They are using sparingly the Cox-2 types drugs like Carpofen but they can cause liver problems plus they use glucosimine and chondroitin.
I have also helped them check out stem cell therapy by companies like A Cel in MD or Vet-Stem in CA.
Other options looked at include IRAP which Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein where the blood is enriched and injected into the hips.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/21668588/detail.html
A university vet also suggested accupuncture and Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy.
Shockwave Therapy has been used on humans and horses with positive results.
http://petsurgeonla.com/shockwave.html
Yeah I know but when people love their dogs. I am wondering if anyone here has tried any of these therapies. Thanks for any suggestions.
Frantzie....I do NOT know...but thank them DEARLY for not dumping him at the shelter as a LOT of people are doing with their old/ill dogs.
I’d say, top of my head, keep on with what they’re doing and make sure he’s getting SOME exercise.
What is the vet recommending?
To help with weight....have they tried a totally grain free diet?....our vet says animals will NOT gain weight on grain free food...it’s not cheap.... Good Luck.
I’d say the glucosamine and chondroitin. I’d also add MSM (sulfur compound).
The only real thing that can fix it is surgery. The above items won’t help the hip from dislocating or going out of place, it is meant to prevent and repair joint damage.
A good dog surgeon/vet is critical, especially with an older dog.
Geez Loweez!!
As a lifelong dog lover I used to think the best part about being a dog was that nobody was going to go to insane lengths to keep you alive when you were suffering an incurable condition and suffering terribly.
Take ‘im out back, shoot him in the haid.
It’s tough thing to deal with - really, the only cure for hip dysplasia is surgery, and it sounds like his is severe if they were popping out when he was a pup.
Even now at age 10 it might be too late for surgery as the arthritis caused by the malalignment of the ball and socket has probably already occurred.
My old dog had mild dysplasia in one hip and moderate in the other. We started her on Glycoflex (glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM mix - the MSM is really important to keep the inflammation down) when she started getting gimpy at age 7.
As it progressed we added in Adequan shots (injectable glucosamine) and then when that stopped working we put her on Metacam.
Metacam is an NSAID like Rimadyl or Deramaxx but with a better benefit/side effect ratio - gives you a bit more bang for the buck. It’s expensive but works great.
We finally lost her at age 14.
I’ve not heard of a lot of the treatments in your original post except for acupuncture. We opted out of acupuncture for our old girl because of the time (we both work and couldn’t take off 2 hours 3x a week to take her in - the place was pretty far away from us).
One thing I have heard of which seems very weird but apparently can have good results in severe cases is a surgery called a femoral head ostectomy. The hip “ball” is actually removed and the muscles form a capsule around the socket. The dog has to be young enough and with good enough muscle tone for this to work though.
Good luck to them, the road they are on is a tough and frustrating one....
LQ
I’m not familiar with any new therapies, but my parent’s now deceased lab mix had to have an operation for that when he was a pup. Good luck to your friends.
“They are using sparingly the Cox-2 types drugs like Carpofen”
They should be using it as needed to the max dose. Not all dogs have problems with it. And if there are problems there are other ones to try. Also sometimes there is a flare up and the non-steroidals help the crisis abate and can then be reduced. They are both pain killers and anti-inflamatory.
A Dog for Jesus
(Where dogs go when they die)
I wish someone had given Jesus a dog.
As loyal and loving as mine.
To sleep by His manger and gaze in His eyes
And adore Him for being divine.
As our Lord grew to manhood His faithful dog,
Would have followed Him all through the day.
While He preached to the crowds and made the sick well
And knelt in the garden to pray.
It is sad to remember that Christ went away.
To face death alone and apart.
With no tender dog following close behind,
To comfort its Master’s Heart.
And when Jesus rose on that Easter morn,
How happy He would have been,
As His dog kissed His hand and barked it’s delight,
For The One who died for all men.
Well, the Lord has a dog now, I just sent Him mine,
The old pal so dear to me.
And I smile through my tears on this first day alone,
Knowing they’re in eternity.
Day after day, the whole day through,
Wherever my road inclined,
Four feet said, “Wait, I’m coming with you!”
And trotted along behind.
by: Rudyard Kipling
Have you tried a dog chiropractor?
Darn dog is old and may be able to use a skateboard or other wheeled device.
My Cocker is 14 and working it still but may need a prosthetic device eventually.
Back in the 90’s I had a 6 year old lab female that developed a bad hip. Took her to the vet...she diagnosed her and said treatment will cost around $700. I asked for some time to come up with the money.
A week later Katie the black lab and I are fishing together. I’m slinging a plastic worm while throwing the ball for her. One throw errantly went into a briar thicket...Katie came out covered from head to toe with hornets.
She never limped again till she died.
there’s an old saying, “three years a young dog, three years a good dog, three years an old dog - anything more is a gift”.
It’s hard to start the process of acknowledging it’s time to start letting go. Took me 6 months to make the decision to send my 11yo gal to the Rainbow to wait for me. For the last three weeks, we did the old sheet-wrap around the body and one person on each side of her to get her outside to do her business, but there were still accidents, and she just didn’t understand why her legs wouldn’t work or why it hurt when we moved her or why she couldn’t sleep in her favorite place anymore and had to sleep in the kitchen instead.
At some point, we all come to the sad realization that quality of life for the dog has to supercede our need to love them and keep them by our side. We realize that hope isn’t enough. I don’t regret the decision to send her on ahead, except that I probably should have made it a little sooner, but love can make one selfish even when we know the object of our love is suffering. I know she loved me enough to forgive me wanting to keep her with me just a little longer.
Life has hard decisions. But we all have to face them sooner or later.
We sucessfully used acupuncture/chiropractic to resolve a neurological back problem our abused rescue dog developed when she was about 8 years old.
We are using acupuncture/chinese herbs now to treat her for chronic active hepatatis. She’s been in treatment for 17 months now and it has slowed the progression of the disease and given her a good quality of life.
LSAggie (posting on hubby’s account)
I had a 20 lb dog with the same problem, but she was light enough that I was able to carry her up and down the steps. She lived until 19 and could walk....just slowly.
Secret Agent Man is right. Surgery is the only way to fix the problem, depending on the severity of the dislocation. There’s not really anything to do except do your best to keep your dog out of pain.
Cornell University can do hip replacement, but the cost is prohibitive and rarely successful.
We have a 12 year-old Aussie who has had the problem since birth. It is getting worse as he gets older. The Deramax route didn’t work (Liver problems). He is on Tramadol for pain. It sucks because from the hips forward he is still behaves like a puppy.
The day will come soon when we have to make the decision to have him put down, but NOT like one idiot FReeper suggested to “Take ‘im out back, shoot him in the haid.”
It’s arthritis mainly. These are crystals that form around the joints, same as in humans.
Give the dog a tablespoon in water at least once each day but more if he/she will drink it, of Apple Cider Vinegar. Use the Bragg’s brand. ACV breaks up the crystals and truly gives relief to arthritis pain.
It also clears gallstones for you with discomfort.
The reason he did it was because my sisters had little kids that loved to play with the dog and due to the extreme pain the dog was in, dad was afraid one of the kids would pat him hard on the backside and the dog would naturally turn and snap at the child........which he would never have done when healthy.
It was a sad holiday weekend but it had to be done.......
Go to Costco and buy extra strength move free. Worked wonders for our golden. She likes the peanut butter we give it with too.
We got a lot of relief using Rimadyl. It gave our dog a couple more years of good life.