Question by PRINTS: Pain killer or anti-inflammatory for arthritic dog?
We have an older dog who has trouble with arthritis. I would like to know what experiences you have had with your dog and what medications worked? YES, I have a vet, and YES, I have taken the dog there and talked to the vet. So, I DON’T need any lectures on how I need to talk to the vet about this. I am a responsible pet owner who takes care of my pets. I simply want to find out what might have worked for your own dog. If you don’t own a dog and have not tried any medications such as this, then don’t comment. We have used Prednisone, which worked well as an anti-inflammatory, but it also causes urinary accidents, so that is not a great side effect for her. What medication worked to relieve the stiffness or pain for better comfort? We have also used glucosamine. PLEASE, no rude comments, nor how I can put the dog to sleep. If you comment on a medication, please let me know what it was, how long it took to help, and what side effects you might have noticed with your own pet.
Thank you, so far, for your caring answers. I will look into all the things suggested, so far. I will also keep looking for more answers, as each one of us has had a different experience. Thanks . . .
By the way, she is not overweight – she is actually underweight. I certainly would like to know how to help her gain muscle mass, but maybe we need to further blood tests. The last said by vet was if weight did not build up, do tests for tumor? She is pretty skinny, despite altered diet and more food. No thyroid, diabetes, liver or kidney problems. Vet actually said the blood work does not look like that of an old dog. Should be about 45 lbs. but is about 35 to 37 lbs. Giving vitamin B12, digestive enzymes and multiple vitamin.

Best answer:

Answer by The Wail of a Banshee
We have been prescribed Rimadyl for our springer spaniel.We are in Spain but you will be able to get the equivalent.They are not brilliant but give a reasonable degree of comfort.We also give him Joint Aid for dogs ,you get it from your vet Its £20 pound and you sprinkle it on their food.That seems to work quiet well,but its expensive.Its worth a try though,and our Springer does act more youthful now.
Good luck

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Question by Jen: How long will my cocker spaniel live with a heart murmur?
I have an 7 year 9 month old female cocker spaniel. She’s always been an especially active dog, and always been a super fussy eater. (Meaning, it hasn’t ever been weird for her to go a few days without eating on a regular basis, but resumes eating)

She has recently developed arthritis in her hind legs and has much more difficultly getting up, standing, staying standing, and her legs occasionally collapse under her. She is undergoing laser therapy and medicine for that.

She was diagnosed with a heart murmur awhile ago, and we were just at the vet today, now that she’s developed a cough, extreme lethergy, reluctance to exercise (which used to be her FAVORITE thing). He explained that her heart is likely getting bigger, and that the testing to find out will be around $ 1,000, just for the testing, not even the treatment. We’re struggling to pay the bills as it is, and its kills us to know that we can’t afford to save her life.

So, I’m asking so we can give her the best quality of life we can. How long do we have with her? Any advice on what to do for her to ease her suffering?

Any advice at all would be much appreciated.

Thank you so much.

-Jennifer

Best answer:

Answer by Owner of Cassie and Timmy
If you have pet insurance then that can help you pay, or there are animal organizations who help….If you feel that you can’t pay then you have two more choices…
1) Have her put down
2) Give her to a no-kill shelter and they may be able to give your dog a home to somebody who can pay…

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Question by Tierra: I need help with crippled puppy!?
ok my dog is a pit mix that was rescued from the ASPCA she is now 1.5 years old and has just been diagnosed with elbow dysplasia in both front legs and severe arthritis already forming….
Does anyone have experience with this kind of illness and if so what are some treatment options that you have found that works….
the vet said that surgery is not a option because she is to active and would wear right through any replacements and just make things worse…..please help
Sry I didn’t include this earlier…my pup is on rimidyl(spelled wrong I know) and has a muted since of pain…learned this from previous emergency vet visits….Our vet says that surgery is not a option for her as the problem is to severe at this point….thxs for the med advice I will look into it.

