(Disclaimer: Yes, we’re going to be bringing her to the vet as soon as we’re able to afford it. In the meantime, though…)
Ember is our 14-1/2 year old Border Collie/Aussie Shepard mix. She’s always been very active, very bouncy (we like to joke that she thinks she’s 10, not 14). Like most dogs, she started to become a bit arthritic once she hit the double digits. We had her on both Rimadyl and Deramaxx, both each for maybe a 2-3 month period. She didn’t react well to either of them. Our vet said at the time that her arthritis was mild enough for baby aspirin and an OTC glucosomine/chondritin supplement. We’ve been giving her the latter all long; the aspirin only when she seems very sore, maybe twice a week at the most?
Our finances are very tight at the moment, so going to the vet is out. In the meantime, though, what else should we do to help her? I don’t like giving her the baby aspirin continuously, the supplement doesn’t seem to be working anymore…we’re at a loss. Any thoughts? (for the record it’s in her hips, but more in her left hip – there are times when she won’t put down her back leg because she can’t bear the weight).
If anti inflammatories alone aren’t helping, it might be time for one plus a drug for straight pain control, like Tramadol. There’s really nothing else to do but keep her comfortable for as long as you can. Sorry.
Yep, I was going to suggest Tramadol, as a bonus it’s much cheaper than Rimadyl. If/when finances improve you might think about acupuncture. My dog’s only had one treatment so far, but I notice a big difference, although he had something called prolotherapy at the same time and I’m not entirely sure which procedure was the most effective.
My knowledge is more horse-based – Do they do steroidal joint injections in dogs? What about intramuscular Glucosamine (Adequan IM)?
What’s the quality of your OTC Glucosamine? Does it include MSM? Hyalonuric Acid? Omega3 fatty acids? To my knowledge Cosequin and Corta-Flx are the only two brands with double blind veterinary studies showing effectiveness (I THINK Cosequin is the only one with a study done on dogs). If you’re using something you got at the grocery store, I would try switching.
Smartpak has great prices and great service; I used them all the time for my horse, but they also sell many dog products. You might also be able to use some of the flavorless bulk powders sold on the equine side, which tend to be much cheaper per serving than the treat-style pills for dogs. Ask your vet.
