Alternatives to Rimadyl?

8796 Views 16 Replies 11 Participants Last post by 3K9Mom, Aug 16, 2008

lmkersnick

Discussion Starter · Jul 21, 2008

Are there any alternatives to use for arthritis associated with hip dysplasia? - My poor puppers started limping on her right hind leg, which initially we thought she had hurt herself getting down from the chairs in the waiting room at the vets after one of her chemo treatments (she has lymphoma). I mentioned her limping to the internal meds vet, who kept an eye on it, but suggested a visit with a surgical vet when she noticed some muscle wasting. - She x-rayed and we found that Mitzi hardly has any hip socket to speak of, and has some arthritis. I know she said the Rimadyl would not interfere with any of the Chemo meds, but if there's anything out there that would be more natural to use, I'd rather not pump my dog full of all kinds of medications that might have other effects. I have heard warnings that Rimadyl can have bad effects on the heart - and she's already involved with a cardiotoxic chemo medication. I know they'll be keeping an eye on her heart and liver functions, but still...
Oh, and just to throw this in the mix, Mitzi has EPI, so I have to watch whatever I give her anyway -

Oh - should I mention that she's not quite 4? - So I'm not dealing with an older dog here, but we'd like to keep her around as long a possible, as long as she's feeling good and we can keep the cancer at bay....

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Lauri & The Gang

· #2 · Jul 21, 2008

Salmon oil - 1000 mgs per 10 pounds of body weight (maybe ramp up to that amount?).

Removing as much grain as possible from the diet should also help.

Fodder

· #3 · Jul 21, 2008

Wow, she's got a bit more going on than i bet you bargained for eh? Poor girl... I've got a "severe as they come" HD girl. she surprised each doctor thats viewed her xrays because she's so mobile, so i always get sent home with "well keep doing what you're doing". and what i'm doing is:

Nupro Silver Joint Supplement & Ester-C

that seems to keep her pretty comfortable (despite my stairs, truck, and concrete floors, aka all the no-no's) if we're planning a trip i usually double up on everything the week prior, and she gets a childrens aspirin on an as needed basis (after swimming, hiking, etc).

last but not least - keep her as lean as possible!!! i feed raw 3-4 days a week, and wellness X canidae platinum kibble which averages out to low 30% protein and about 12% fat if i remember correctly.

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lmkersnick

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 21, 2008

http://caninecaviar.com/specialneedsdry.html

this is what she gets now, with about 3 tbsp non-fat plain yogurt mixed in, after the enzymes do their thing. -
how would you suggest ramping up? She's about 75 lbs, and so is on 75 mg of Rimadyl 2x/day for now, which I'm getting close to having to re-fill, and I'd rather not if the salmon oil will work. I think I can get some at our local GNC store, but not sure of the quantity.
- would I mix the salmon oil in just before feeding her, like I do with the yogurt?

lmkersnick

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 21, 2008

Originally Posted By: CamerafodderWow, she's got a bit more going on than i bet you bargained for eh? Poor girl...

um, yeah... and we were told her hips were guaranteed... but ever since the epi diagnosis, I've been wishing I could contact the breeder again, just to let them know that they should maybe not breed these 2 parents again.... they've disappeared. We were in touch with them for about a year after we got her, here and there.

Originally Posted By: Camerafodder30% protein and about 12% fat

With the epi she needs the low fat/ low fiber - I can never remember off the top of my head the %'s..... but they say with the cancer she should have more fat than what she can absorb.

Yeah - more issues than we bargained for, but I wouldn't trade her... would love to have another one, if I could by-pass the health issues....

lmkersnick

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 22, 2008

Camerafodder ~
How much of the Nupro Silver Joint Supplement & Ester-C would I give a 75lb dog?

Any many thanks to both you and Lauri & the Gang for the quick responses!!

Fodder

· #7 · Jul 23, 2008

i give gia 2 scoops which is the dose for 70+ pounds. i overdosed the first 2 months to get it good in her system, then went back to what was recommended. i can never remember the exact mg of ester c that i give, but i believe its 2000mg in addition to whatever small amount is in the nupro.

JeanKBBMMMAAN

· #8 · Jul 23, 2008

Thank you for taking such good care of Mitzi.

Well it's not natural, but Tramadol is a nice pain killer. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_tramadol.html just something to ask about!

