Hi Bronko

No, Gabe is staying. I spoke to the vet just now and asked him if this is a case where Gabe should be put down and he said no. Even though the HD is bad its also not the worst. We are now putting him on Metacam and will see how that goes. I will just keep up his other supplements and take it from there.

Good to know that your dog had a happy outcome, I feel more motivated now!

 

Again, scientific studies have proven that ZEEL is just as effective as NSAIDs without any risks. Sorry, but I worry about putting such a young pup on NSAIDs.

 

Zeel or Traumeel?

 

Hi Ruth,

I agree with you, I am only going to give Gabe the new medication until I can get my hands on the Zeel, this is only a one month maximam treatment. I have emailed countless online shops asking them if they could the Zeel to my country but no one has responded. I am very limited with what I have. If I don't get any Zeel sent this way then luckily I will be in New Zealand in April and I will stock up on Zeel there. Metacam is the only relief I can give him now. Good thing though Gabe has only been on NSAIDs for 1.5 months and will only need to be on it for one more month until I can get Zeel or Arnica. I had Gabes liver and kidneys tested the other day to make sure he was still ok and he was 100% healthy, so I am keeping eagle eye on that.

I will keep trying with the Zeel. Can you please let me know where you get it from so that I can contact the company? I googled a few websites and some in Australia, but no one has gotten back to me.

thank you,

 

Yes, my suggestion for the metacam as the best NSAID for the short term is because you CAN meter the dose down slowly, hopefully as the other things kick in an help.

 

that would be Zeel, I just read amazing reviews about this product and going to order it.

 

Sorry forgot to add the website for Zeel (this is just one of many) Homeopathy for Health

 

Zeel is for arthritis and Traumeel is for trauma. I keep Traumeel and Arnica in my house at all times!

 

Zeel has clinical evidence that it is almost as effective as carprofen....but not quite as effective. Definately worth trying as you DO avoid the side affects.

"Our results indicated that the HCP Zeel® was beneficial in alleviating chronic orthopedic pain in dogs although it was not as effective as carprofen."

Study Linked Here: Evaluating Complementary Therapies for Canine Osteoarthritis?Part II: A Homeopathic Combination Preparation (Zeel®)

To the OP you may also want to look at Duralactin it to has shown to be clinically effective anti inflammatory and provides pain relief. It interrupts the inflammation cycle at a different point of the process at a cellular level and as such may be more conducive to healing too. Link here with technical info. Duralactin® for Canines.

Also be careful with the vitamin C, some clinical indications that it may actually worsen osteoarthritis. Apparently some studies found that in humans vitamin C helped rheumatoid arthritis which is an auto-immune disease where as osteoarthritis as seen in HD is not.

Info here: Vitamin C and Arthritis: Opposite Findings for Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Also please check around the health forum as there are some threads there with more information. I know you are remotely located and hope that you can obtain meds/supplements which are clinically proven to be helpful!

My dog was recently diagnosed with HD and it can be managed, I have learned.

 

Also be careful with the vitamin C, some clinical indications that it may actually worsen osteoarthritis. Apparently some studies found that in humans vitamin C helped rheumatoid arthritis which is an auto-immune disease where as osteoarthritis as seen in HD is not.

Info here: Vitamin C and Arthritis: Opposite Findings for Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Also please check around the health forum as there are some threads there with more information. I know you are remotely located and hope that you can obtain meds/supplements which are clinically proven to be helpful!

My dog was recently diagnosed with HD and it can be managed, I have learned.

The ortho vet we took Cyra to on her diagnosis was none to keen on vitamin C supplements...he said it led to too much bone remodeling. I have not read the article but thought he might be onto something.

 

Thank you for the Duralactin link. That Vitamin C research is very interesting! I might lower Gabe's Vit C in take then just to be sure.

Gabe is now on Metacam (off the Carprieve now) until my Zeel package arrives from Australia and then see how I go from there. After 4 days of just laying down and yelping he ran for the first time today chasing the neighbours down up and down the fence. I felt so happy and relieved when I saw that. I saw an considerable change in his movements after starting the Fish oil tablets! Really happy with that.

Happy dog, happy owner!

 

I would recommend looking at studies that are done on dogs since their diseases processes are different and they synthesize C differently.

Here's a good, comprehensive summary: Ester-C: Miracle Cure for Hip Dysplasia???

 

Thanks for the link.

The only thing I would caution against is calling anything a 'miracle cure'.

I've only run across one story of a dog where the boney structure of the hip normalized with supplementation.

The best we can do is manage it to reduce the inflammation and concommitant arthritis, sans surgery.

Here's another article about Vitamin C (Ester-C), written by a vet which indicates positive results. I'm also going to put this information in my HD/Arthritis support thread in the health forum. (btw there's some discussion out there that HD may be induced by improper diets more so then genetic factors....)

http://www.arthrix.com/phil_brown.htm

 

Thanks for the link.

The only thing I would caution against is calling anything a 'miracle cure'.

I've only run across one story of a dog where the boney structure of the hip normalized with supplementation.

