Well, feel really sad as I have taken Gemma(rotty cross) to the vets and finally admitted she needs more help than just leaving her a while to get up in the morning and keeping her warm!!!!
She is now on 2 Rimadyl a day which I presume she will be on for the rest of her life now (well he did say I can play with the dose and cut it right down if I wanted)
Good news is that in 2003 she weighed 36 kg
Now she ways 30 Kg and was told it was a really good weight loss as it is near impossible to get weight of dogs!!!
But finally admitted she is getting old(nearly 9) and has artheritis :( :( :(
Hopefully the Rimadyl will help her more more readily :)
But any info anyone can think of that may help me can they let me know.
I am just off to read all the threads on Rimadyl :)
Oh and I have just given her the first one and she ATE it :D :D :D She NEVER eats tablets!!!!!!
Lea :)

If your dog has aches and pains it may be worth considering adding Fish Body Oils to her diet, EPO, Vitamin E and Vitamin C; all these can ease joints etc.

Bree my old goldie, has been on Rimadyl for sometime now, and it has made a great difference to her quality of her life. We have also managed to reduce her doseage with no ill effects. Good luck with Gemma

Edited to add: Rimadyl do a palatable version which Bree certainly loves, so no wrestling to get the tablets down :D

Reading threads, I have just read a thread on coats. I dont take Gemma out in the coldweather at all cause of worrys of her getting cold and stiff and wondered if it would be better with a coat, although, saying that. I dont think Gemma would be seen dead in a coat. Would ruin her hard dog image!!!!!
Lea :)

No Gemma will be fine in her natural coat ;)

All you need to make sure is if she gets wet then she is in a warm area when she gets home to dry off and she sleep away from drafts at all times :) The food supplements are also a must and you will give her the best chance of a happy old age which I am sure she will have ;)

Yes, if she goes out in the cold we 'cook' afterwards so that she warms up quickly!!!!!!!!!! But she doesnt like going out in the cold at all anymore :( and cant walk her too far either :( Took Beano out for a snow ball fight the other day but left Gemma at home as knew she would suffer for days afterwards:(
Is the food supplements   Glucosamine & Chrondroitin
If so where do you get them from????
Lea :)

Here's some :)  I tried taking them myself, well the human equivalent ;) as I suffer sometimes from my old war wound but found they made me nauseous, so something to watch out for although I'm told you can get non fishy derived ones.

Controlled exercise is a must for arthritic joints.  Keeps good muscle tone, promotes well being and uses the function of the joints.  Short but frequent periods of activity are best.  Similarly, longer out in the cold, more chance for the cold and damp to seep into the bones and joints.  

Damp cold weather can aggravate arthritis.  But it depends on what her activity levels are like.  If your dog is able to run and frolic about, she will generate heat which will keep her warm.  If she's only able to walk at your side, it may be worth considering a coat in extreme cold weather.  More heat in the body means less taken from the extremities. 

My girl was coated last winter because her hips suffered from the extreme cold damp weather.  This year, she's only worn it twice because her activity levels have increased and she's able to keep herself warm.

Glucosamine & Chrondroitin, swimming, i.e. hydrotherapy is terrific for arthritic joints if there is anywhere near you. 

Agree with Spender, Glucosamine & Chondroitin has done a lot more for my dog than Rimadyl ever did -but it does take weeks to build up sp Rimadyl was useful then. Rimadyl did do him good for a couple of years but now it has no effect at all.

Agree with Spender - was going to post the same.

My experience was the other way round, I found fish oils etc of great benefit in the earlier stages but as things got more severe we did have to switch to stronger pharmaceutical products.  In my case I did not use Rimadyl as my dog had a long history of colitis so we used a couple of courses of Cartrophen injections but I would have tried Rimadyl if she had not had that history because otherwise it would have certainly meant loosing her a year or two before we did.

That Glucosamine & Chrondroitin is pretty amazing stuff and it's been very effective for my girl.

I've already posted before about my 9 yr old bitch with severe HD, a score of 96.  I only put her on Glucosamine & Chrondroitin about a year ago when we were starting to see a little stiffness when she first got up after rest following exercise.  I honestly thought that was the start of the clinical symptoms and the use of anti-inflammatories such as Rimadyl.   She's been swimming for a year anyhow and has good rear leg muscle, but honestly this year she's up and about like a yo-yo, full of play, prancing about in the snow like there is absolutely nothing wrong with her.  That really surprised me as I wasn't expecting such an effect.  I have arthritis in the facet joints of the spine so I've just got some for myself.   :-)

Glucosamine & Chrondroitin
Where do you get them from????
And do dogs eat them as Gemma is absolutly awful at taking tablets and takes me 20 mins to get tablets down her, but she will take Rimadyl no problem.
Lea :)

Is she insured ?

