# What to do for your golden's arthritis



## abradshaw71 (Jan 13, 2014)

Just wondering what others are doing to help their goldens with arthritis other than regular pain medication. I've noticed some stiffness in Josie lately when she gets up from laying on the floor. She injured her shoulder a couple of years ago and every once in a while it seems to flair up. Lately, the stiffness has been more frequent. I've had her on glyco flex for a year now hoping to prevent some joint issues. In December, after a major flair up, the vet prescribed Galliprant. Josie doesn't tolerate rimadyl at all, so this was given to her instead. It really did help, but I'm not sure I want her on a pain medication every day. Swimming does help a lot, so I rarely see her stiffness in the summer when she's able to be in the pool or lake on a daily basis, but I live in Michigan, so that option is only available about 6 months out of the year.

Any thoughts or suggestions?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I've always had my guys on joint supplements. 

Lots of swimming in the summer. My boy turns 9 in March, so far I have not had to add any pain meds. 

Here is a thread one of the members who is a Vet put together several years ago-

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...supplements-etc-arthritis-joint-problems.html


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## joro32000 (Feb 25, 2017)

The cold laser therapy was the best treatment for Buddy severe arthritis. At first I was skeptical about a value of a laser therapy, but after a few short sessions I really noticed an improvement. I also tried many supplements such as Sashas Blend, but I couldn't tell if it made any difference.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Sashas Blend was extremely effective with my last Golden. It takes about six weeks to see improvement, but it definitely helped her a lot with stiffness. But when her pain caused her to limp at about age 10, I went to a daily NSAID, which gave her a whole new lease on life. She never limped again, and continued to play ball until shortly before her death at 12.


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## Deborus12 (Nov 5, 2017)

When our girl started to really show stiffness, we started her on Adequan shots. We always had her on joint supplements, but the addition of Adequan took her to age 13 before we had to add any pain meds. If you are not squeamish about giving a shot in the muscle, you can get a script from the vet and order the med on line. We have horses and used the multi-dose vial for horses as it is exactly the same thing. You just need to get the dose from your dog's vet which goes by weight. Your vet hopefully can give you good advice on this. Our girl never minded the shot and always knew there was a cookie waiting for her.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

I started treating my almost 10 yr. old girl, Kaya, for arthritis with CBD (cannabidiol) oil, (has no THC) about 2 months ago and it has worked and is working, well for her. It has relieved her symptoms, walks are no longer a 'chore' for her, and she has a renewed interest in life, and 'bounce' in her step.


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## abradshaw71 (Jan 13, 2014)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> I've always had my guys on joint supplements.
> 
> Lots of swimming in the summer. My boy turns 9 in March, so far I have not had to add any pain meds.
> 
> ...


Thank you for this thread. I had searched before posting and wasn't finding anything, but this is just what I was looking for!


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## abradshaw71 (Jan 13, 2014)

Sweet Girl said:


> Sashas Blend was extremely effective with my last Golden. It takes about six weeks to see improvement, but it definitely helped her a lot with stiffness. But when her pain caused her to limp at about age 10, I went to a daily NSAID, which gave her a whole new lease on life. She never limped again, and continued to play ball until shortly before her death at 12.


Thank you for the recommendation on Sashas Blend. joro32000 had mentioned it too! What is a NSAID?


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## abradshaw71 (Jan 13, 2014)

Deborus12 said:


> When our girl started to really show stiffness, we started her on Adequan shots. We always had her on joint supplements, but the addition of Adequan took her to age 13 before we had to add any pain meds. If you are not squeamish about giving a shot in the muscle, you can get a script from the vet and order the med on line. We have horses and used the multi-dose vial for horses as it is exactly the same thing. You just need to get the dose from your dog's vet which goes by weight. Your vet hopefully can give you good advice on this. Our girl never minded the shot and always knew there was a cookie waiting for her.


Thank you for the suggestion. I can handle injections. I've been a Type 1 diabetic since the age of 8.


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## joro32000 (Feb 25, 2017)

abradshaw71 said:


> What is a NSAID?


Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. A few drops of Metacam a half an hour before the walk made a huge difference for Buddy, no limping, trotting like a young healthy pup.


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## abradshaw71 (Jan 13, 2014)

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions. I appreciate your help!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Dasuquin joint supplements are good, I used to give them to my guys. I switched about a year or so ago to a joint supplement that has turmeric in it. 

Here is Dasuquin's website, they also have an advanced formula that I've heard is really good. Not sure if you can get it anywhere except through your Vet yet. 

Products | Dasuquin.com


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## djg2121 (Nov 22, 2015)

I’ve been prescribed Deramaxx, also an NSAID, when my old dog went through some arthritic changes. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I totally agree about the Adequan injections.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

abradshaw71 said:


> Thank you for the recommendation on Sashas Blend. joro32000 had mentioned it too! What is a NSAID?


Non steroidal anti-inflammatory. Tesia did amazingly well on Deramaxx, but there are several options. I'm not sure how much was known about preventative care when she was growing up. I gave her glucosamine from the time she was very young, but honestly, only heard of Sashas Blend when I moved to Toronto and people were talking about it at the park. When I asked my vet about it, she fully endorsed it - and explained to me all about the green lip mussel and stuff. But I do not remember other things being suggested, like Dasuquin, or injections or anything. She was a very active ball player, but we didn't compete in any dog sports, so I wasn't around people who might have known more. I wonder if those products maybe weren't really widely used yet at that point, too. 

