Old dog, need advice (Cortisone shots or Rimadyl)

[3dognite]

Originally Posted by WVGSD

I swear by Duralactin for my old dogs. Last year I managed to convince a friend of mine to give it to her senior mule that she was considering humane euthanasia for due to ringbone disease. After a few months on Duralactin Equine, he was galloping around her pasture. Even her vet was amazed.

Duralactin comes in a canine version and an equine one too. The canine version is a vanilla flavored tablet and the equine version is butter flavored pellets. I use the equine version because I give it to multiple seniors and this saves some money.

Thanks for that feedback!

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by 3dognite

I didn't "let my dog get fat". He put on some weight that he can't afford--given that I have a GSD who is wildly underweight, it's not an owner issue.

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

I understand how the weight can just happen sometimes. I keep my dog a pound or two underweight (since he's an agility dog), but he was taking time off from agility for a muscle strain and although he was still walking and swimming, he gained about 7 lbs before I even realized it. That 7 pounds was a BIG deal for even a big dog. So that is going to be an even bigger deal for your corgi. Getting the weight off will help immensely!!

[katieliz]

cash gained 10# once and i didn't even realize it until one day i looked at him from the rear and said...bud, your is as big as a barn door, lololol...the weight can definitely creep up as they get older.

[3dognite]

Originally Posted by katieliz

cash gained 10# once and i didn't even realize it until one day i looked at him from the rear and said...bud, your is as big as a barn door, lololol...the weight can definitely creep up as they get older.

Thanks and yes it can....though Tank has always weighed in around 41 or 42 pounds til this visit. The vet has always been pleased with his weight given his size.

I think I'll bribe my almost 14 year old to start walking him when she gets home from school.

[Magwart]

Originally Posted by 3dognite

I think I'll bribe my almost 14 year old to start walking him when she gets home from school.

Slow, gentle, daily walks are very important for seniors with arthritis -- think of them as part of the therapy to make him feel better. (If it's cold where you live, maybe there's an indoor track where he would be allowed?) Not moving the hips will cause them to stiffen up, just as in people -- there's tons of research about the benefit of regular, gentle exercise for senior humans, and it affects dogs similarly. If he's been sedentary for a while, start with short walks for a week, then gradually lengthen them over a period of a few weeks to build up the endurance. He may hurt if you do too much too fast (particularly if it's been a while since he was walked regularly), so let him go as slow as he needs to, and watch him closely--his gait and body language will tell you if it's feeling good or not.

Keep in mind too that metabolism slows with age, so seniors generally need less food to maintain their weight. It may be time to cut back on his food, if he's recently started gaining weight. (Mine now eats about a third less than he consumed as a young, active adult--he just doesn't need as many calories as he used to.)

[3dognite]

Well, he's not exactly sedentary, given that we live on a steep hill, he spends a lot of the day outdoors and the yard is an acre and a half. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't move in the cold as much as when it's warm, but he's still roving to the far reaches of the fence!

We've already cut back significantly on his food since the vet visit so that should help. The biggest problem he has is on the steps, the full stair case inside and the steps into the house (6 or 8 maybe?). I've had to carry him up them a couple of times and my spouse has to quite often. He used to "get a run" at them and now when it's cold, you can tell that he just can't get that run at them.

I certainly know the benefits of regular exercise for arthritis, since I suffer from degenerative arthritis in my feet! So that's the plan right now. I did notice last night when he was standing to eat, that his back legs started to quiver a bit. It's sad when they start getting old.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Do you supplement him with some fiber, full feeling foods like green beans? There is a dog green bean diet - I always just cut down (Mary I think had a great success with that CORE) using a higher protein, higher fiber food (thinking Atkinsish) and added some fiber so they didn't feel starved. I also give the same # of treats, just different sizes.

Ruffwear Performance Dog Gear | Dog Packs | Dog Boots I am not sure if the Webmaster harness would be okay for a Corgi, though a GSD is kind of like a tall Corgi back length wise (would ask a vet) but I used that harness on my 2 seniors to get them up and down steps and in and out of the car like a piece of luggage and they loved it, I loved it. My old guy would stand at the top of the deck stairs, I would grab the handle and say "wheeee!" and he would throw his legs out so he was jumping and I would fly him down.

[3dognite]

Originally Posted by JeanKBBMMMAAN

Do you supplement him with some fiber, full feeling foods like green beans? There is a dog green bean diet - I always just cut down (Mary I think had a great success with that CORE) using a higher protein, higher fiber food (thinking Atkinsish) and added some fiber so they didn't feel starved. I also give the same # of treats, just different sizes.

Ruffwear Performance Dog Gear | Dog Packs | Dog Boots I am not sure if the Webmaster harness would be okay for a Corgi, though a GSD is kind of like a tall Corgi back length wise (would ask a vet) but I used that harness on my 2 seniors to get them up and down steps and in and out of the car like a piece of luggage and they loved it, I loved it. My old guy would stand at the top of the deck stairs, I would grab the handle and say "wheeee!" and he would throw his legs out so he was jumping and I would fly him down.

Good idea on the bulking him up with fiber. I had some leftover baked sweet potato that he absolutely loves (so does the brittany, but the GSD hates them). We rarely if ever give treats to any of the dogs, but that's a good idea--to make sure they're the same number.

And thanks for that on the harnesses. I've been thinking that something like that would be very useful to help him when he's hurting. My youngest daughter has conceded to walking him after school every day for a slight bump in her allowance too, so that'll help a lot once the sun comes back (it's dark here by 5 p.m. right now).

[Magwart]

Do you have a grippy surface on your stairs? If not, it might help him to put down anti-slip tape on each of the stair treads -- you can find it at Home Depot or Lowes. It's made my old guy feel a lot more secure on our back steps, esp. on days when they are wet.