# 11 Year Old Golden Arthritis



## Tulley's Family (Sep 23, 2015)

Please help! My dear 11 year old has bad arthritis in her back legs. Yesterday (because she is dragging her back feet) her nail and pads on right back leg started to bleed. I knew that dragging her feet might one day cause this but she is still able and willing to take her daily walks. Any suggestions on booties and/or treatment that might allow her to continue her walks without bleeding? Thank you!


----------



## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Having had one of our Goldens who ended up dragging her rear feet due to some surgeries over the course of her life, I did buy her dog booties. I got them from RuffWear.com. Since she walked on pavement and asphalt, it was hard on the booties as well - so I took to gluing strips of leather across the toe area to make them last a bit longer. She had no problems wearing the booties, and it did protect her nails from the exact thing you are experiencing. Some of it in our case was due to arthritis and some due to nerve damage. Have you had her checked out by your Vet? Is she on any sort of Nsaid's (rimadyhl, deramax, etc) to help manage any pain? This might help her move better. Otherwise, I think the booties are your best option. They do have to be sturdy to hold up to pavement, etc. It is better to have them a little snug then loose. Too loose and the bootie ends up turning around on their foot, and catches on the pavement as they walk. Good luck!


----------



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Has your girl had a recent Sr. Wellness Check? If she hasn't, I would make an appt. for a check up including bloodwork also. 

If she tore her paw pads up a lot, she may need some antibiotics to prevent an infection. 

Are you giving her any joint supplements or pain medication? 

If not, your Vet can recommend some, there are a lot of treatments like Cold laser treatments that help with arthritis too.


----------



## Berna (Jun 14, 2016)

Feet dragging is actually neurological, has she been checked by a vet? Who gave the arthritis diagnosis and which joint is arthritic?


----------



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

^^^ This. She needs to be seen by a vet. If it is neurological, that needs to be treated. If it is arthritis, your vet can prescribe an NSAID to help alleviate the pain.


----------



## Tulley's Family (Sep 23, 2015)

Thank you! She has been checked by our Vet. She has "paw knuckling" due to arthritis in her hips. I've had her on Previcox for over a year; Dasuquin; fish oil; and NuVet vitamins. We noticed a couple of nails wearing down on both back feet which indicated she's been dragging. Otherwise she is doing well but missing her walks terribly. 

I just ordered some booties from a company in England so we will see.

Has anyone out there tried Acupunture for arthritis? 

Thanks again everyone for your quick and thoughtful replies.


----------



## Brodys Rockies (Jan 8, 2019)

I'm so sorry you and Tully are going through this. If you haven't done so already, I agree with the recommendation of having a senior wellness exam done, but I would also have a serious discussion with my vet about the long term prognosis for Tully. Meaning, what can you expect for Tully in the months and say the next year ahead regarding her condition? Does your vet believe medication will help Tully? 

Afterward, I would only encourage you to keep your heart and thoughts on what is best for Tully. I realize this is hard to do, but we all want our beloved pets to live longer so we can enjoy more time with them. Each dog and situation is different. If we focus on what is best for Tully, and not just on what we want, we'll always do the right thing for our babies. 

Keep us posted. I hope there is something your vet can do to make her life more comfortable for both of you. God Bless!


----------



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

It might be worth talking to your vet about changing her painkiller or upping her dose. The boots might help - make sure you have her wear all four so she is not off balance. Boots can be hard for some dogs to walk in, depending what kind they are, so be prepared for them not to work (sorry). 

I personally have had acupuncture, but not for arthritis. It is effective for getting very tight muscles and joints to start moving (but it is not the most comfortable thing to have done! Oh, wait - edit to add - I am thinking of dry needling. Acupuncture is not as uncomfortable as dry needling). Vets now have many different treatments they use - laser therapy, water treadmill, massage, acupuncture, etc. Do you have a rehab vet near you? They are becoming more and more common in North America, but not sure about the UK. (I am assuming you are in the UK as you said that's where the boots are coming from).


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I very highly recommend Adequan injections for arthritis.
I did try accupuncture, it doesn't help much for arthritis but it is very very helpful if there's something neurological going on.


----------



## Casco (Jan 21, 2019)

Tulley's Family said:


> Thank you! She has been checked by our Vet. She has "paw knuckling" due to arthritis in her hips. I've had her on Previcox for over a year; Dasuquin; fish oil; and NuVet vitamins. We noticed a couple of nails wearing down on both back feet which indicated she's been dragging. Otherwise she is doing well but missing her walks terribly.
> 
> I just ordered some booties from a company in England so we will see.
> 
> ...


I've had two goldens with arthritis in their older years, one of whom lived to the age of 16 with escalating arthritis as she aged. By the time she passed away, she was on tramadol, gabapentin, and novox/Rimadyl, and toward the very end of her life, sub-cutaneous adequan injections. Arthritis pain in a senior dog is a major hindrance to quality of life, so I've always favored treating it aggressively, even with the knowledge that there are potentially-serious side effects. All of the drugs I mentioned can be taken at the same time, though of course in her case, they were added one at a time over years. I see your girl is on Previcox, which is in the same class as Rimadyl.

As a result of treatment, she was active and happy until the last months of her life, and we probably got three more years with her than we would have otherwise.


----------



## Casco (Jan 21, 2019)

deleting duplicate post


----------

