Helping joint stiffness in dog

zaksmum

My dog Lucy is nearly 8 and a Golden Retriever cross weighing 40kg.

Recently she's been having trouble in her left back leg when getting upfrom a sitting/lying down position. She's ok when she's up and walking and can run and jump well for her age and size.

So when she gets to the vet, she's warmed up and walking fine - he checked her over and said once she's on medication it'll be for life, so put her on cod liver oil first and see how she gets on.

Previously when she's been stiff, I've had her on Glucosamine/Chondroitin (human version) as well as the cod liver oil and it's worked well in helping her.

I've now put her back on that but this time it doesn't appear to be helping.

I give her aspirin on the vet's advice if she seems to be in any discomfort but I wonder if anyone knows of any way of easing joint stiffness without putting her on medication? I used Bob Martin's conditioning tablets for my previous dog with good effect but can't find them anywhere now.

universality

Have you looked at body wraps?

http://www.mekuti.co.uk/bodywraps.htm

They're supposed to be good for stiffness

Hintza

Feed her less and get some of the weight off (depending on the cross) she is probably 25% overweight.

It pays huge dividends if older dogs can be kept a bit lighter than the norm.

Lobell

zaksmum wrote: »

My dog Lucy is nearly 8 and a Golden Retriever cross weighing 40kg.

Recently she's been having trouble in her left back leg when getting upfrom a sitting/lying down position. She's ok when she's up and walking and can run and jump well for her age and size.

So when she gets to the vet, she's warmed up and walking fine - he checked her over and said once she's on medication it'll be for life, so put her on cod liver oil first and see how she gets on.

Previously when she's been stiff, I've had her on Glucosamine/Chondroitin (human version) as well as the cod liver oil and it's worked well in helping her.

I've now put her back on that but this time it doesn't appear to be helping.

I give her aspirin on the vet's advice if she seems to be in any discomfort but I wonder if anyone knows of any way of easing joint stiffness without putting her on medication? I used Bob Martin's conditioning tablets for my previous dog with good effect but can't find them anywhere now.

How long have you been giving her the Glucosamine and Chondroitin for? It can take 4-6 weeks to take effect properly.

You can also give her Ester-C (a form of vitamin C which is easier on the digestive system) for it's natural anti-inflammatory problems if it's arthritis that's causing the stiffness. Also, green-lipped mussel & devils claw are good for relieving joint problems.

My 55kg dog has severe arthritis in both knee joints and we manage him on a combination of the above supplements alone, although I prefer to give Fish Body Oils rather than Cod Liver Oil as CLO can be damaging to the liver over time.

zaksmum

universality wrote: »

Have you looked at body wraps?

http://www.mekuti.co.uk/bodywraps.htm

They're supposed to be good for stiffness

No, I hadn't looked at those. Lucy goes ballistic though if she has anything on her body (she can never wear a dog coat) so I couldn't see it being good for her - but thanks.

zaksmum

Hintza wrote: »

Feed her less and get some of the weight off (depending on the cross) she is probably 25% overweight.

It pays huge dividends if older dogs can be kept a bit lighter than the norm.

I think you're right. Lucy's a total foodie, she'd eat all day if I let her. She's chunky but not fat, the vet says.

I'll cut her food down a bit and see if that helps

zaksmum

Thanks Lobell. She's been back on the glucosamine 2 weeks so maybe it's a bit early to expect an improvement. I'll persevere and see if it helps.

Can ester-c and devil's claw and green lipped mussell be given as well as the glucosamine?

paddypaws101

You get a lot of preparations which combine Glucosamine and Chondroitin so yes they can be combined. I have my cat on Health Plus Sodium Ascorbate powder which is a non acidic form of Vit C....watch out as high doses of Vit c can cause loose stools. I second the advice to move to fish body oil and away from Cod Liver oil ( which can actually cause spinal fusion and boney spur growth )

Sooz00

zaksmum wrote: »

My dog Lucy is nearly 8 and a Golden Retriever cross weighing 40kg.

Recently she's been having trouble in her left back leg when getting upfrom a sitting/lying down position. She's ok when she's up and walking and can run and jump well for her age and size.

So when she gets to the vet, she's warmed up and walking fine - he checked her over and said once she's on medication it'll be for life, so put her on cod liver oil first and see how she gets on.

Previously when she's been stiff, I've had her on Glucosamine/Chondroitin (human version) as well as the cod liver oil and it's worked well in helping her.

I've now put her back on that but this time it doesn't appear to be helping.

I give her aspirin on the vet's advice if she seems to be in any discomfort but I wonder if anyone knows of any way of easing joint stiffness without putting her on medication? I used Bob Martin's conditioning tablets for my previous dog with good effect but can't find them anywhere now.

Hi Zaksmum,

Do you know what is causing her stiffness? I just wondered whether Lucy has had any x-rays or other scans that revealed anything? If your vet can't see anything, would a specialist help? They may be able to spot something small that you or your GP vet may not. And is it just the one leg, I really think it is worth some investigation if you haven't done so already. Also, when your vet says if he starts her on meds, she 'll be on them for life, what meds is he talking about and why would she have to stay on them forever? :undecided

My 5 year old staffiexlab has OCD (osteochondritis dissecans) and secondary DJD (degenerative joint disease) in both hocks. She was diagnosed after x-rays were sent off to a specialist and since has been confirmed by CT scan. Her only symptoms were that after rest following lots of exercise she's be stiff getting up from her bed. We are now treating the symptoms to stop it getting worse and avoid surgery at a later date. The specialist recommended Glucosamine HCI, Chondroitin Sulphate and Omega 3 fish oil. The reason for the HCI is that they apparently absorb it better and the pure omega 3 is far better and safer than the cod liver oil.

I think you're right to get her on the supplements and it's probably a case of adjusting the dose to what makes a difference to Lucy. And it does take a good number of weeks to get into the system too. I looked at so many including those from pet shops, the vets and health food stores and compared the various levels and although the prices varied hugely, the contents didn't really. I ended up in a pickle with it all and had a good few calls to the specialist trying to work out what was best and which to use. In the end, I settled on Johnson's 4 Joints Extra Strength tablets - 400mg glucosamine HCI, 150mg chondroitin sulphate, 50mg green lipped mussel, 55mg MSM plus a few other things per tablet. My girl is 17kg and she has 3 tablets a day, plus 1 x 1000mg omega 3 fish oil capsule. She also has hydrotherapy once or twice a week to improve muscle tone and strengthen the joints.

We don't use any painkillers (aspirin or otherwise) and don't use rimadyl either and she's managing really well. In fact, we haven't seen her stiffen up since we've been on the supplements and hydro.

Hope some of the above helps.

Sooz x

ali-t

I recently invested in a bioflow magnetic collar for one of my dogs and she is back like a young pup again. They are approx £25 but there is a 90 day money back guarantee and you can send it back if you dont notice a difference. Dogs don't understand the placebo effect so if its going to work its going to work!

Mayflower10cat

Perhaps accupuncture might help??? We have an holistic vet near us and she has amazing testimonials for this treatment in dogs & horses.

Years ago one of my clients daughters had a lovely (young) doggie with arthritis; she took her to London bi-weekly to see a (now) very famous vet and having seen this stiff, sore dog be helped into the car then only a few hours later on the return, she would leap out wagging her lovely tail obviously feeling so much comfier. Amazing.