My current dog (almost 5) is on lots of preventative joint care. She has no stiffness or pain, but we want to keep it that way, as she is very active and does compete in some dog sports. She gets Omega 3 fish oil supplemets, and Dasuquin daily. Plus, she gets a Cartrophen shot monthly that I give her.


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## Yaichi's Mom (Jul 21, 2012)

Dr Peter Dobias and Dr Megan Kelly just did an amazing webinar on the subject of Pet Arthritis.

I don't know if there is an alternate link other than Facebook, however IMHO it is excellent. 

https://www.facebook.com/drpeterdobias/videos/10155546235507730/


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

Teddy is young but he has hip displasia. 
He takes a blend of turmeric, devils claw, bromaline, Solomon’s seal, burdock, marshmallow, black pepper daily in the morning. Then glucosamine, fish oil and Vit E at night. 
He hasn’t had to have an RX pain pill in almost a year. 
https://www.thepossiblecanine.com/herbal-support-for-arthritis


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

My discussion with pet owners goes over all options available:
1. Weight- most of my patients are overweight and need to lose at least a few pounds. A lean dog is going to be able to handle arthritis much better than even a slightly heavy dog. *This is the number one thing I stress with owners* for dogs who have arthritis because it is reversible. 

2. Exercise- low impact exercises are super important. Walks, swims, playing out in the yard at their own pace. What you don't want is for your pup to not be active, which will stiffen joints. 

3. Drugs: NSAIDS are the mainstay of therapy for arthritis. I usually reach for carprofen first as it is the one we have in hospital and used most often. We also have meloxicam as an option. There are tons of other choices. The newest 'not quite an NSAID but works in a similar way... Galliprant. We don't carry it, I don't know much about it yet, but it is very expensive. With starting NSAIDs, I like bloodwork to make sure that your pups organs can handle the drugs (the nice thing is this can screen for other diseases as well and give us a good baseline). Depending on the drug, I recheck a small panel 30 days after starting (liver or kidney) and then every 6 months. I also tell owners that they can use these drugs on an as needed basis or can do it once to twice daily depending on the drug. Other drugs can be used, but non are as effective as NSAIDs with pain. Tramadol and gabapentin are the next that I reach for, but we don't have great evidence (especially tramadol) that it works very well in dogs. Though we do tend to see that these drugs work better when used in combination of an NSAID. 

4. Diet: this goes along with weight. I do recommend a joint diet (j/d) as it has high omega 3's in it (higher than you can give just by giving supplements). If your dog is overweight, there are also prescription diets that can be used. 

5. Supplements: Glucosamine + Chondrotin w/ MSM I absolutely think all patients should be on as well as an omega-3 supplement (if they aren't on a joint diet). There isn't great evidence for the glucosamine supplements are effective, but they are very safe. While I don't use them very often, my associate will prescribe curcumin and boswellia as they both have anti-inflammatory effects. 

6. Alternative therapies: Cold laser therapy, acupuncture and adequan injections. I always push to do either one or all of these. Adequan takes a few months to start to show any added benefits, but acupuncture and laser- you can see the benefits from day one. A newer one in the companion animal world is platelet rich plasma treatments directly into the joints. 

7. Surgery- just going to leave this option here as it really depends on where your dog is having arthritis, the cause, and age. Elbows or shoulders? Maybe an arthroscopy is needed. Hip dysplasia? Total hip replacements or FHNE's are a possibility. Some of these procedures are 'salvage' procedures and should be considered as last resort options. Others would be most beneficial at the start of clinical signs. 

All in all, just discuss all your options with your veterinarian 

I probably forgot something, but this generally sums up my conversation with owners for arthritis.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Where in Michigan are you?

If there had been an injury - I'd look into alternative therapy first before loading on pain killers, especially if she's young. Long term use of pain killers can cause problems....

In the Ann Arbor area, there is a really good chiropractor/rehab vet that everyone uses.


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## Berna (Jun 14, 2016)

My boy is almost 12. He was hit by a car 2.5 years ago, had to undergo hip surgery for a dislocated hip. He also has HD in his other hip, ED in his left elbow and spine degeneration (bone spurs - spondylosis).

Supplementation: Vitamin C (Ester C 1000 mg), Vitamin E (200 IU), Flexadin Advanced, Glucosamine & Chondroitine supplement (Chondro Super), Turmeric Paste, Salmon oil every other day, Apple Cider vinegar every other day, Coconut Oil every other day.

Exercise: Walks (mostly on leash). 40 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes in the afternoon and 20 minutes in the evening. Swimming during summer.

Diet: Homemade raw, no carbs.

During flare-up: Previcoxx for 5 days. Physical therapy (electric stimulation, different modalities) for 15 days.

I'm keeping him slim, and am trying to keep his muscle tone with walking and swimming (when possible) and with a high protein diet.

I am reluctant to put him on NSAIDs long term.


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