Arthritis

Dave · Enlightened One

Arthritis

saldec · Master

Hi,

My oldest greyhound Mia suffers in the winter time, i suppose it doesn't help with us living in the highlands of Scotland.

Anyway, i would truly recommend using Nafs MSM.
It maintains free movement of the skeletal system including all joints. MSM bio - available Sulphur as a nutrient also sustains the natural regeneration of tissue. A usefl complementary feed for all animals with mobility problems.
It is actually for horses but my vet told me to use it on Mia. I mix a spoon of it in her food once a day.

I only feed it to her in the winter months & believe me she's like a new dog.
It's around £17.00 for a 300g tub but it lasts a good 4 - 5 months.
It's money well spent.

Suzanne · Guru

you can get magnetic collars on the internet Dave which apparently really owrk wonders - only heard clients at the vets rave about them tho - think they arre most effective in the short term ie over the winter months ...

worth some surfing tho...

Jennifer · Big Cheese

When my old greyhound "Stella" reached the age of 11 she started getting stiff with arthritis, and someone suggested i tried "green lipped muscle tablets". I thought i would give them a try as nothing to lose and they worked wonders! For the last year and half of her life she was so much more active and really felt the tablets helped. I ordered them over the internet from 1st Vitality website but i think you can buy them in some herbalist shops.

iluska · GAL Treasurer

Hi

Fiddie was rather stiff in his right shoulder and took him to physio, which really helped. Then, the poor wee soul stood on glass and its removal and then recovery brought on another bout of limping and stiffness, which really, really worried us. visited Holland & Barrat and got their exta strength chondroitin complex gels (chondroitin suphate and gluscosamine) - give one a day to both Fiddie and Coco on a wee bit of squeezy cheese and I also give them cod liver oil capsules, with cheese. I really think that this addition to their diet has not only given them a good & health coat, but the big fella is very mobile and happy. I know I spoil them, but they share a small tin of oily fish a day, placed upon their crunchies (James Wellbeloved).

I very much hope that you find a winning formula - oh, when we go out walks, if especially cold, I put their wee hoose coats on, with their light jackets on top - sorry, may be rambling.

Wishing your doggies well.

carolineasb · Old Hand

Dave

I'm also sure I've heard of a type of indoor kennel/cage that has magnets in it for the dog to sleep in but I don't know where you would get one from.

Harry uses an elbow support with magnets in it (they appear to be stitched inside) which he got from Antartex Village in Alexandria & it does help him a bit. I don't know whether any of the versions would be able to be used on a dog as they attach with Velcro - & they would have to be removed quite often in case they were chewed!

Rgds

Caroline

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

I have heard of a indoor kennel like Caroline mentioned. A trainer used one for a dog that he had kept as a pet after it retired from racing, but at the moment can't remember

who I had been told about this,

will have a think and when I remember i will get more info.

-- Edited by Siouxsie at 20:10, 2005-12-20

Dawn · Guru

Dave,

One word ....try Reiki.........it has fab results on the golden oldies!

Dawn

PS, No, it was Kaz who had it not me......... actually I lie, I had it too and its fab!!

Lesley · Guru

Our Suzie also has arthritis - in her right wrist. It is definitely worse since the weather started to get colder and damper.

She gets Arden Grange which (as you know) contains all the joint mobility supplements: glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM, and she gets sardines most nights on her dinner. However - we recently had to start her on Metacam cos her limp was getting more pronounced with the winter weather. She started off on the right dose for her weight and I have reduced it gradually. We both feel that she is benefitting from it.

As you know Dave - I tried your magnetic collar and unfortunately it didn't seem to help Suzie at all - pity cos I would rather have gone down the non-drug route.

A copper collar was also suggested to me - has anyone tried that? If so I'd like to hear their thoughts.

Steve · Master

When we got Pearly we found that she would get a wee bit lame in her front right leg. Vet said she had the early stages of arthritis - put her on metacalm and suggested Sinoquin tabs over a few months. After a couple of weeks we stopped the metacalm and carried on with the tabs which are a doggytype of glucosamine, chondroitin. We were told the stuff out of the shops for people isn't absorbed well by dogs. Over a period of a couple of months we saw a BIG difference and now Pearly doesn't have any symptoms of lameness at all. She is still on one tab of Sinoquin a day - pricey but the insurance covers it.

Harry's condition is quite a bit worse. His right front ankle is quite noticeably bigger due to bone growing - he gets lame quite easy. We put him on Seraquin - more or less the same as the stuff pearly gets. After about three months we noticed he wasn't showing problems. We give him two a day as he's a big lad. It seems to help but he's too far gone with arthritis so he will show soreness if he walks over a long period. Short walks or a short run is the advice we got from the vet.

As for the cold - not really affected them to be honest. They both have nice warm indoor and outdoor coats. We rub Harry's legs too with nappy wipes - he loves that - but the reason is really to get the pee off his front legs!

C_J · Master

My dad uses a copper bangle for his arthritis and says it definetely works.

Synoquin is quite expensive, about £65 a tub, but if you can get it on insurance I would def say its worth it. I haven't had Casper on it, but I know of other dogs that it has worked wonders.

I tried a number of anti-inflammatory drugs after Caspers operation - Rimadyl, Metacam, Zubrin but I found the best for Casper was Zolan, but it really just depends on the dog. I would def say try a few, because I could really see a difference between different ones.

Jane

Archie · Old Hand

Dave

I bought the glucosamine etc. and the winter months are a breeze for Keera since she started them. Took about a month or so to kick in but theres been a huge difference ... and no vet bill.

Carol

-- Edited by Siouxsie at 10:45, 2006-03-10

takecon · Master

Hi,

I suffer from arthritis and can be quite stiff in the mornings till I get up and take my pain killers. So read the posts with interest.

Cold weather, damp weather and low pressure systems all aggravate my condition

I done quite a bit of research into human arthritis and also various bowel conditions - something I also suffer from.

Diet does seem to play a major part in my human conditions.

Wheat seems be a major cause of human arthritis and many bowel conditions. The more processed it is the more damage it can do. It's in so many processed foods. Many of the dog foods on the market contain quite high levels of wheat often as a bulking agent.

There are a number which are formulated with maize / rice etc which seems to be less toxic to the dogs system. and indeed humans. So worth checking dog food labels.

I've seen one of the magnetic dog beds at one of the trainers homes . Looks like a massive micro wave without the door. The hounds apparently love it and can't wait for it to be switched on . The pulsating magnetc fields give a tingling sensation. I assume it improves blood flow to the painful areas. It was a wee bit small for me or I'd have given it a go.

I've not tried magnets yet I'll get some next week fo an experiment

Keep the hounds alcohol and coffee intake down!!!!!!!! this New Year lol lol

Charles

Amber · Master

Sorry if it's already been suggested, but have you tried Synflex? It is a brand of liquid glucosamine and other supplements that is far more effective than glucosamine tablets - I give it to Oscar, who has very bad arthritis from racing injuries and is on daily Metacam and I definitely noticed an improvement in his mobility.

Also, if your dog is insured, you can normally claim back the cost of glucosamine supplements by asking your vet to give a letter saying that they recommend it - even if you haven't bought it at the vet. Synflex is available online only - just do a search. It's around £18 for a bottle that lasts roughly 6 weeks.

The other thing would be homeopathic remedies - I've found these quite helpful. You can purchase online from 'canine care group' (but no insurance reclaim possible) or consult a homeopathic vet, in which case you could claim all the costs back.