# Laser Therapy vs. Adequan?



## embreeo (Aug 19, 2006)

I have an 11 yr. old female who was extremely athletic and energetic until about a year ago. I noticed her slowing down but thought maybe it was due to the fact that we had just put our 13 yr. old male down and she was missing him. A couple of months later, I noticed that she was having a little bit of trouble getting up off our tile floors. I took her in to my vet and, after some discussion, he put her on a low dose of Rimadyl to treat what he suspected was arthritis. Over the course of the next three months, she didn't seem to be getting much better, even with an adjustment of the dosage. I also noticed that her left rear foot was turning in when she walked. When I ran out of the pills, I took her back to the vet and before prescribing more medication, he suggested a blood panel. The results showed slightly elevated liver enzymes (which I was kind of expecting) but everything else was fine. We also did Bile Acid Test which came out normal. My vet then gave me some liver cleansing pills and told me to come back in a month - in the meantime, he prescribed Tramadol for the pain. That month, with no anti-inflammatory or steriod, she got much worse. Her rear left leg began to shake and it even got to the point where she was holding it up. To make a very long story short, we ended up putting her on Dexamethasone which seems to be working. She has been on this for several months now and I have weaned her down to .75 mg a day but that is as low as I can go. (I tried every other day, but she is just not as comfortable.) I am well aware of the side effects which is the main reason I am now contemplating alternative treatment. Although I have been able to keep her weight down (62 lbs.), her panting is excessive, especially at night. I am not sure if this is because she is uncomfortable, hot, or thirsty, but it drives me insane as she sleeps on the foot of my bed.

Now that I have given you some background, the purpose of my post is to see whether anyone here has tried Adequan or laser therapy. From what I've researched so far, both seem much safer than steriods and neither seem to have harmful side effects. Both require multiple treatment schedules initially and then a gradual weaning down. Is one better than the other? And, if you know, which is more cost effective in the long run? I was given the following cost estimates:

Adequan: $55 per injection (Approximately 2 per week for 4 weeks, initially) and then as needed

Laser: $135 for 3 sessions, then $40 for each additional session (X-rays would be a prerequisite for laser treatment )

I would appreciate any input anyone can give me if you are familiar with either of these treatments. Thanks in advance!


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

"Laser: $135 for 3 sessions, then $40 for each additional session (X-rays would be a prerequisite for laser treatment )"

That is quite a bit more expensive than where I live, but I started having laser therapy and acunpuncture done for my senior when the meds (rimadyl and prednisone) stopped working. I only had him for 2 months after we started the holistic approach, but there was a noticeable and immediate improvement. His front legs trotted and his hind legs did the frankenstein stroll on the way in and he was walking normally on the way out. Honest.

Acunpuncture most likely wouldn't work with your girl's meds and I didn't have acupuncture when Copper was on prednisone, but the laser therapy did work even though he was on a steroid. 

In my opinion laser therapy would be worth a try. My vet didn't offer adequan and by the time the forum made me aware of that option it was close to the end so I don't know anything about those. Others do though.

Is she taking a good chondroitin/glucosamine supplement? That seemed to help too.

There are many, many threads about these issues under the senior section too and you should check them out. I know I posted when things were going on and might forget to tell you something important now.:doh:


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

Have they taken xrays of the leg yet? Does the leg ever appear swollen or feel hot? Just wondering because at that age unfortunately could be a number of things besides arthritis..(like bone cancer, sorry had to say it). I lost my other golden to it and started out much like yours :-(. I would def. do an xray just to be on the safe side if you haven't already. 
As far as laser or adequan..it really depends on what is going on. If it is arthritis I would try adequan first. It really does seem to help quite a bit. Laser can be used in conjuction with it as well. Our prices are somewhere around $220 or so for a package of six treatments. Good luck, hope you get her some comfort soon!


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## embreeo (Aug 19, 2006)

Coopers-mom: I've had her on Arthri-Soothe Gold (the equine powder formula, modified to a dog dosage) from when she was about 8-9 yrs. old. Also, thank you for alerting me to the threads in the senior section of this forum. I'll be sure to check them out.

