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Old dog, need advice (Cortisone shots or Rimadyl)

12K views 40 replies 15 participants last post by  3dognite 
#1 · (Edited)
I have a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, he's nearly 13. He's in good health but is getting stiff and in the winter, can almost not climb up the steps. :(

The vet has given us a couple of options: Cortisone injections and Rimadyl.

Thoughts on which is better? Alternatives?
 
#4 ·
Ask your vet what kind of side effects a cortisone shot would give. I know that with oral corticosteroids, you can have issues like excessive thirst/excessive urination, weight gain, etc. and you can only use them for the short term or they cause serious metabolic problems.

Has he had a blood chemistry panel done? Rimadyl is helpful for many dogs for pain relief, but it is hard on the liver, so you'll want to know how his liver is functioning right now. If his liver isn't doing well, you probably want to look into other options.
 
#7 ·
I also have good luck with Adequan injections with my arthritic dog. She was starting to get very stiff but perked up a lot after a few shots. I am able to give them to her at home, so that saves us a trip to the vet every month.
 
#8 ·
Oh Corgis! Adorable! Good to see you 3dog! I would have sworn you were in VT!

DogAware.com Health: Arthritis in Dogs more info than you probably ever want!

Adequan for Dogs is a good article on Adequan, plus the website of the manufacturer has good info too. It's 8 loading doses - 2 a week for 4 weeks. Then you go from there - depends on the dog how often they need it (1-2x a month).

Holistic Care for Pets at the bottom she also has really good information on pain in stages - I find her info easy to read/get.
 
#11 ·
Nope, Montana. Yeah, I adore my little Corgi but their lifespan is about 14-16 years, so whatever I do, won't change that.


Thank you all so much for all the feedback. My spouse and I talked it over, and I think we're going to start with the least invasive/side effect med for now and see how he responds. He has put on some weight with the cold weather (he's 46 pounds and probably should be about 38--he's a big Corgi) and that's not helping, but the pain is keeping him from running as much as he used to so he's not getting his exercise.

Whatever the vet says has the least side-effects is the start. And he said that the injections of Cortisone are very popular and have few side effects, but we'll discuss the other options as well.
 
#9 ·
Zeel and Traumeel. I read a study that Zeel works just as well as rimadyl after 30 days of use. I put three tabs in the water bowl, and three tabs of Traumeel in Rudy's food.
Working well. I also use Cetyl M and hyaluronic acid, but I think the Zeel/Traumeel combo is giving the best results.
 
#16 ·
Laser therapy. No side affects, good results. Same price as rimadyl.
I second this idea. Laser is very effective, completely non-invasive, comfortable when being used and available at vets or animal chiropractors. My SIL markets them for the largest medical laser company in Canada and has great results recorded from dog practitioners and horse trainers. I have had laser treatment on a knee with osteoarthritis and have had good pain and stiffness relief.
 
#12 ·
Getting that weight off is really going to help!

I agree that Adequan is a great drug-really no side effects either (their study only shows side-effects in dogs that receive much higher doses than what is given).

I also just heard about Duralactin-helps with inflammation. It's a product derived from milk. An agility friend of mine got her GSD off of NSAIDs after two months of using this product.
 
#13 ·
Good thing I don't have the codes for the nuclear football! ;) There must be 3somebody in VT. :)

I don't know if it's the same in dogs, but for people, steroids put on weight big time. I don't know if the med itself helps to cause it (like some meds do all on their own) or the fact that you could pull up a chair to a buffet with a napkin tucked in your shirt and go to town, when you're on them!

If there is a place that does things like laser therapy, underwater treadmill (for weight loss - and not a lot of water needed for a Corgi!) you could try that.

And 8# weight loss will take some time to do. That's like 20% of his body weight right? I think (not good at math) that would be like a 200# person losing 40#. I am not sure the best way to do that with an older dog. :) But I am sure you can do it!
 
#14 ·
There May be a new vet in the area that has the hydrotherapy. We could probably walk him on the treadmill! :cool: We had 14 inches of snow overnight a week or so ago and the poor critter was having to tunnel to go pee! :laugh: The cold is the worst for him, he just loses his spark and willingness to gallop through the snow. :(

He's not a real energetic eater and we're going to cut him back to about 1 and 3/4 cups of food. I may start working on massaging him, that's a looooong low back that he has so some extra lovies will be good. He's a bit heavy to be carrying up those steps though!

The vet knows we want him to lose some weight so I'm sure won't push the steroids if we opt against if weight gain is a fear. And I need to get him back on the glucosamine and cosequin too, that alone may bring his sparkiness back!
 
#15 ·
I wanted to add the Duralactin so I emailed the company to see if it's safe with Zeel and Traumeel. They called me AND emailed as a followup that it's perfectly safe to give with all meds I asked about, including the Zeel and Traumeel. I am going to order some.
Best of luck!

PS. I had luck getting fourteen pounds off Rudy with Wellness Core Reduced Fat food.
 
#17 ·
Cold laser really gives my dog a boost
I am starting him on turmeric after seeing a friends dog do so well with it. It is full of natural cox-2 inhibitors (like meloxicam)
 
#23 ·
Please share with me a recommended dosing...and this is just the normal spice you buy at the store right?
 
#19 · (Edited)
Perhaps some of our members who live in your state might chime in and suggest a vet or a chiropractor. Some human chiros are also qualified to do canine treatments.

A university with a veterinary faculty would have this treatment available.
 
#24 ·
I am not certain anyone else on the board lives in Montana.... :(

But I'd be open to hearing from them if they are!

The closest university with a vet school is Colorado Springs I believe--about a 10 hour + drive.
 
#20 ·
Adequan gave me my old friend back! He went from barely going up and down stairs, and slowly moseying on a walk to wanting to RUN. He joyfully nudges us to ask to jog now on our walks and seems to enjoy them so much more.

It doesn't work overnight (most of us seem to see the effects in about week 3 of the loading dose), and it's a long-term commitment (we do maintenance shots every 2 weeks), but combined with good supplements, and exercise, it has had a DRAMATIC benefit for him -- way, way beyond the supplements alone. We did those for a long time, we also did pain meds -- the adequan was the "game changer" for him, and I wish I'd known about it earlier.
 
#21 ·
Okay so that brings up another point: Supplements. What are the good ones for a dog his age?

It's been 13 years since I had an "old" dog, and I know that things have changed.
 
#26 ·
Dang you're good, those are the two I was thinking of. I just haven't had a chance with year-end stuff at work!

And I love gross pics so I'll have to go look!:laugh:
 
#28 ·
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.
 
#33 ·
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!!
 
#34 ·
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.
 
#35 ·
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.
 
#37 ·
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.
 
#38 ·
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. :)
 
#39 ·
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).
 
#40 ·
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.
 
#41 ·
We put that on this fall before the weather got bad. He's good in the summer, but needed that extra grip in the winter. We can't use it inside on the hardwood, but it's easier at that point to put him out the slider in the basement, where he can run up the hill (that poses no problems for him so far) and then up the laundry room steps. It has helped a lot, except on days when we've had a ton of snow and I haven't shoveled off the steps yet (we've had 2 incredible storms this year, one with 20+ inches in 24 hours and one with 14).

We're thinking a covered ramp might be next.
 
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