Max has arthritis in his spine. His bloodwork was perfect, his right hip is fine, his left hip is all jacked up with arthritis, and his spine--especially the lower back--is a mess.
He now has the tippy-top super-duper prescription glucosamine supplements from Hades, a bottle of generic Rimadyl, and a bad sedative hangover. Luckily, he's a meditative drunk rather than the pacing, panting sort.
That's him, passed out with his head on the nice cool bathroom tile. Poor guy.
If the Rimadyl doesn't do it try the Tramadol. It helped my old very arthritic big dog a lot. I think it can even be taken in addition to Rimadyl. For some reason after a year or so my dog didn't respond much to Rimadyl.
ReplyDeleteWhat to do about his messed-up spine? Is there doggy PT? Doggy core-strengthening exercises?
ReplyDeleteGlucosamine worked wonders for my arthritic dog.
Although Max is *perfectly fine* lying there as he is, of course, 'makes me somehow want to nursingly tuck a soft blanket under the part (of Max) that's not on your cool bathroom tile............ then sit down on the floor, right next to him, i.e., until his sedative wears off.
ReplyDeleteThrough cyberspace, Jo, Jack and I just love your guy Max............
My cat goes to sleep over the bathroom door frame! It's so bizarre. Awwwh, I hope he's comfortable though. Bless him! xx
ReplyDeletePlease add a Pepcid AC tablet to the pill mix once a day. Generic is very inexpensive. This will help
ReplyDeleteprotect his tummy from the Rimadyl.
I second the use of tramadol. Just be aware of side effects.
Ellan
You might ask your vet about Adequan. We have a Lab/Pointer/something mix with two bad hips...the Adequan is an injectable (kind f like injectable glucosamine or what Synvisc did for bad human knees). Some folks are comfortable learning to give it themselves, other take the dog in to the vet for the tech to give...most get into a routine of giving a dose every couple weeks after the initial series.
ReplyDeleteAwwwww . . he's a gentleman through and through except of course if he needs to give a very subtle stinkeye to the homeboys hanging out at the liquor store.
ReplyDeleteI never noticed what a beautiful color his coat is before. Gorgeous boy. . .
I have the exact same picture of my husband a couple of years ago when he got super drunk. He wasn't as hairy as Max, though.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog!
Hope the glucosamine works as well for Max as it has for my husband.
ReplyDeletewhat kind of dog is he, again? A Himalayan vastness carpet bearer, or something?
ReplyDeleteWooly, he's half German Shepherd and half Flying Flapdoodle, we think. However, I'm going to tell people from here on out that he's a Himalayan Vastness. That made me snork all over.
ReplyDeleteWe had a golden retriever that had hip issues. Started him on Rimadyl. I knew it was working the day he stood up on his back legs to steal a loaf of bread off the counter!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I give ranitidine along with NSAIDS. And yes, tramadol can be taken along with Rimadyl (check on the combo of all three though, I don't know about tramadol and ranitidine - probably ok, but I'm not certain).
ReplyDeleteIf anyone offers canine hydrotherapy (and for not too many $$$$) that can be great for arthritic dogs - lets them exercise without the as much weight-bearing.
If his arthritis ever becomes refractary (have I told you this before? Having dejá vue) email me, there are other options with compliant owners. And a gastric protectant is a good idea, as is regular blood work to check kidneys.
ReplyDeleteOh, forgot to add, I do love me some tramadol (for pets, especially exotics, can't stomach it myself, hullo severe nausea) and condroprotectants help too (like Adequan). You could try the green-lipped mussels food, we get good results.
ReplyDeleteBloody hell, am slow today! What also helps, loads, is acupuncture. A friend of mine does it and I actually saw x-rays I couldn't believe, bone degeneration just went away, wth. Improvement I expected, this? Not really. It tends to be expensive here but if you can do that, it certainly helps. Word of caution, Max should exercise daily but in moderation, nothing strenuous. NSAIDS remove the pain, not the cause, so allowing dogs too much freedom when doped can aggravate things. And now I'll finally shut up.
ReplyDelete