has anyone heard of new arthritis treatments. my old jack is on cartrophen jabs, cortaflex,silicol,aloevera and msm. he also takes metacam on and off[it usets his tummy] he still seems to be in some discomfort some days more than others.other nsaids are really not on as they make his stomach bleed. and steroids are out of the question as he is diabetic, i am told that i should give the cortaflex more time as he has only been on it a week. any ideas out there

Hi Pru, Cortaflex can take up to a month to really start working. My Penny has weekly injections for 4 weeks and then we stop for a few months, only really use it during the winter cold spells. But it does take a while to 'kick in'. It has helped her immensly, and now with the warmer weather coming in she is more like her old self again. Be patient, I noticed an immense difference in Penny after 3 weeks, but not much change at the start :)  I used to use Metacalm but it stopped working after the 3rd bottle. I also give her Glucosamin & Condroitin capsules daily
Kay

Green Lipped Mussel can be great.  I used Runaround from Stock Nutrition for my girl - it was magic!  Threw away the Metacam within a couple of weeks :-)  www.doghealth.co.uk 

Also Denes Greenleaf Tablets can help a bit  www.denes.com    Also have a look at Dorwest herbs site  www.dorwest.com

Magnetic collars, acupuncture, crystals,  hydrotherapy, real food, ie a natural diet, etc.....  Homeopathy can also help.

Can also vouch for the catrophen once the course had been completed lasted several months I would say.  My dog was helped by green lipped mussle at first but the effect was not strong enough later.
I was involved in an NHS trial of magnatherapy many years ago and I have to say the results were not good.  I am not aware of it ever being used in the NHS in earnest so I presume no further trials have been any more promising.
There is plenty of research evidence (human anyway) that fish oils are beneficial but I have never seen anything to suggest commercial foods would not be so I see no reason why the fish oils cannot be supplemented on to such a diet :)

Dont ask me why I wrote Cortaflex, I meant Catrophen. Duh!!!!:D

Its all right I knew what you meant but the description of the regime :)

Accupuncture can be very effective.

My vet changed my retriever from Metacam to Zubrin. It is a new drug whic came out last year and was much more effective for her than Metacam.

It is also supposed to be safer than Metacam.

thanks everyone i will be sure to try anything we have not already

I put 9year old Jed on 'Backosamine' after Rimadyl and Zubrin had both failed to improve his arthritis.     It's the usual chondroitin + glucosamine, plus turmeric and bromelain.

His symptoms had gone within a fortnight and you honestly can't see the lameness any more - he's so much happier.

AFAIK it's not tested on animals except human animals, but can't see there's anything adverse in the ingredients, and it works a treat.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

Before discussing drugs etc., is your dog overweight, is he exercised sensibly, where is his arthritis, how advanced is it (i.e. xrays needed)?
As for supplements, research has shown benefit from glucosamine supplementation, but suggested that chondroitin sulphate is a waste of money. The jury is still out on many other supplements.
Non-steroidal drugs are contraindicated for use with Cartrophen (I assume your vet read the datasheet), however many people use them together without ill effect based on an informed decision.
If non-steroidals cause gastrointestinal upsets, try them at a lower dose. There are always newer drugs coming out, lately Zubrin & more recently Previcoxx. You could also talk to your vet about giving other drugs to counteract the GI upsets e.g. Zantac and similar drugs.
Some dogs respond to codeine tablets where NSAIDs cause upsets, but are not tested or licensed in dogs: speak to your vet.
As for other treatments, may arthritic conditions have surgical options e.g. joint fusion, hip replacement etc.

Previcoxx - just guessing at the name here, is this a cox II inhibitor like Viox for humans, in which case are there any risk factors regarding the heart like those that caused the withdrawal of Viox or perhaps dogs do not live long enough to develop the problems.
Welcome by the way :) I gather you have veterinary knowledge if not perhaps a vet yourself which is always very useful to us here :)  Are you also a dog owner?

My friend's flat coated retriever, Dylan, stopped limping after a short time using NZYMES supplements.