Nope why??
Lea :)

You can get the supplements paid for by insurance normally :)

Have a search on Synoquin or there are lots of peeps on here that have alternative versions of this that will post on the net. It will make a great difference for her ;)

I use synoquin; it's sprinkled on her dinner.  I got some from Holland and Barrett for myself.  They should be fine for dogs.  It comes in liquid form too and can be sneaked into her dinner if she's unhappy taking capsules.  Natural health span does Glu and Chron as well.

[url=]www.healthspan.co.uk [/url]

If you have a Health Rack in your town, they do them. Also anywhere like Holland and Barret or Boots will do them. The human ones will be fine. Another possibility is if you have a local store that does horse supplies. It can be a lot cheaper getting the bulk powders sold for horses and several of them will give you dosages for dogs on the tub from what I remember (I think it must be a common practise - I know my friend does it with garlic flakes in summer as she has 10 dogs and it would bankrupt her getting dog ones!). It's worth shopping round rather than paying through the nose at the vets for exactly the same ingredients. Personally I've had great results with the Health Rack glucosamine capsules with a couple of my dogs.

Like somebody said, it doesn't always work and it can take several months to see results (though I've always seen improvement in about 2 weeks), but it's well worth a try as you may be able to reduce or even not need the painkillers eventually. But if not, no harm done. Have you ever tried wrapping a tablet in a lump of butter or cream cheese? It works like magic with my dogs.

My last GSD was on Metacam at first, and then Rimadyl. She did well on these, but I also supplemented with Glucosamine & Chondroitin.

Kat

I seriously recommend you visit Healthspan (as Spender has suggested) they have lots of products, tax free, free postage and a very good service!  I get Devils Claw Tablets - plus 6mg of Harpagosides 120 tablets   £7.95 and - 1 x Glucosamine Tablets with Marine Chondroitin, MSM and Vitamin C 180 tablets   £9.45 and my old arthritic boy is doing very well on this and regular light exercise (he also wears a fleece in cold weather)
Another good product is Runaround (green lipped muscle and shark cartilage supplement) available from www.doghealth.co.uk - quite expensive if you have a big dog (I'm not tight where the dogs are concerned but I find the former mentioned products just as if not more effective and are much cheaper!)
He is on a natural diet and this includes raw fish.
Sarah
PS Tried Metacam once but made the poor boy vomit - I prefer the natural options to be honest ;)

Glucosamine & Chondroitin
Ok got them. Now its says 1 tablet 3 times a day. (humans!!)
Now I cant see her taking them like she does the Rimadyl so they will have to be crushed up on her food. So will only be able to give her them once a day. But how many should I give?????
She is 30kg
Hope someone can help.
Will try  giving them to her now and if it doesnt work I will crush 2 up on her food.
Hope someone can help
Many thanks
Lea :)

I'd start with one that is what I always do with new medications, even herbal ones have side effects and this one has been known to show severe ones although rarely, in humans anyway not so sure about dogs.  If that goes down all right I would use two until you think she has a good loading dose which is when you would see any improvement and then try reducing it to see if she can run on less.

Ok thanks Isabel. :)
Did give her two tonight.
Surprise surprise, Gave her one, she spat it straight out. Gave her Rimadyl, she ate it no problem, gave her the other one, and she spat it out!!! How do they know Grrrrrrrrrrrrr LOL
So out came the bag and rolling pin and sprinkled all over her dinner!!!!!!!
Now anyone know where you can get those little bags things like ornamental 'pin badges' come in with the resealable top???? If I use  a load of them I can crush them in advance and have them in specific dose sized portions :D
Gemma medicine cabinet is getting bigger than my kids!!!!!!! LOL
Lea :)

well now got the bags of Ebay. Just hope i dont get raided by police!!! They may be a bit red faced when the realise the white stuff indiviually wrapped in little bags is actually homopathic tablets LOL
And i have bought her a coat :) Although she wasnt with me at the time and Think it is actually for a pony. Bought the 28" but think she needs about 24" LOL Although at £8 a time i couldnt go wrong. May end up with 2. One waterproof and one for every day use at that price :)
Lea :)

Sorry another update..............
Gemma bounded today :D :D :D :D :D
Ok doesnt sound much but she hasnt done that for at least a year :(
But she was off the lead and BOUNDING along chasing Beano :D Maybe not as fast lol ;)
Coat has gone down well, she doesnt even worry she is wearing it and even played with 2x 7 month old black labs :D :D :D
I am Really Happy :D :D :D
Lea :)

