Jessie Has Arthritis

[Rubyjewel]

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Jessie, our four year old lurcher bitch had been very stiff recently and had started to limp around the house. Of course my family and I didn't think much of it at first and thought it was just a slight stiffness that would go away but it did get worse. My father and I took her to the vet and the vet says she most likely has arthritis. The vet also says Jessie's middle age now but I thought she would live longer than 8 years old? Maybe I'm wrong but I thought she would live a lot longer and I do hope she does. Is it normal for four year old dogs to get arthritis? I did think it was very young but I haven't read up much on the condition in dogs.

Jessie is a very active dog and enjoys running and swimming in the sea and chasing her ball like a lot of dogs do. I'm still in shock that she has arthritis at four..I thought four was a young age in lurcher dogs

I know she's probably going through a bit of pain and we have her on glucosamine from Pedigree joint care sticks and she gets one of those a day. Any recommendations of how to reduce her pain and help ease stiffness in her joints?

Thanks, sorry if I asked a lot of questions.

Emma x

 

[jinnyfizz]

Poor Jessie

It is young but lots can be done to help.

My lurcher broke her stifle joint and consequently will be prone to stiffness and arthritis in that joint for the rest of her life. Whilst she was "on the mend" and since, I have given her a supplement which includes glucosamine, chondroitin and MSMs. Crucial to have all three in the arthritic dog.

This is where I get it from

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Greyhound-Flex-Abili...93%3A1|294%3A30

Your vet may also give you metacam or rimadyl for Jessie to take when she is feeling stiffer than normal (in damp or cold weather or after alot of exercise) :thumbsup: but I would tend to reserve this treatment for rare occasions rather than the norm. She will need it more as she gets older.

Good luck with keeping her mobile - lots of TLC and warmth is always good ........ oh, and swimming, if you have a doggy hydro pool near you. Also dog massage is a good thing

 

[~Annie~]

It might be worth getting a second opinion ... some neck injuries can cause symptoms that mimic arthritis and four is quite young to have developed it. A Mctimoney chiropractor who works with dogs might be able to help, or a Galen therapist.

Annie

 

[weathergirls]

the liquid glucosamine & devils claw is excellent my osteopath reccommended it for my dogs and Ive seen a big imrovement in my oldies mobillty you can buy it on line from canine chemist direct uk

 

[Myfairlady]

Hi Emma,

That sounds very young to me (not that I'm an expert by any means). I hope that she continues to get better and big hugs to you, it can be so worrying when they are not feeling great.

Sarah

x

 

[FeeFee]

Four years old is very young to have arthritis, especially for a lurcher - they are generally healthy dogs, though I suppose being fast and active can put some strain on their joints. I would also definitely not consider a four year old lurcher 'middle aged' by any stretch (I hardly think of my 10-year-old lurcher as middle aged when he's belting round the fields at full speed)

Has the vet done any tests/x-rays to confirm it is definitely arthritis? If not I would be asking for a second opinion, it could easily be an injury or some other problem.

Stupid question, but is he just limping on one leg, and if so have you checked his foot for corns? Vets who aren't sighthound savvy can often miss them, and I've heard of more than one dog going through all sorts of investigations for lameness when corns were the problem all along.

If it does prove to be arthritis then definitely agree with the advice above re glucosamine supplements, they really help joint mobility and I use them for all my older dogs as a matter of course. A bioflow/magnetic collar may help, too.

As jinnyfizz says above, anti-inflammatories like Metacam or Rimadyl can give immediate relief, but I'd be very wary of using them regularly for a four year old dog, as prolonged use can have serious side effects. There is a newer painkiller and anti-inflammatory available now which is much safer - but also much more expensive. I can't for the life of me remember the name but I'll find out.

Really hope you manage to get him comfortable :luck:

 

[fallenangel]

4 not middle aged for a lurcher unless shes say a big big one as the biger the dogs ususly the shorter the life span and great danes ect 4 would be just about hitting middles age but lurchers usuly go into there teens . did he check her pads for corns i konw it sounds odd but a little tiny corn you can harly see can make them limp on hard floors and yet they will run about on soft grass. one f our old greyhounds had a corn and the vet said athrites. when i found it i filed it down and she was fine again just ahd to keep it lower than her pad

 

[robandkay]

Like FeeFee said check her pads for a corn, - especially if there is a noticable improvement when she walks on grass rather than hard surfaces. Four does seem very young for arthritis, - around 28 in 'human years', but I guess anythings possible. Good luck. :luck:

 

[digzoils]

Here's what we did when Jasper went wonky

Changed his diet to remove all atificial colouring, we now feed

1 Pack Tesco value mince (800G for £2) fried up with 1 cup of mixed veg and as its cooling 2 cups of porridge oats.

this is fed with Pedigre small bite mixer and 1 cod liver oil capsule, we also got a Bioflow collar.

I would say there has been a 60% improvement in Jasper he has gone from not being able to climb onto

the settee to jumping onto and over a small wall, and he can scratch his ears again

Hope this helps

Paul B

 

[helsbels16]

Can i just ask what a corn would look like? and where on the foot you would be likely to find one?

My dog has been lame on and off for weeks now on one leg and i cant find anything wrong with him - he is only 4 as well.

 

[FeeFee]

It will be a little round hard place on the pad - they can be quite tiny, but you can usually see a round area that's a slightly different colour/texture than the rest of the pad, and if you feel it it will feel hard and possibly slightly raised.

There are some pictures here, but they are very large corns so pretty obvious. They may only be the size of a pin-head.

http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/corns.htm

A lot of vets miss them or underestimate how painful they can be for the dog - it would be a bit like walking permanently with stones in your shoes!

I sort of hope for your sake it isn't corns because they are an absolute nightmare to get rid of. If a dog only has one it can be best to remove the toe completely.