Best answer:

Answer by Lola
i have something that could help if you are willing to try since your seems to have not given you any options heres a natural treatment its simple put very warm water in a bucket next put some very cold water in a bucket take a cloth and wet with the warm water put it on her elbows for 10 seconds do the same with the cold water
repeat 5x’s do this as often as you see fit

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Question by Dulce: nine year old american bulldog with arthritis health tips, anyone?
my bf has an america bulldog, he is fighting his illness and takes medication but i see he is still wanting to fight, he falls over and can’t run anymore but his energy is still there..any suggestions as to how to help this beautiful dog?

Best answer:

Answer by CD
give it cod liver oil and try feeding it high vitamin foods

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Question by Dream, Believe, Achieve <3: What do you think of my storyboard so far? ?
Hi Everyone,
I am starting a story about a girl named Adrianne that moves from New York to Virginia. Her old neighbor whom she knew forever is her best friend and they can’t live apart. How can they survive?

Here Are Some Things About Adrianne:
Name: Adrianne Lock
Age: 14 years old, 8th grade
Problem Facing: Moving away from 4ever best friend and keeping friendship. Also dealing with new neighbor Eric, and mother’s pregnancy.
Family Background: Mom and Dad, Twin brothers age 5-6, future baby sister, and golden retriever dog
Where Do You Live: Hopewell, Virginia
Hobbies: Listen to music A LOT, volleyball, daydream, write, and draw, think.
What Different About You?: Adrianne is a fierce volleyball player and she is very, very good at volleyball.
Fears: Losing friendship with old neighbor Ariel
Long Term Dream: Artist

On to the Storyboard:
-Adrianne moves form NY to Hopewell, Virginia
-Unpacks, checks email
-Starts school
-Meets Eric, thinks he is a pain in the neck
-Checks email twice a day, continues to be miserable about moving.
-Seen playing volleyball at PE class, immediately joins volleyball league
-Begins getting friends, finds out Eric is popular cause he is “super hot”
-Eric see’s her playing volleyball in backyard, he starts talking to her a lot even though Adrianne hates him.
-Mom due in 3 weeks.
-Sits under the big oak tree in her backyard, dreaming and drawing (she wants to become an artist) Eric comes talking to her
-Finds out Eric has a girlfriend named Courtney
-Adrianne becomes busy with volleyball, school, moms pregnancy, ext. Almost forgets about Ariel
-Adrianne doesn’t check email in months, loses friendship with Ariel. Ariel is upset, because she emails Adrianne like every day.
-Eric and Adrianne’s mom think it’s a “great” idea if they do homework together. Eric and Adrianne have homework “dates”. Adrianne finds out that Eric broke up with Courtney.
-Adrianne finally checks her email. Ariel visits during Christmas break, also when Adrianne’s mom gives birth to baby sister Kaitlyn.
-Adrianne quits homework dates with Eric. Eric is sad.
-Adrianne’s mom stays off work taking care out baby Kaitlyn.
When spring comes, Eric see’s Adrianne finally playing outside in her free time. They take a walk. Eric kisses her.
-Adrianne and Ariel realize there friendship can’t last and they lose interest and contact.

What do you guys think? Tips, suggestions, why you like the storyboard, ext are welcome. I really need some help.
Thanks so much you guys!!!

Best answer:

Answer by Nutty_Natty_4eva
It’s good but you don’t lose friendship quite like that. It’s more that you text and email everyday for a few weeks/months then neither of you can be bothered your getting on with your life they get on with their life. You don’t decide to stop being Friends. Then when you do talk it’s awkward you don’t know what to say to each other. It’s something that happens gradually and you can’t control it.
But I think your story is really good and you should definitely keep it up.

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Question by Morguebabe: Did you hear another pet food recall?
Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of products manufactured at its Everson, Pennsylvania facility. The pet food is being voluntarily recalled because of potential contamination with Salmonella serotype Schwarzengrund. This voluntary recall only affects the United States.

