Ageing collie's stiff/sore legs

teddysmum

danih wrote: »

My cavalier king charles started to limp a few months ago. He is 7. I took him to the vet, and was advised there was little wrong with him that wouldn't be resolved be losing a few kilos Vet showed me his medical history, Max had gained 5 kilos in the 5 years we have had him. He was underweight, and vet agrees when we got him, but can't argue that he is too fat now. He has now lost his first kilo, and the limp has vanished.

That is some weight gain. My two cavaliers weigh 10kg each and are not from small framed lines, so 5kg would be half their body weight in excess.


It essential to watch cavaliers' weight as , unfortunately the majority are prone to MVD (Heart disease). I've had two who had the disease, one with a mild murmur and one who is heart clear, at 11.

danih

Max has a large frame. We are aiming to get him down to between 11 and 12 kilos - the vet agrees this will be a healthy enough weight for his height. One kilo down so far, so we're going in the right direction

zaksmum

I'll certainly give the sardines a go for my Lucy.

She's coming up to 12 and getting quite stiff. Something I hadn't thought of so got to be worth a try.

dandelionclock30

abibee wrote: »

Thanks for the info, I didn't know that Ibuprofen is a no-no, it was suggested by another owner who's dog has arthritis, hmm.

I'm a bit reluctant to go the vet route yet, as it's only a little stiffness as yet, and we're a little cynical/afraid that once the vet gets his hands on a dog, it can be downhill from there.

That link is useful, but I'm surprised at it saying 'not' cod liver oil, I thought that was the way to go generally, I guess I just assumed.

Just take him to the vets, what do you mean it will be downhill from there? The vet will assess and then treat your pet accordingly not trap them into a downward spiral.
Your pets health should come first and if you are worried or concerned which you are then he should be going to the vets.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I got my dog from a local rescue center 2 years ago. He's approx 10 years old.

When I brought him home, he decided to follow me up the stairs. He slipped and noticed it had an affect on his back leg. Took him to the vets, when all comes to all, he had a number of very small bone fragments floating about in his knee from an old injury. The slip had caused his knee to flare up.

I took him for a number of hydrotherapy sessions and that did seem to help. However, I couldn't afford to keep them up as it's quite expensive. I give him joint care bars and when his knee seems to have a flare up, I get some Onsior tablets from the vets. I really only give him the tablets if he needs them as they can mask other problems. Last year he twisted his ankle and was limping. Had I given him a constant source of painkillers I would never have known about it and he could've damaged it further. It's a fine line isn't it.

I too have changed his bed to memory foam. Not sure if it helps, but it's worth it regardless.

marlot

Our GSD has been on Onsior - a specialist dog pain killer/anti inflamatory for 2 years now. It's made a huge difference.

Dogs aren't good at telling you they are in pain.

It's not cheap at £1.50 a day, but the insurance pays 70% of the bill.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

marlot wrote: »

Our GSD has been on Onsior - a specialist dog pain killer/anti inflamatory for 2 years now. It's made a huge difference.

Dogs aren't good at telling you they are in pain.

It's not cheap at £1.50 a day, but the insurance pays 70% of the bill.

Didn't know the insurance companies covered this.

I don't like the idea of my dog taking long term painkillers. I'd be worried about the damage they could be doing to his system. My vet is quite happy for me to give him pain relief as and when he needs it.

krlyr

On the other hand, my previous dog's life would have been cut shorter than it already was, as she would have been in far too much pain without daily pain relief. We knew she wouldn't make it to old age, so her immediate quality of life was more of a consideration than the future effects of long-term pain relief.

Treatment totally depends on the condition you're treating, hence the need to get a proper diagnosis from a vet.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

krlyr wrote: »

On the other hand, my previous dog's life would have been cut shorter than it already was, as she would have been in far too much pain without daily pain relief. We knew she wouldn't make it to old age, so her immediate quality of life was more of a consideration than the future effects of long-term pain relief.

Treatment totally depends on the condition you're treating, hence the need to get a proper diagnosis from a vet.

I have a proper diagnosis. He has 3 very small bone fragments floating about in his knee from an injury he sustained before he came to live with me. The vet said anyone could have the same problem and not even be aware of it.

I am very sensitive to my dog's needs, I know when his leg is bothering him & it's generally when he's over exerted himself.

We all have our own ways of caring for our pets and it's not about whose right or wrong.

krlyr

Think you've totally misread my post as a dig at you. I meant it's important for OP to get a proper diagnosis - because in your dog's case, treatment is as-and-when-needed, in my dog, it was daily. It can vary hugely depending on the condition, hence OP should go to the vet.