Old dog, need advice (Cortisone shots or Rimadyl)
 

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?

Adequan injections helped my spondylosis sufferer a great deal
Adequan Canine - Novartis Animal Health US, Inc.

Traumeel is proving quite effective for my current old timer
Traumeel

Thank you!

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.

I have a few really old dogs too and they take pain med too, but one is getting bad enough I might have to do what I do not want to!

I have two bottles of Tramadol . And we have done alls kinds of pain med but like anything it takes it toll.

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.

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.

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.

Laser therapy. No side affects, good results. Same price as rimadyl.