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems. Healthy people potentially infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The company stopped production at the Everson facility on July 29, 2008 when it was alerted of a possible link between dry pet food produced at the plant and two isolated cases of people infected with Salmonella Schwarzengrund.

Even though no direct link between product produced at Everson and human or pet illness has been made, Mars Petcare US is taking precautionary action to protect pets and their owners by announcing a voluntary recall of all products produced at the Everson facility beginning February 18, 2008 until July 29, 2008 when it stopped production.

The company is continuing to work collaboratively with the FDA to determine the nature and source of Salmonella Schwarzengrund at the Everson facility. Since it has not yet identified the source of the Salmonella Schwarzengrund at the Everson facility, Mars Petcare US does not plan to resume production out of a commitment to the safety of pet owners and their pets, customers, and associates.

Only those products which were produced at the Everson facility are impacted by the voluntary recall.

Many of the brands involved in the recall are national brands produced at multiple facilities. A chart for all products is below. For example, PEDIGREE® is manufactured in numerous facilities throughout the country, and Everson represents a very small portion of the manufacturing base – 2.7 percent of total PEDIGREE® production.

Mars Petcare US will work with retail customers to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or fed to pets. In the event that consumers believe they have purchased products affected by this voluntary recall, they should return the product to the store where they purchased it for a full refund. Specific product details and other information can be found at www.petcare.mars.com

Please find recalled pet food UPC information below.

The products listed below are made at the Everson facility on behalf of a variety of retailers. All code dates, with the exception of PEDIGREE®, are listed in a similar format as noted below:
Consumers should look for “17″ as the first two digits of the second line.

Sample:
Best By Feb 18 09
17 1445 1

For PEDIGREE® the Everson code date format is as follows:

Consumers should look for “PAE” on the bottom line – the sixth, seventh and eighth digits. Sample:
PEDIGREE ® Small Crunchy Bites
Best Before 02/2009
808G1PAE01 12:00

In an effort to prevent the transmission of Salmonella from pets to family members and care givers, the FDA recommends that everyone follow appropriate pet food handling guidelines when feeding their pets. A list of safe pet food handling tips can be found at: www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/petfoodtips080307.html

Pet owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-877-568-4463 or visit www.petcare.mars.com.

Recalled Pet Food

Note: If you see a product you purchased listed below, please review the code date information samples from above to confirm that your product is included in the recall.

Product Name / Bag Size
UPC

Product Name / Bag Size
UPC

Country Acres Cat Food 40#
16603 02181

Retriever Bites & Bones Dog Food 8#
79818 96757

Country Acres Ration Dog Food 40#
16603 02333

Retriever Bites & Bones Dog Food 20#
79818 96634

Country Acres 18% Dog Food 40#
16603 02331

Retriever Bites & Bones Dog Food 50#
49394 05666

Country Acres Hi Pro Dog Food 50#
16603 02021

Retriever Gravy Blend Dog Food 50#
49394 05665

Doggy Bag Dog Food 40#
73893 40000

Retriever Gravy Blend Dog Foo

Best answer:

Answer by storm
thx for the info…i have a pet on some of that food…..

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Question by SonicAdvenuterer: How can I help my dog?
She is a 14 year old Golden Retriever with severe arthritis, and had just got over having vertigo. She always seems very tired and never wants to stand up. She is on medication and special joint treats.

Is there any way at all I could help her feel better?
Any answers are help!

Best answer:

Answer by dog girl:)
Best thing to do is giving her comfort and extra care. Pet her and talk to her in a sweet voice. Try encouraging her to walk short distances by holding a piece of ham just in front of her.

