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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on January 3, 2013 at 11:08am

We used acupuncture on my german shepherd when she started getting older and was bothered by arthritis. It seemed to help for the short term (like a week or so). Is there any option for surgery to repair her elbows and remove the bone chip? She is so young it seems like she has a long road ahead of her with arthritis and even just removing the bone chip should help decrease inflammation at least a little bit. Talk to your vet about Adequan injections, it helps lubricate the joints more effectively than oral supplements. Use a glucosamine/chondrotin combo, they work better together than giving just one or the other, and start her on fish oil, its a natural anti-inflammatory for the joints. It might also be worth trying metacam instead of Rimadyl, same drug class but works a little differently so may not cause the GI upset. Tramadol is good for pain alone so thats also a cheap pain alternative with very few long term side effects (other than sedation). Poor thing, good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Anthony on April 17, 2013 at 10:39pm

I'm in the same boat as you with my 3 year old corgi. Arthritis in the back and bowed front legs. Thus far she is on Rymidal everyday but the vet recommended Glucosamine and Fish Oil supplements in addition. I have not added those additional supplements to her diet yet as we just found out this week. The research I have done online from other corgi owners have said the same thing. A healthy weight is also critical for management. 

Did you ever try acupuncture or physical therapy?

How is your corgi doing now?

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Permalink Reply by INGRID LIN on April 18, 2013 at 11:30am

We took her to physical therapy and the therapist had her on Tramadol for about 3 months, laser therapy for 6 weeks, and water treadmill for 3 months. They also gave her monthly injection of Cartrophen. She is doing a lot better after all these treatments. She can now walk and run without issues. She is also on daily Glucosamine Chondroitin. The physical therapy costed me a fortune but totally worth it since my Corgi is just about to turn 2 and still have a long way to go. Life would be hard if she couldn't use her legs.

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Permalink Reply by Linda on April 17, 2013 at 11:27pm

I take Max for acupuncture.  He has a calcification in his neck.   He was in so much pain...pain medication didn't seem to help much plus he couldn't live on it forever...I thought I was going to have to make a decision.  I couldn't allow him to live in that kind of pain.  Someone suggested acupuncture and I couldn't believe the difference.  He had 8 treatments the first go round and then a year later he had to have 4 more....he kept following me upstairs after we had been gone for a week.  That was last September and he hasn't had any treatments since.  Max will be 10 in June and acts like a puppy.  Also weight is a big factor.  Max is a large Pem, goes 37 lbs but that appears to be a normal weight for him.

We did have to make some changes in daily things for him tho.  The vet (not my regular vet) who does the acupuncture told us to raise his water and food bowls up.  Sounds funny for a dog with such short legs but we found ones that were perfect for his height at PetSmart.  Also we were told to limit him climbing stairs.  My husband built a ramp off the deck for him too.  He seems to know he needs to stay off stairs..the only time he comes upstairs is at night when I go up to bed.  You need to take as much stress off as possible.

I was so impressed with what it did for him that I now go for acupuncture for my back.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on April 18, 2013 at 11:53am

Hi Ingrid, keep her slightly below standard weight and hydrotherapy will work much better.

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Permalink Reply by INGRID LIN on April 18, 2013 at 11:59am

I try to give her some veggies instead of doggie treats but her weight is still 27-29 lb. My goal is 25lb or below but we never reach it so far..

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on April 18, 2013 at 5:33pm

Hi Ingrid, it took sometime to gain, it'll also take sometime to come off. Since we can only exercise to a certain time limit, your biggest bet is reducing food intake. If she does not have any hormonal / thyroid  imbalance, reducing calories is the most effective.

Inflammation occurs when your joints cannot handle the weight from repeated pounding, that's why hydrotherapy helps the patient to exercise at a lighter weight (in water), by bringing blood flow to the joints (swimming) to maintain muscle mass and speed up healing.

Don't give up, pain pills and steroids are only masking the symptoms, get to the root of the problem and eliminate it all together. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Laura on April 18, 2013 at 3:36pm

I can't speak for the dogs, but I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and acupuncture has helped me   Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on April 18, 2013 at 7:18pm

Yes...acupuncture works wonders for arthritis.  I also used it for a dog with seizures...

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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on April 18, 2013 at 9:43pm

Previcox is like Rimadyl but doesn't give Rosie the bloody poops that Rimadyl did. You might try it instead. Cut down her food and replace the volume with green beans, no salt type, frozen are best or fresh. Rosie has shoulder and knee issues and we keep her slim and active. Walks are good for them. Try to avoid lots of concrete, grassy areas is better. We make sure she has a soft, comfy place to sleep but Rosie does prefer the floor esp if it is hot. Rosie had a stem cell treatment about 4 years ago and her arthritis from her shoulder injury and knee problem has shown very little progression. The vet is pleased with the fact that the arthritis is not getting worse as rapidly as it might without the stem cell treatment. Rosie is only on the Previcox if she has really overdone it and is very limpy. She has a limp all the time in her shoulder but the vet thinks it is due to a shortened range of motion and not pain. We can tell if it is pain and give her a Previcox for a day or so. She is also on Glucosamine/chondroitin as is Rocky. He is on it just because he is very active as a preventative measure. We also give Rosie a supplement called Joint Strong. It has lots of Glucosamine. The vet also recommends fish or salmon oil daily so we give her 2 salmon oil capsules per day. We just use the human kind and toss them in her kibble. It is good for the inflammation as well as good for their coat. Our goal for Rosie is to let her be a dog on as little pain meds as possible but still have her comfortable and happy. So far, so good!! The physical therapist told me once that Rosie is her own worse enemy and she is. She never walks when she can run full tilt. She throws her whole self into whatever she does and likes to do it at top speed. We tried to slow her down but it doesn't work. She is a wild child!

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Anthony on April 19, 2013 at 12:30pm

What brand of Glucosamine/chondroitin do you guys use? Is their a certain brand for dogs or do you give them the human version?

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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on April 19, 2013 at 2:21pm

I've given both the dog version and human version. Look at the dosage on the dog version to adjust the human version if your dog will eat the human ones. I just toss them in the dog's kibble and they scarf them down. The dog ones are chewable. The brand doesn't seem to matter. I buy what is on sale!

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