The best we can do is manage it to reduce the inflammation and concommitant arthritis, sans surgery.

Here's another article about Vitamin C (Ester-C), written by a vet which indicates positive results. I'm also going to put this information in my HD/Arthritis support thread in the health forum. (btw there's some discussion out there that HD may be induced by improper diets more so then genetic factors....)

Arthrix.com - Information

I definitely want to be open minded about vitamin C and dysplasia - but that article is on a product web page advertising k9 arthritis products...

 

I don't agree with the "Miracle Cure" wording either but my own experience has been that it's made a HUGE difference with Rafi and with several of my other dogs as well.

 

Gabe had an awful reaction to the Metacam! He couldn't get up anymore, wouldn't eat, wouldn't respond when I called him or sat right by his face and talked to him. There was no sign of any life in his eyes. I even gave him a smaller dose than what vet suggeted, gave him 0.7 ml instead of 1.5ml. I stopped the metacam immediately and he was back to normal the next day. I am giving him a break from the meds and then back on Carprieve on Monday. Not a good experience. I guess the meds works for different dogs and others it does not. Has anyone else had this kind of experience with these non steriod meds? I know all dogs are different but this incident really scared me!

I am massaging Gabe now and researched acupuncture points and started do practice that on Gabe myself (not with the needles, just by applying gentle pressure and using an acupuncture pen) i found a wonderful chart on Dog Acupressure (not Acupuncture) Resources - Lucky Dog Health

 

So sorry for your bad experience with metacam. I have Ilda on Meloxicam as needed for pain. She's done fine with it.

I too have been working on the accupressure and massage!

I started a general support thread for HD/Arthritis and ortho issues. On my first post at the bottom you'll find a link to videos with demonstrations of massage and accupressure to specifically help dogs with H.D. You may find these visual guides helpful too.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...s.com/forum/health-issues/175133-hip-dysplasia-arthitis-ortho-support-info.html

Gabe had an awful reaction to the Metacam! He couldn't get up anymore, wouldn't eat, wouldn't respond when I called him or sat right by his face and talked to him. There was no sign of any life in his eyes. I even gave him a smaller dose than what vet suggeted, gave him 0.7 ml instead of 1.5ml. I stopped the metacam immediately and he was back to normal the next day. I am giving him a break from the meds and then back on Carprieve on Monday. Not a good experience. I guess the meds works for different dogs and others it does not. Has anyone else had this kind of experience with these non steriod meds? I know all dogs are different but this incident really scared me!

I am massaging Gabe now and researched acupuncture points and started do practice that on Gabe myself (not with the needles, just by applying gentle pressure and using an acupuncture pen) i found a wonderful chart on Dog Acupressure (not Acupuncture) Resources - Lucky Dog Health

 

I am sorry on the metacam since it worked so well for me. I do think dogs reactions are different. All these NSAIDs are very similar with the main thing about Metacam being the ability to lower the dose so easily.

 

Can you get Previcoxx? I had a rottweiler with severe hip dysplasia. We did the FHO srugery on one of his hips at 9 months old, I did acupuncture, we lived in Hawaii at the time, so I took him swimming every single day. Around age 7 the other hip started bothering him so we put him on Previcoxx. What a difference! I swear, that drug was a miracle for him. Can you take him swimming frequently? That will really help build up muscle in the legs without stressing the joints.

 

Hi, I thought that I would share an update on Gabe’s progress. Gabe is doing fantastic! He initiated a walk outside of the garden yesterday and he pulled me all the way, I just followed him until he turned around himself to go home. He went for a walk for the first time in 4 weeks. I was doing the happy dance all the way!

He does not yelp when he gets up anymore. The first sign was the Gabe starting catching flies in the air again, which to us means that he is starting to become the gold Gabe again.

I found a chinese acupuncture on the island and will take Gabe to him tomorrow. He didn’t speak very well English, so I don’t know if he got the bit that its for a dog :-D Regardless, I will stand at his office until he helps Gabe.

Taking Gabe to the beach for the first time today.

Thank you for everyone’s advice, it really helped a lot!!

 

After reading some of these posts I feel lucky for my 4th Shepherd, Dieter. I lost 2 pretty boys Jagen and Pfeffer to bloat, two in a row at 6yrs each. Dieter has severe hip dysplasia since limping at 6 mo. X-rays showed both hips affected with the right leg completely out of socket. This is a very strong dog, he takes no meds (as he shows no pain symtoms, but is limited to walks in the woods. We take care to clear the yard of critters before he is let out, otherwise he's off like a rocket and comes back limping. The vet credits his muscle tone,and not being overweight even at 10.5 years old and 95 lbs, he is lean and musculer. I walk him daily rain or shine and theres no lethargy or limping. My luck with Shepherds has not been good and they were all top bred and expensive, so big money spent is no sureity of getting a healthy dog. I believe overall they have been overbred at thier (and our) expense....The Best To All Caring For The Best Dogs On Earth...That's Why They Can Be Some Of The Best..... WAR DOGS