Well Gemma seems to be getting worse now.
I cut her Rimadyl down quite alot, and she was on one every other day since it got hot.
But in the last couple of weeks she is starting to really stiffen up. So I have put her back on 2 a day.
Her back leg seems to 'go in' quite a bit of the time.
I got in from being out for 3 hours and she was really un steady on her back legs.
What happens if Rimadyl isnt effective????
Going to take her to the vets on Saturday and discuss it with them.
Lea :)

Rimadyl does eventually stop working. It stopped for Dandy 2 years ago. The Glucosamine & Chondroitin works a lot better and so I've not had to buy Rimadyl for a couple of years now. Without G&C Dandy's hind legs don't work at all.

I've had Bramble on Glucosamine and Chondroitin for over 3 months (before that he was on green-lipped mussel) and he has only got worse - particularly since we have had wet weather. Sometimes he couldn't even get up :( However, he always got better by the time we got out for a walk and could usually trot along quite well. We took him to the vets last night, who put him on Rimadyl for a two week trial and he is much better already :) Fortunately, he isn't overweight and is in very good health otherwise :)

Daisy

I was giving her G&C religously for months but I got lax and stopped giving it to her (Yes I know that is very bad)
I have just crushed up loads more and given her some tonight(She will not take them whole)
I hope it works :)
She does seem to be a bit better tonight after giving her rimadyl at 4ish.
Lea :)

I`ve used synflex with good success:) It`s a liquid form of g/c, you can read about it at link below, its US site but you can buy it in UK
http://www.activexamerica.com/index.php

I`d also continue to give vitC, fish body oil & a natural form vitE along with any other supplements, they`re particularly good for bone probs :)

Theres a lot of other combination supplements along with diet to try, it`s a matter of finding which he does best on & link below gives great info on them
http://www.dogaware.com/arthritis.html

Good luck :)

I have started giving G&C agian.
She seems to be kicking her back left leg in. And if she has been lying down for a while she gets up as if her back end is drunk.
She seems happy enough, I have pushed and pulled and put pressure on her legs and she hasnt flinched(She is not the type oif dog that you can touch if she is in pain without her letting you know it)
She is only 9 1/2 and I want to help her as much as possible.
I tried to get her in at the vets today but it was emergancy only, so going to get her in on Tuesday.
I am just terrified it is the begining of the end.
Mum came round tonight and she hasnt seen her for a while, she got me to walk her up and down and siad she does not look very steady at all and agrees about her leg turning inwards when she walks(I cant do that as if I move she is beside me.)
Has anyone else had a dog that has ended up doing the same with the back end??
Lea:)

I was told by someone that vets recommend Asda's Evening Primrose Oil as it's the closest thing to some of the well known remedies.  My nearly 13 year old girl was just starting to be a bit stiff on one of hre front legs since using these within a week the stiffness has totally gone and she's back to her "old self" again.

How do you give it to her. i have tried hiding things like that in cheese and other things but she manages to find it and spit it out
I crush the G&C and sprinkle it over her dinner and she will eat that.
The link someone gave said about giving only tinned food to get rid of Cereals and Carbs(I think).
She Loves Chappie, but the only probem I worry about is her teeth. She has wonderful teeth for a 9 year old, no decay no plaque. I dont want to start giving her just tinned food and finding that her teeth start decaying but if it will help her then I will..
Ever have the feeling you just dont know what to do and feel like you are bashing your head against a brick wall and feel you are loosing your dog and cant do a thing about it???? Thats the feeling I have at the moment.
Lea :(

Get a safety pin & put a whole in the capsule & then squirt on her food or a treat ;)

I thought if you did that you wouldnt get enough of the benfit into her.
How many should I give her???
I do have Asda 500mg capsuals.
Lea

If you read the instructions bear in mind they are for humans & adjust accordingly to her weight If you put it on a piece of whole meal bread or biscuit etc or even inside a bit of meat she should get enough

I give Lydia one every other day.

I have to say that I also give my dogs garlic capsules and I have no difficulty in them taking them.  I don't know whether my dogs are weird but they love the sound the capsule makes when it pops and get very excited when I bring the bottle out :d

Bramble has been on Rimadyl since Tuesday and had been much better. The problem is that he was too active this afternoon :( We were cutting the grass and he was on the go all the time - not running, but trying to join in when I was playing ball with Tara or chasing the lawnmower :( Now he is really stiff again :( What is worse - shutting him indoors so that he doesn't enjoy himself or letting him play and suffer the stiffness later (we aren't encouraging him to run etc, but he has always been an active dog and gets very excited).