I also don't know if Adequan would be a good thing in this situation-you definitely have a lot going on.

I give my two old dogs Synovi G3 and my young dogs Glyco-Flex. The old dogs also get DMG from Vetriscience, which isn't specific to joint issues, but is my favorite supplement in terms of healing (and I have nothing to back that up really). I just bumped a thread up in the regular health section about Cetyl-M. Another thing is hyaluronic acid.

My dogs used to get Nupro-but it made the poop eaters want to eat poop more! So it's good stuff-coming and going! BLAH!

This site has some good information: http://www.helpyourdogfightcancer.com/

Aloha gives their Magic Bullet Fund dogs their supplement: http://www.helpyourdogfightcancer.com/supplements.html

http://dogcancer.net/ which of course is not a cure, or anything that might even help the arthritis, but something to check out.

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LisaT

· #9 · Jul 23, 2008

for the joints

glucosamine/chondroitin (I would start with something like Cosequin to see what kind of reaction you get)

cetyl myristoleate
Msm
vitamin c

JKlatsky

· #10 · Jul 27, 2008

I've also heard Ester-C can be good, as well as joint supplements.

Also not natural, but I know people who use Deramaxx and swear by it for arthritis and HD problems.

Someone I know who worked with a study of it at the UF Vet School had participants crying because they never thought their dogs would move so well again...I guess it depends on how severe the pain is.

EastGSD

· #11 · Jul 30, 2008

Vetriscience Glycoflex 3 is helping Emma tremendously.

Cherri

JeanKBBMMMAAN

· #12 · Jul 30, 2008

Also, don't know if it's okay to do, but chiropractic or acupuncture?

BowWowMeow

· #13 · Jul 30, 2008

We ought to run a trial here with all these different supplements!

Rafi and Chama get Springtime Inc's Longevity. It has been amazing for Rafi (who has HD and ED) and also works well for Chama's arthritis too.

http://www.springtimeinc.com/product/121/2

StrongBones

· #14 · Aug 14, 2008

You might want to try a new product called Osspet. It's a 100% natural product based on eggshells - it works great for joint and bone problems.

In the interest of full disclosure, the manufacturer of this product is one of the companies I work for, but I'm not a spammer and I do not intend to abuse this forum, I'm just trying to be helpful.

Check out the website for more info and please feel free to ask me specific questions if you have any. I have personally seen some dramatic transformations in dogs with a lot of joint pain and stiffness, usually within the first two weeks of taking it.

Good luck!

3K9Mom

· #15 · Aug 15, 2008

I've been using Schiff's Move Free Glu/Chond (human formula) for a zillion years. They somewhat recently (approx end of 2007 is when I bought my first bottle) changed their formula to add Chinese Skullcap and Black Catechu (which really bugged me. I hate when manufacturers start changing products that work well. And they didn't return my emails asking about these new ingredients.) Nevertheless, I ran the new formula by my holistic vet who said these are anti inflammatories and she liked them in small amounts.

And I hate to admit it, but I've seen a bit of improvement in my senior. So this supplement/these herbs are something to consider. I don't know enough about dosage, except what's in the capsules I give. I'd recommend going to a holistic vet for that info.

The one thing I DON'T like about this new formula is that MSM was taken out. So I have to give that separately.

Additionally, I use ester-c, fish oil, a good multi-vitamin (the value of which I think is often overlooked, esp on kibble-fed dogs), and a grain-free diet supplemented by cooked meat and veggies.

I avoid all grains, potatoes and other foods prone to cause inflammation, and I look to add anti inflammatory foods (anything from extra-virgin olive oil to fish to blueberries) to her diet whenever possible. I use this site, http://www.nutritiondata.com, to help me evaluate food for their ability to cause or counteract inflammation when I'm not sure.

Strong Bones -- question for you. In addition to calcium, does your manufacturer add phosphorous to their product?

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middleofnowhere

· #16 · Aug 15, 2008

for muscle wasting massage down the back, either side of the spine, toward the tail. Then massage the "thighs." It worked for us.

3K9Mom

· #17 · Aug 16, 2008

Oh, yeah, thanks Mid. Not everything important is an oral supplement. (Duh!

)

My dogs get water therapy (one hour of warm water swimming and massage) once a week and we've been doing this for a couple years now. HUGE benefit. Probably the single-most important thing we do .

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