Young Corgi with joint disease
What I want to know is, what should I expect from here on out? What can I do to improve her quality of life? I'd love to hear from other owners who have had similar experiences. I want my little girl to be happy, healthy, and comfortable. She loves to run and play, and I hate seeing her mope around like this.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nancy, Curtis and Triley on
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Hi Katie, I'm so sorry about River! Triley has Panosteitis, which is also a joint problem, although our vet says he will eventually grow out of his. We keep him on Rimadyl as well, but he keeps needing blood tests to make sure it doesn't damage his liver (he still is just a puppy). Sometimes he is fine and other times he is just having a bad day.
We try to keep him from exercising too much, so we take shorter walks and try to stop him from jumping on and off the furniture as much. It is so hard for us to watch him when he is in pain - he limps, sometimes can't stand up (he just falls back down) and the worst is when he runs around and yelps everytime he steps on his bad leg (that only happens after a day of too much exercise). We try to carry him around (although if we hold him wrong we also get a yelp) when he is having a bad pain day. However, whenever his meds are working (which is most of the time), he is the same happy go lucky pup that we know and love.
The best thing is to make sure they trust you, since I know it is very hard for dogs when they know they are vulnerable. Triley's had a number of issues (skin problems, ear infections, bad reactions to food and meds) so he's learned that he needs to let us take care of him. I am sure that as long as River isn't in pain she can have a very happy and comfortable life! Maybe just work on finding fun activities for her that don't require as much running around!
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Permalink Reply by Sam on
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I certainly would learn more about the "specific" joint disease that is being diagnosed. There are many different types. I certainly would look for alternatives the long term rimidyl which can cause some serious side effects. My senior dogs are on Glyco-flex. I have one rescue that is terribly arthritic who received adequan injections. I only administer rimidyl on very painful days. Keeping them light is most helpful. Discouraging any sort of jumping is helpful. Depending on the nature of the joints you may find hydro-therapy most helpful. Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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swim swim swim. Its great exercise and no impact on sore joints. Again, treatment depends on the type of joint disease. If it is something like severe hip dysplasia, surgery works wonders to relieve the pain and allow them to lead a happy somewhat pain free life. I would also look for an alternative to Rimadyl. She's soooooooo young to be started on that type of medication. Just an FYI, I believe they are in the process (or just completed) making a generic Rimadyl/Carprofen that is quite a bit cheaper. Ask your vet, I believe I found it on 1-800-petmeds. Rimadyl and NSAIDS in general are VERY expensive. A glucosamine/chondrotin supplement is a must and possibly something with MSM and Hyrulonic Acid. If it were me I'd probably seek advice from a holistic vet since she is so young. See if there are natural alternatives to pain management to help rebuild the cartilage and fluids in her joints. It'd be nice to manage the pain without pharmaceuticals while she is young and move to pharmaceuticals as she gets older.
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Permalink Reply by christy fry on
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HI Katie,
I had an older dog with arthritis and a bad liver so no rymadil for us. I used a variety of options to help him out, we used a joint product(human gloc./chrondridant) pills, heated pet beds, homemade heat packs(just google how), and I also bought a book called Canine Massage A complete Reference Manual by Jean-Piere Hourdebaight. I would warm up a heat pack and place it on one end or the other(shoulder/hip) and start massaging him slowly moving the heat pack around and massaging the next area's all of these things combined helped to make easier movements and less stiffness for him. This was a routine done both morning and night it would take about 20 min to get both sides done.
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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Hi Katie, I'm so sorry to read your post about River. I know how heartbreaking it is. I cried for days when Sidney, at age 3, was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia and the arthritis that goes along with it. He had FHO surgery in September and has healed really well. He went to hydrotherapy for exercise and to get strong, and it worked really well. He gets Rimadyl "as needed" and he does not need it often. He also gets Dasuquuin chews 3x a week for his glucosamine. He loves the chews and they are supposed to be really effective. I bought the first bag from the vet, but when I need more I'm going to get them from Amazon.com at about half the price. Sidney now needs to stay trim and exercise as much as he can to make his muscles strong and take pressure off the joints.
When you learn more, please let us know. Corgi kisses and prayers for River, and me he feel better really soon!
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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on
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You might want to join a yahoo group that is called conservative management. They deal with lameness and joint issues on a more holistic avenue with success. Here is the link
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ConservativeManagement/?yguid=33...
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Permalink Reply by Molly and Isabella on
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Katie, I'm so sorry to hear about River. I'm very interested to read about what you find out after River has had the xrays, etc. As a side note, our German Shepherd was diagnosed with hip displaysia at a very young age (less than 12 months). She took Rimadyl for only a week which relieved her symptoms and she never took it again. That being said, we did give her a glucosamine/chondrotin supplement for the rest of her life. I bought them at Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Costco...anywhere that had them at a good price. We didn't give her any that were specifically for animals. I suspect they'd be more costly that way. Anyway, she lived a good, full life and behaved like a puppy for nearly her entire life. She'd have flare ups every now and then, especially when it was cold or the day after a hard play. My fingers are crossed for you and River...
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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There's a lot of good info in this thread but I don't think the original poster has been around for over 2 years. :P
Erika posted at the bottom of page 1 looking for some help - Erika if you read this I would just start your own discussion as the "reply to this" posts tend to get lost sometimes.
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Wow Jane, good observation! I didn't notice...oops!
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca on
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Hello Katie
My corgi came down with that also at age 3, they said it was an auto imune disease. His 2 front leg joints totally collapsed. It was like he was walking on his elbows. Took him to an orthapedic surgeon, and they had to put plates in his legs to keep them straight. He gets around good now. They just don't bend. It was sad to see them like that. So where is it effecting your dog. He is on joint supplement and rimidyl now and then. Keep informed and look for a good ortho if needed.
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I forgot to tell you, they have that stem cell procedure now, i am doing it with my Wrangler , they said it would work wonders.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on
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I was also going to suggest stem cell treatment. Rosie had it for her shoulder and knee and she is doing great!! Talk to your vet about it. You can also go to the VetStem website and do a search for vet's in you areas who are trained in the procedure.
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