hi i have been on the net for info about my chesebeke bay male....hes 9 years old and over the last few months been showing sign of his age, finding it difficult to get up and generally slower.
yesterday i noticed a very definate limp in his back foot although its not his hips, it does bother him but hes still in a good mood and asking to play chase(i have just had him in the garden so he can relieve himself and straight back inside and put a pressure bandage on it, wondering whether to feed him a couple of paracetomol? as i mentioned his whole back end is quite weak these days and im just looking for some advice about the limp and generally how i can make next couple of years easier for him, my friend said to start giving him cod liver oil? ive booked him in to see the vets in the morning but thought i would ask aswell.....hope this makes sense(i dont post very often!) thanx for any replys
                                  Emma x

Hi Emma - don't give him paracetamol without your vet's say-so; I work with a vet and over the years we've had to treat several dogs for poisoning after a well-meaning owner gave them paracetamol.

Your vet will be able to prescribe a safe pain-killer/anti-inflammatory; there are some that can be given long-term for arthritic conditions. Glucosamine and chondroitin are safe supplements for easing movement in dogs.

Hi Emma

Sorry to hear about your boy.  Chesapeakes can suffer from a condition called CDRM  (also known in other large breed dogs such as GSDs).  This site explains more about it   http://www.provet.co.uk/health/diseases/cdrm.htm  Hopefully this is not the case with your boy but no doubt your vet will also have this at the back of their minds when they see him.

Paracetamol definitely not a good idea - your vet will be able to provide you with something much safer and more effective.  Distressing to see them like this isnt it :-(

I use youmove tablets from yumega and RA Oil double strength.  Just started on a homeopathic one RRA which seems to be having an effect and boosting everything.  I give mine Ibruprophen but under vet instruction to keep the dose safe.  I have give baby ibruprophen before with no problems.  I found this worked better than Metacalm from the vet.

Have you checked for slipped kneecap or anything stuck in the paw, could be very small.

There's a few threads a little further down on suppliments, really useful.

Hope you get good news at the vets.

I was told by the vet to give my old cocker a daily Aspirin 75mg[child dose]when he showed sign of old age at 13yrs old, he bucked up and went on till he was 16.5yrs old when he died very suddenly one night.

I thought Ibuprofen was highly toxic to dogs??

Westland, I would definitely be making an appointment to see the vet. You really want confirmation of an arthritic condition (or not) before deciding what treatment route you want to go down.

Personally speaking, I would hold off with vet prescribed anti-inflammatories for as long as I could and attempt to treat with herbal (not homeopathic) supplements such as Chondroitin/Glucosamine and Devils Claw. I've also had good success with a bio-flow collar (well, my dog has!) and I notice a significant difference when she's not wearing it (to the point where she can't get on the couch - collar on and within a day she is back to jumping on the couch again!).

That said, I would absolutely not see my dog in any discomfort and would have no hesitation in using anti-inflammatories if needed. However, I would only do this with vet support so that we can manage the dose together. I certainly wouldn't "dabble" with medications/doses myself.

I would also want to maybe have a routine blood check done as this may guide you and your vet in deciding what remedy route to take. If the kidneys are not performing well then anti-inflammatories may not be an option.

> I thought Ibuprofen was highly toxic to dogs??
>

I think it ok in small doses.  i don't do it continually and wouldn't recommend it without vet guidence.  I usually use the baby one as it doesn't have the nasty ingredient in.  Works very well.  I'll look into the baby asparin, similar to the IBr' i think.

Simplysupplements (an online vitamin company for humans) now sell cod liver and glucosamine for dogs (read some good reviews on there this morning). Maybe buy some, check the dosage and buy it from wherever's cheapest. Dog products always seem to cost double!