Daisy

Does anyone use Cortaflex?????
Gemma tends to just plod around now.
When she started on Rimadyl in december it changed her completely. and I did cut her down as the weather improved. Now it is still warm but she is getting worse again even though she is on the maximum of rimadyl.
I will give her 20 tablets a day as long as she will eat them.
I will not give her something that takes 10 mins of me holding her mouth closed until she takes it every day as to me at her age it is not fair, so I need to give things that are able to be given sprinkled over her food and her still taking it.
Thankyou everyone for your advice. Please keep it coming as I will try anything as long as it is not harming her.
Lea.

Have you considered the Cartrophen course?  We had a very good result from it when all else was failing.  I agree with you about the value of unpleasant treatment.  The course is an injection once a week for 4 weeks so I suppose you have to factor in how unpleasant a trip to the vets and an injection is to your  individual.

Isabel, I have never heard of it?????
A trip to the vets does not concern Gemma at all. As she gets treats!!!!! although she hasnt been since she had the emergancy Spey so dont know if things might be different.
I am taking her on tuesday and getting worming tablets as well. Will weigh her to see how big she is and if you let me know what it is I will ask about Cartrophen course.
Lea:)

If you do a search I think other posters have found it effect also.  Here is some info from the data sheet:-
Uses  Dosage and administration  It does not have so many of the side effects of NSAIDs but it does mean you will need to stop using them in conjuction with it.  It seems to be effective for several months.

Thankyou Isabel. I think I am going to have to read them several times to take it in LOL
Incidentally, Gamma goes upstairs at night to sleep in the bedroom with me. And comes downstairs in the morning. i donnot allow them upstairs during the day(Although Beano does push his luck sometimes)
Am I doing Gemma harm keep allowing her to come to bed???? If I am I will leave her downstairs but I do like her in the bedroom with me and would feel very guilty leaving her downstairs :(
Lea.

Yea, it is a bit of a scientific mouthful :D  I like the bit about regeneration though :)
Personally, I don't think one trip up and down will make a huge difference.  Some exercise is essential and anyway it's back to that quality of life thing if that is what she is used to and would find it distressing not to be with you then that is what she should have.

Lea. I use Cortaflex. I had my girl on G & C for ages and ended up getting sdme rymadil from the vet. I then saw the ad. for cortaflex in the dog paper and thought I'll give it a go.
~What a difference!! She doesn't have G & C anymore and she doesn't need Rymadil. Just one cortaflex a day and shes sound as a bell. she always favoured a front leg due to athritis, and was always worse after a walk or laying on it. But she is really good now. It is well worth trying :):)
Anne

Just read this and went to see what Cortaflex is - see we people can take it, so I've ordered some! - Got the double strength new one and a bottle of the standard for after that. My wrist/thumb joints and neck have been particularly troublesome lately, so I'm hoping it'll help :)

Well, I am off to the Vets with her at 5 for them to check her over.
My partner came home for the night last night after being away for 8 days and was surprised at hpw much worse she has got since he left.
So going to make sure it is artheritis and see if they can give her anything else but will try your suggestions.
At the moment she is on :-
Glucosimine and Condrotin, 2 tablets/day
Oil of Evening Primrose oil, 2 Capsuals/day
Arnica, 3 ball things per day
And Rimadyl 2 large Tablets/day
Dont know if IU am over doing it but at the moment it is kill or cure as unless I find something I am going to loose her.
Where does everyone get the cortaflex from???
Lea :)

http://www.cortaflex.co.uk/catdogproducts.html
Got mine (for my own use) from humancortaflex.org.uk - the Canine version is here:http://www.caninecortaflex.co.uk/

Hope things improve soon.

Ok,
The vet pulled and pushed her legs.
She pulled her leg that straight she was level from the neck to the toe and Gemma didnt even flinch!!!!!!!
And then said she shouldnt be able to do that at her age!!!!! I think the Vet was shocked!!!! LOL
But she has found where the artheritis is, in her spine.
There is nothing else she can give her, and I did ask about the Cartrophen injection and it wouldnt be any good for her at this time.
She thinks she has probably pulled herself and it is taking a while to settle down. So just keep on with what I am doing. She may have pinched a nerve.
She said something about the artheritis fusing??? and once it does she will be more comfortable.
Still going to look into cortaflex. Do you keep using G&C as well or not use that????
I dont think I have ever done so much research or asked so many questions into a condition in my life!!!
Lea :)