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Post by andic on Nov 18, 2011 23:17:17 GMT
Hey guys,
I've been reading up so much on our gorgeous species since getting olly (flash) several weeks ago and was just questioning the symptoms of arthritis.
Olly is 5, so not an old boy, run his fair share of races, and seems as fit as a fiddle, so shows no outward signs of a "condition". I can understand though that after such intensive training and what the pups have been through, it must take its toll on their bodies (even I can't do the splits anymore!) ;D
Now the reason I'm questioning is what symptoms should I look for..... Now I'm not too sure if this is just a typical trait of being a spoilt "I don't want you to do that" houndie or if I'm actually hurting him, but when I move his legs, for example if we are snuggled together and he's in awkward position with front legs, he squeals... He just seems to have sensitive legs. Could this be arthritis and apart from the cod liver oil I'm giving him now should I be doing anything else??
Thank you
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Post by pumalass on Nov 19, 2011 8:48:47 GMT
Hi
They will suffer with arthritis as they get older, Bart didn't really get any until he was 9 but that's not to say it won't happen before. We give Mersey and Beau cod liver oil capsules also vetvits combination of glucosamine HCI and chondroitin one twice a day it did seemed to help Bart in his latter years and Mersey is 8 she seemed to have a bit a year ago she was on one tablet so now she takes two and runs really well and doesn't seem to be suffering. Hope this helps.
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Post by pumalass on Nov 19, 2011 8:50:23 GMT
p.s. just to say they are all big babies as well, so don't let them fool you. The two tablets are one twice a day.
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Post by andic on Nov 19, 2011 9:46:09 GMT
Thanks very much! Thats really helpful. Olly has cod liver oil which has certainly improved his coat and general health.
He bounds around the garden daily like he's chasing the hare, so leads me to think he's just being a baby.....
Andrea
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Post by suethejam on Nov 19, 2011 14:32:40 GMT
Lou has dreadful arthritis and when it's bad she will squeal in pain but more often she just gets a bit miserable (she is on regular anti-inflammatories and has physiotherapy, which has made a huge difference).
However we've found that occasional squeaks and drama in the otherwise fit Lynx and Ty are generally caused by pulled muscles rather than joint damage - these usually resolve with rest and the odd dose of anti-inflammatory if they're very painful.
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Post by prince on May 13, 2012 18:45:08 GMT
what is it that you look for, to know whether your grey has arthritis??
prince is not in pain. but sometimes he will get up from sleeping and his front leg he will limp on but give him 5 min and he is fine.
there is no swelling, and i have examined him closely.
i give him vetszyne flexible joint which helps maintain pain-free supple and mobile joints for dogs which are prone to joint problems like arthritis.
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Post by suethejam on May 13, 2012 19:51:02 GMT
Ok, the obvious symptoms are yelping pain when they move and lameness but that's if they're really painful.
What we've observed more often is a reluctance to do their normal stuff e.g. they may be reluctant to get up, go for a walk, or, if it's in their backs, a reluctance to jump into cars, onto furniture or go up/downstairs.
You may also observe a 'wide' gait in their back legs when they're walking and a bit of stiffness - especially in the morning.
As always, I'd advise talking to the vet sooner rather than later - supplements can be a great help, but if you're in pain you can't beat a painkiller/anti-inflammatory.
I'm sure Pat will say more - this is based on our experience of having several active dogs who became arthritic later in their lives.
Hope that helps....
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Post by Ian on May 13, 2012 20:25:05 GMT
what is it that you look for, to know whether your grey has arthritis?? prince is not in pain. but sometimes he will get up from sleeping and his front leg he will limp on but give him 5 min and he is fine. there is no swelling, and i have examined him closely. i give him vetszyne flexible joint which helps maintain pain-free supple and mobile joints for dogs which are prone to joint problems like arthritis. Sean has the getting up a limping thing very occassionally, it doesn't usually last long maybe a minute, I put it down to a pins and needles type of thing. Even rarer has been getting up and then howling with pain, in 4 years that's maybe happened 4 or 5 times. Hadn't thought it might be arthritis though, it hasn't happened for a very long time. We know his spine is good though since that was x-rayed in 2011. As yet at pushing on towards 11 thankfully, there are no real signs of him slowing down. I should have added yesterday, Sean has Cod Liver Oil Tablets daily with his meal. |
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Post by pumalass on May 13, 2012 21:13:52 GMT
We give ours vetvits for joints daily with their meals and cod liver oil capsule, Mersey is the eldest nearly 9 and was getting a bit of stiffness in her legs but since having them everyday she doesn't seem to be suffering anymore, must be a mild case.
Chris
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Post by prince on May 14, 2012 9:19:45 GMT
thank you for all your advise. i`m off to the vets this afternoon as last night he was yelping out in pain.
he is a little stiff when getting up but seems to walk it off after a few minutes. stairs and jumping in the car is not a problem, it maybe he has pulled a muscle fingers crossed.
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gail
Junior Member
Ben (the two of us)
Posts: 98
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Post by gail on May 14, 2012 19:14:59 GMT
On this subject, we started Ben on a very expensive supplement from the vet containing glucosamine and chondroitin. Our friend used to work for the company that makes it, and when we showed her the packet she seemed to think that there was not much else in there, so we started giving the same dose but from Tesco. My parents vet also gave them that advice (though it was many years ago)
I have no problem with paying for the dog tablets if they are really that much better for Ben
Advice please.
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Post by prince on May 14, 2012 19:42:57 GMT
well prince is on pain an inflammatory tablets for a week. its possible a pulled muscle but he is not sure.
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Post by suethejam on May 14, 2012 19:55:03 GMT
Fingers crossed for a pulled muscle - soft tissue injuries can take ages to heal but at least they're not chronic like arthritis.
Glad he's got some anti-inflammatories - they make all the difference!
Hope he feels better soon..
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