diet has a lot to do with it. It’s something we should watch for ourselves as well. In addition the the glucosamine I would advocate cooking dog food, mostly rice and veggies but throw in meat and any meat cuttings you have for the week. The better quality it is, the less quantity they need.
Glad someone made a thread about older dogs. Had mine since 2009, prior to that he spent 2 years with my son's other family and now it's heartbreaking seeing him not being able to move around the house the way he would. His problem is Hip Dysplacia. It's like he aged overnight. Thanksgiving day was his last 2 mile walk. Now we walk one block in the morning and around 5pm he gets to hop on one of those red Garden wagons and go cruisin'. The 8 lbs he lost has helped a lot on the joints. He is able to get up faster. I also had to buy one of those huge Persian rugs so he could navigate his favorite spot in the house otherwise it looks like he's moon walking when on tile. Definitely not doing this whole dog thing again when he passes. Why do they only get around 14 years of life while a turtle can go up to a century! nonsense.
Unfortunately mine passed away about 7 months ago, I used to give her joint supplement but if I still had her I would try this out. I found it shopping around for my other dog, It has some great reviews.
After some further research, I guess they do ship these CBD dog treats/oils to all 50 states. I haven't found anything that indicates otherwise. I guess places like Chewy haven't bought into carrying CBD products yet or maybe they have to originate from legalized states. I found this one product based on high reviews and might give it a shot starting with the dog treats: CBD Dog Treats +Joint & Mobility Care | HolistaPet I think it is worth a try. I'm not sure my dog will like the flavor but can always correct that by dripping some bacon grease on it. As far as making the dog(s) sleepy, I'm not sure how concerning that would be given senior dogs (or, mine does) tend to sleep a lot already. Edit: Sh_t is way too expensive. Sorry, Sunny (dog). We will stick with Cosequin and Previcox...which Previcox is somewhat pricey as it is.
Diet definitely affects things for all of us. The sad thing about dogs is conditions like this can often be related to genetics/breed. UPDATE: the CBD I use is For Leaf Rover. Lol
My point is, NSAIDs don't make them sleepy ... actually perky (from my experience, likely due to pain relief). CBD can really knock them out, like Benadryl does. I think most CBD treats would also require multiple "doses" per day to achieve Rimadyl results ... making it substaintially more expensive, and increased lethargy. I have nothing against CBD, and it's readily avaible to me, and I give it dogs. Maybe there's some type of CBD that's doesn't have the sleep-aid, side-effect. As is, I'd just never use it (over Rimadyl) for my old dog, if she were still alive. My goal would be to perk her up, not knock her out.
How is everyone's senior dog being doing lately? Almost 2 dog years since the thread was started. I walked mine this morning, moving slowly as has been the case for 6 months now. He rolled on the grass, got up like some fancy football drill. 4:30 pm, he is now dragging his back 2 legs. Heartbreaking to see. Are they like horses. Do you put them down once they can't get up? It's my first dog.
Is your dog still kicking it? Thought I would revisit this thread given my Dad's passing today...since I am still raising his and Mom's yellow lab, Sunny. Well...she's my dog now. She's going on 15 in January. I think that she is around 94 years old on the newest revision of the canine aging chart. Crazy. She went to the vet the other week. He came back spouting about arthritis and hip dysplasia. Somehow, Sunny is still kicking it. She is currently not on any meds for arthritis. I am starting her up on Cosequin joint health supplements again which I had stopped. I'm not convinced that the Previcox NSAID I was giving her was effective. If anything, then it seemed to make her shaky and less coordinated on her feet. She didn't seem to be moving any better. Sunny is slow to get up and lie down. Somehow, she can still walk around and step up her steps to the bed. I do end up lifting her on and off the bed at times to help her. She has to go out in the middle of the night usually or she may have an accident indoors if I don't let her out. I don't like to chance it because cleaning up urine sucks. I do know she is a little more wobbly and she wears out too easy. It's a chore to deviate from her lazy routine and be more active. She definitely feels it later if she overdoes it...meaning way more sleepy time. But, this dog has been walking around in a semi-lame fashion for years now. She just seems to have a strong will to live. I will say she has probably gotten worse some since I originally posted this thread. Yea...it's tough to get senior dogs with these problems up and moving in the morning. They have to get going as they get stiff. She has a really tough time to get up from tile and smooth floors. But, she can do it...it just takes a bit. When they definitely can't stand up or walk, unless you can give her a pain med and get her back moving again...then that's it unfortunately. I mean...there's no automobile for dogs to drive around with a hole for relieving themselves. I've seen the handicap carts for the hind legs. Umm...that's a tough way to continue on. I may start back up the Previcox and I have a new med called Gabapentin which I haven't tried yet that can be given with the Previcox. I'm concerned but as long as she still has mobility and can get up. I'm aware she could be in some pain but, aside from slowness and some panting at times, I don't see it as too bad. She doesn't seem miserable. I dunno. F*ck.