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Question by Lemonada: My dog shakes when he lays down?
I have an old dog. Only the past couple of days he won’t lay or sit down and when he does he shakes, like it hurts him. I figure there’s something with his joints or has arthritis or something. It worries me, we’ll be taking him to the vet, I just thought I’d get an idea of what it is. And the past couple of weeks we’ve been giving him this natural medication stuff for the yeast infection he has on his skin (sounds gross, yeah?) but maybe that has something to do with it?

Best answer:

Answer by Fish
I had a dog that lived to 16 and his last months sounded a bit like your dog’s except he did not shake. My dog had arthritis we think and it was painful to get up and lie down. Your hunch about the same condition for your dog may be may be correct. The shaking may be a neurological disorder related to age.

I hate to say this and please take it in the right way, but be prepared that the vet might suggest that the dog is in pain, has little quality of life and in so doing, may be asking you to consider putting him to sleep. Don’t be offended but understand the vet is trying to be kind to the dog. We received that kind of advice and did not accept it and we figured afterwards that we kept our dog alive a couple of months longer than we probably should have.

Good luck.

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Question by lovechild: Aging Bischon Frise and need advice?
Hi, we have an 11 year old pure breed bishon frise who we have since she was a puppy. Recently, she’s been showing signs of aging: eating less and can’t jump up or climb stairs. Last weekend, we took her for a walk and, as always, she found something to chew on, but I quickly grabbed it from her mouth. About 2 days later, she threw up and had a loose bowel movement…this wasn’t continual, she only did this once. Also, she stopped eating for a few days and was VERY lethargic. It was raining all week, so I equated the slowness to her arthritis. A month ago I bought her a new bone to chew on and I think that may of knocked out most of her teeth ( : ( oops!), so I equate the low eating to her inability to chew. Now, we put water in her food to soften it and she eats fine.I decided to take her to the vet for a check-up. They discovered the following:
Eye infection
Irregular heart beat (arrhythmia)
A mass in her abdomen
Cushings disease (we already knew she suffered from this, but decided against treatment since it will only improve her appearance and we really don’t care about that…..she’s adorable no matter what she looks like!)

I had the vet do blood work and x-rays. The x-rays really didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know which was she had a mass in her stomach. They suggested an ultra-sound to look at the mass and a test to officially diagnosis her with cushings disease. Those test were estimated to cost around $ 700-$ 1000. We cannot afford that at this time.

Today, our dog is doing much better and back to her old self. We’ve decided against getting the ultrasound because 1.) if they discover she needs surgery, we probably can’t afford it anyway, and 2.) if they discover a cancerous tumor, we would probably decide to put her down once she starts experiencing any pain. We also decided against treating the cushings disease. We did get meds to treat her eye infection.

I want to do what’s best for our dog because we love her so much. Right now she’s doing great and from what we can tell, shows no sings of pain. Given our financial bind, are there any recommendations about what we should continue to do, i.e. home treatments, food advice, etc. etc.

Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by John
You seem to have it pretty well sussed. Treat what can be treated conservatively (and affordably) and monitor her demeanour closely for signs of pain. Is she on Meloxicam (or similar) pain relief for the arthritis? As money is short, you need to put some aside now for euthanasia when it becomes necessary. To help with her diet give her a raw egg (and the shell too) once a week, also a small can of sardines. She may also benefit if you boil up some rice and chicken because it will be a lot better on the older digestive system.

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Question by Cloth on Bum, Breastmilk in Tum!: Elderly dog with a heart murmur?
The vet recently noticed a slight heart murmur in my 11 yr old dog. He also has arthritis and horrible allergies for which he takes daily medication, and his bloodwork showed low thyroid functioning (which the vet said was odd because he is losing weight, not gaining). The vet said to look out for excessive coughing, which can indicate a worsening heart condition (he coughs sometimes, but not too bad). She didn’t seem too worried about him, but I can really tell a difference in him from how he acted and felt a year ago. My question is, what exactly causes a heart murmur and what damage can it do?

Best answer:

Answer by OMG/THATS/HOT/NOT/
Thats sucks man

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