[SunCzarina]

Is there anything I can give Morgan - like an aspirin or something to give her some relief?

At her last visit, the vet said she was becoming arthritic. I asked him about how to help her and his response was there wasn't really anything, other than get her to loose weight - which we've done.

Last week it was really nice out and she must have over did it with walks and playing outside. hen it turned cold again and my poor girl got so stiff. I bought her glucosamine and chondroitin and started her on a course of 750 mg 2x a day to see if it helps.

In typical GSD fashion, she doesn't complain or go lay on her bed - she's been up and down the stairs like 15 times already today!

 

[Ewilliams]

I know others on here will have much more to offer in the way of advice, but I do have a few ideas. Our senior GSD had terrible arthritis in the winter. The vet prescribed Rimadyl. We did that for a little while. Then, after talking to several breeders, rescuers, etc. I tried something else and it really worked a lot better.

First of all, aspirin was one of our mainstays. I chose to give baby aspirin to keep the milligrams down and to keep from upsetting his stomach. To that we added glucosamine/chondroitin as well as a chewable vitamin c each day. Then, we added a powdered supplement to his food once a day that contained shark cartilage and Yucca . I ordered mine from Jeffer's. This really helped our boy. He seemed to be relatively free of pain and only got truly stiff once in a while.

I hope this helps.

 

[SunCzarina]

How many mg did you give per day or at a time? I cant get out until tomorrow and don't have any baby asprin (pediatrician is very against it) but I do have regular bayer in the house.

 

[arycrest]

In addition to joint remedies, there are pain medications for dogs available from your vet. The Hooligans take Metacam and Tramadol for various aches and pains including arthritis - when taking these meds, you have to get periodic bloodtests. Over the years I've also used Ascriptin and Bufferin.

 

[debbiebrown]

i would also add the adaquin shots, it helps tremendously with arthritis.

debbie

 

[Ewilliams]

Regular has 325 mg and the chewables were 81 mg, so I would not give that much. I know I NEVER give aspirin to my kids, only had it on hand for the puppers. It is very dangerous for kids, especially if they have had a recent illness or fever, due to Reye's Syndrome. I gave one 81 mg twice daily, but he was an XL GSD, about 117 lbs and stood well above my waist.
Please check with your vet to make sure it is safe for your dog. My vet was not comfortable with alternative therapies, even though they worked better than Rimadyl or tramadol. He wanted me to buy the meds from him, so I switched doctors.
Even if you don't start your girl on these things, it is still good to pick up a bottle of the aspirin just to have on hand for the dogs in case you ever need it. All my neighbors know I have a doggie first aid kit and I get calls all the time. Lucky for the dogs, I try to stay prepared.

One more thing- if you do the aspirin- start slowly. One per day for a week before you add the second if needed. Also, watch her stools. If they become loose, cut back. Although I never had any poop problems with my guy, it can happen. Good luck!

 

[SunCzarina]

Thanks! That's funny about the dog first aid kit...

She seems better this afternoon but I'll put baby asprin on my shopping list. My vet doesn't seem ready to give her medication and neither am I since she only seems to have problem when the temperature has dramatic swings.

 

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Adequan and joint supplements to start. I think those will help to fix the arthritis more than cover it up. She's only going to be 7 right?

I wonder how soon to start on Adequan? Anyone have thoughts on that?

There is a lot you can do.

I would do bloodwork before starting anything, including aspirin, if you haven't done so recently.