sheltie with severe arthritis

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wendep

Forums Novice
8 /12 yr old male sheltie with bad gall bladder, osteo arthritis in his hips and shoulders. Cannot take many of the pain meds due to stomach/gall bladder so been on prednisone for a few months. This obviously is not good for his liver but how else to keep him comfortable? Vet has suggested Laser Therapy, any news on this working? Or any suggestions for anything else to do? He was diagnosed with the arthritis at 6 months after X-rays. I need him to be comfortable and as healthy as possible.
 
I have an 8-y.o. girl who was also diagnosed with severe arthritis in her front elbows about two months ago. I have her on a strong homeopathic protocol from Natural Rearing (www.naturalrearing.com) that has helped. It's a combination of glucosamine and two other herbals that they recommend. My vet also approved it. If you call them, they'll tell you what they recommend for your dog...they're very helpful and knowledgeable. I like that I can treat her without chemicals for now although eventually she'll probably have to be on a NASID.

We also started laser therapy. She has had the first round of 6 visits, three days in a row, then three visits every other day, then once a week for 3 weeks. Now we're doing one visit every other week for three and then we'll go to once a month. That, combined with the homeopathics, has helped her quite a bit. My vet says they've had great results with the laser therapy and I can see why. For the first time in months, Pixie is playing again. I'd give it a try if I were you.

Good luck and let us know how your pup does!
 
Adequan injections are what I would try. I use them on my older agility dogs, and used them on my older horses who were arthritis. It is much more effective than traditional oral supplements.
The laser therapy that your vet recommended is another good option. You can also try infrared LED light. You can get an LED light pad on amazon and use it at home.
 
arthritis

Thanks so much for the info and advice. I will definitely look into all the options suggested. And the info regarding the laser therapy from you all was very helpful in making my decision on that. Thanks.
 
HopeShelties said:
Adequan injections are what I would try. I use them on my older agility dogs, and used them on my older horses who were arthritis. It is much more effective than traditional oral supplements.
The laser therapy that your vet recommended is another good option. You can also try infrared LED light. You can get an LED light pad on amazon and use it at home.
Click to expand...

Agreed that would seem to be the way to go. You bypass the GI tract and GI upset issues, and provide good relief.

I also used to get glucosamine and chondroitin dog treats that seemed to give a bit of relief to my 18 year old sheltie before she passed, it surely can't hurt to try that as an adjunct.....
 
Injections are the best option. Adequan is good. Ask your vet about pentosan polysulfate injections - my 7yr old with severe arthritis is a new dog after he has a round of pentosan shots. He has had severe arthritis for some years now - caused by elbow dysplasia.

Other non-medication options we use

  • Green lipped mussels, aka New Zealand mussel or green shell mussel is a scientifically proven anti inflammatory. You can feed a couple of mussels for meals if your dog will eat them, otherwise there are dog versions or you can get the human capsules from health food places.
  • Physiotherapy. I really recommend this. The physio can give you exercises to do at home to warm up and strengthen the joints so you don't have to keep going back. I do take Deska every once and a while just to give him a good going over as his back often gets sore from walking funny
  • Acupuncture. Not sure whether it's working, we've only been doing it for a month. He has been chasing bicycles lately but I'm not sure if that's the pentosan or the needles.
  • Massages. You can do this at home. Because they have a funny gait it puts their neck, back and rear out, which in turn puts more pressure on the joints. So an all over massage several times a week really helps.
  • Working the joints. Gentle movements to keep the joint lubricated helps, esp in the mornings and evenings. Heat packs on the joints are good, and icing the joint down after exercise helps. With the hip joint you can often feel if it's burning from feeling the skin in the groin. My female with the bad hip loooves the ice.
 
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