10 year old lab - hip arthritis

[Anonymous]

How have you fellow canine lovers dealt with it? My fur baby has a hard time getting up / standing up since he’s got a lot of pain and arthritis. Last night was tough with him crying and a little fever. I’ve had him in cbd chewies for some time but after last night I felt terrible. Emergency vet today gave me two types of strong meds. I guess I’m just venting my sadness. Hurts to see my buddy getting old. He’s turning 11 next month.

[Anonymous]

Yes, our 13 year old lab went on a daily dose of galliprant last year. That and losing a few pounds made a huge difference. Did they give you meds for long term use?

[Anonymous]

CBD oil rubbed on the body parts that hurt. Topical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, our 13 year old lab went on a daily dose of galliprant last year. That and losing a few pounds made a huge difference. Did they give you meds for long term use?

+1 Our 12 1/2 year old lab is also struggling, and it's so sad to watch. She doesn't whimper and eats and sleeps well, but she really struggles to get up and walks slowly and awkwardly. We now have her on Galliprant, and it's helped a lot. We've also reduced her kibble, and she's lost 5 lbs over the last 8 months (from 77 to 72). We've also noticed that she does better if she naps on her memory foam bed, rather than on the den rug, so we move the bed to wherever we're sitting or working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CBD oil rubbed on the body parts that hurt. Topical.

Where do you buy it?

[Anonymous]

Take your dog to your regular vet and get her on prescription pain meds. We give ours Galliprant. It’s supposed to be easier on the liver than some of the others. Also ask about Adequan injections.
You can give CBD oil and joint supplements on the side but the pain meds will give her the best relief.

[Anonymous]

If your dog struggles to get up make sure the floor is not slippery or put down rugs. The Help em Up harness is also very useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take your dog to your regular vet and get her on prescription pain meds. We give ours Galliprant. It’s supposed to be easier on the liver than some of the others. Also ask about Adequan injections.
You can give CBD oil and joint supplements on the side but the pain meds will give her the best relief.

+1 PP here with the 12 1/2 year old lab. We did start Adequan injections and have had 2/weekly for one month, 1 weekly for one month, and getting ready to have 1/monthly. It's hard for us to tell if the Adequan is helping. We did see improvement immediately with the Galliprant. We've also put a lot of yoga mats down--making a walkway throughout our one story house. I know that Rimadyl affects the liver, but do you think Galliprant or Rimadyl is better for pain? Wondering if we should also consider Tramadol? Thanks for your thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take your dog to your regular vet and get her on prescription pain meds. We give ours Galliprant. It’s supposed to be easier on the liver than some of the others. Also ask about Adequan injections.
You can give CBD oil and joint supplements on the side but the pain meds will give her the best relief.

+1 PP here with the 12 1/2 year old lab. We did start Adequan injections and have had 2/weekly for one month, 1 weekly for one month, and getting ready to have 1/monthly. It's hard for us to tell if the Adequan is helping. We did see improvement immediately with the Galliprant. We've also put a lot of yoga mats down--making a walkway throughout our one story house. I know that Rimadyl affects the liver, but do you think Galliprant or Rimadyl is better for pain? Wondering if we should also consider Tramadol? Thanks for your thoughts.

I gave my older dog Rimadyl for years. It luckily didn’t harm his liver but it also didn’t help him much. Galliprant was not out yet. My younger one now takes it and seems to be doing much better. My vet is reluctant to prescribe Tramadol because it is an opioid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How have you fellow canine lovers dealt with it? My fur baby has a hard time getting up / standing up since he’s got a lot of pain and arthritis. Last night was tough with him crying and a little fever. I’ve had him in cbd chewies for some time but after last night I felt terrible. Emergency vet today gave me two types of strong meds. I guess I’m just venting my sadness. Hurts to see my buddy getting old. He’s turning 11 next month.

Raw food diet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take your dog to your regular vet and get her on prescription pain meds. We give ours Galliprant. It’s supposed to be easier on the liver than some of the others. Also ask about Adequan injections.
You can give CBD oil and joint supplements on the side but the pain meds will give her the best relief.

+1 PP here with the 12 1/2 year old lab. We did start Adequan injections and have had 2/weekly for one month, 1 weekly for one month, and getting ready to have 1/monthly. It's hard for us to tell if the Adequan is helping. We did see improvement immediately with the Galliprant. We've also put a lot of yoga mats down--making a walkway throughout our one story house. I know that Rimadyl affects the liver, but do you think Galliprant or Rimadyl is better for pain? Wondering if we should also consider Tramadol? Thanks for your thoughts.

I gave my older dog Rimadyl for years. It luckily didn’t harm his liver but it also didn’t help him much. Galliprant was not out yet. My younger one now takes it and seems to be doing much better. My vet is reluctant to prescribe Tramadol because it is an opioid.

PP here. Thanks so much for your response. Very helpful. Also, I wasn't realizing that about Tramadol.

[Anonymous]

I highly recommend acupuncture. It really, really helped my older dog and gave her at least an extra year's worth of quality of life. She had arthritis and spinal stenosis (fusion of the vertebrae). After her first few sessions she was galloping around the yard like a puppy and jumping on the bed again. We started with multiple sessions in a week, then weekly, then tapered to biweekly. It can be pricey but you will see results. I know others who had success with hydro therapy but that was less practical for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your dog struggles to get up make sure the floor is not slippery or put down rugs. The Help em Up harness is also very useful.

Yes, as long as they are non slip rugs. Better yet, foam workout tiles (1" thick). Even better yet, interlocking foam carpet squares. Looks like carpet. Rubberflooringinc is where I get mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your dog struggles to get up make sure the floor is not slippery or put down rugs. The Help em Up harness is also very useful.

Yes, as long as they are non slip rugs. Better yet, foam workout tiles (1" thick). Even better yet, interlocking foam carpet squares. Looks like carpet. Rubberflooringinc is where I get mine.

Me again. Rimadyl from the vet was a Godsend for my lab.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I highly recommend acupuncture. It really, really helped my older dog and gave her at least an extra year's worth of quality of life. She had arthritis and spinal stenosis (fusion of the vertebrae). After her first few sessions she was galloping around the yard like a puppy and jumping on the bed again. We started with multiple sessions in a week, then weekly, then tapered to biweekly. It can be pricey but you will see results. I know others who had success with hydro therapy but that was less practical for us.

PP with the lab. Thanks! Our vet mentioned acupuncture because our lab does have fusion of the vertebrae and muscle atrophy, and her hind legs sometimes spread apart if she's on wood floors. Does "okay" if on grass, yoga mats, or concrete. It just all gets really expensive (Galliprant and Adequan), so I'm not sure if we can afford the acupuncture. Will definitely check into it. She's part of our family, and we adore her! She was a rescue--we've had her for 5 1/2 years and can't bear thinking of her gone...