OnMyWay: I haven't done x-rays yet but will do so if I decide to go with the laser therapy. My understanding is that the Adequan will work on all joints so x-rays are not really necessary. Her legs are not swollen and her feet are not hot. The other remote possibililty that we talked about was a torn cruciate ligament (due to the way her foot turns in and the way she was holding her leg at the time). My vet palpated her knee to see if it had the drawer syndrome but he said he couldn't feel it. That is not to say that she doesn't it ... however, he also said x-rays might not show the ligament. The best way to tell for sure is an MRI which is $$$$ just for the diagnosis. It is also my understanding that the only "fix" for a torn cruciate ligament is surgery which runs around $2500-3000, with a 4 month recovery. Additionally, I was told that it is not uncommon for the other knee to go out within a year ... so then I would be looking at $6000 in surgery costs, plus the cost of the MRI. If she were a young dog, I'd probably consider it if I had to, but not at her age now.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

If your girl weren't on steroids I'd suggest acupuncture because it's very beneficial for arthritis and hip dysplasia. Were neurological/spinal issues mentioned by your vet? I hope it isn't a ligament tear because those can be painful for the dog. 

Adequan works well for some dogs, not others. We used it on our first golden with limited success. Acupuncture worked better for his severe hip dysplasia. We bought a bottle of the medication with some syringes, refrigerated it, and injected him ourselves to save money and time going to the vet. 

Glucosamine/chondroiton/msm seem to help dogs with joint issues. In addition omega 3 (DHA/EPA parts) help with inflammation. Search for threads on using them. Also check out Iowa Gold's sticky in the Health section about medications and supplements for this. http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...supplements-etc-arthritis-joint-problems.html

Massage helps as well. We had success with acupuncture with both our hip dogs, but the second vet we used also did chiropracty, massage, laser therapy and B injections--our second boy did very well with these treatments, but acupuncture doesn't work well with steroids in a dog's system.


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## embreeo (Aug 19, 2006)

Dallas Gold: Yes, we did discuss spinal issues and if it is spinal stenosis, the treatment would basically be the same as what we're doing. She doesn't seem to have any neurological problems - she's still sharp as a tack, although her hearing is slowly diminishing and she has as teeny tiny cataract in the lower part of one eye. She still swims and wants to play ball, although not as vigorously as she once did.


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## GoldenMum (Mar 15, 2010)

I have both Bonnie and Clyde (both 10 yrs.)on Adequan, but it is about 50% less here. I have noticed a slight improvement in Bonnie, but she wasn't as stiff. Clyde could no longer get into my truck without assistance...he now leaps in again.......it has been so worth it. My vet is great and lets me just pay for the shot (about $25.00) and no appointment. They just do it in the recpion area between patients! When Hobbes, my two year old had double OCD shoulder surgery, he was on it through rehab.....pm me if you want to discuss it..


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

OnMyWay: I haven't done x-rays yet but will do so if I decide to go with the laser therapy. My understanding is that the Adequan will work on all joints so x-rays are not really necessary. Her legs are not swollen and her feet are not hot. The other remote possibililty that we talked about was a torn cruciate ligament (due to the way her foot turns in and the way she was holding her leg at the time). My vet palpated her knee to see if it had the drawer syndrome but he said he couldn't feel it. That is not to say that she doesn't it ... however, he also said x-rays might not show the ligament. The best way to tell for sure is an MRI which is $$$$ just for the diagnosis. It is also my understanding that the only "fix" for a torn cruciate ligament is surgery which runs around $2500-3000, with a 4 month recovery. Additionally, I was told that it is not uncommon for the other knee to go out within a year ... so then I would be looking at $6000 in surgery costs, plus the cost of the MRI. If she were a young dog, I'd probably consider it if I had to, but not at her age now.[/QUOTE]

Cruciate would be painful..poor thing. I had an older mixed dog 15 or 16 who got one. We just kept her comfortable with pain meds. Surgery at that point was also not a good option. We usually take xrays for any dog suspected of cruciates just to make sure their is nothing else going on. I would assume she's toe touching when she's walking? That's also a tell-tale sign. I would opt for adequan first to help with that knee joint and if not getting all that you would like try the laser. It does take a good 4-6 times to reallly see an improvement if you do see one. Sometimes we do see one..sometimes not. really depends on how bad it is. Good luck and hope she feels better soon!


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## embreeo (Aug 19, 2006)

Started my girl on Adequan today ... hoping for the best. I will update with the results I get once the initial treatment phase is complete.


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