Grumphy Lennon
He broke his shouder last spring and was lucky enough to have a good vet that took care of him, but in the end a remaining slight limp was left when he walks (barely noticeable, you have to look closely). Is there a pain medication we could give him to alleviate the pain? Any more suggestions on what can we do to help him feel better during the cold nights? Thanks! |
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| Saul,
Drez gets grumpy sometimes too since her surgery, when she gets too stiff. Not sure if exercising helps Lennon, but we have to make sure Drez walks more to keep the muscles strong enough to support the free-standing leg bone. As for sleeping, does Lennon have a dog bed? We have a few scattered throughout the house, and since her surgery, Drez uses them all. Guess it just cushions the achy joint enough for her to get comfortable. For the pain, you'll probably hear a variety of opinions, so I'll start off with mine. My vet said I could give Drez Motrin (or Advil, or ibuprofen) for pain, but I know of others who posted before Drez's surgery that their vets told them that only Tylenol should be given to dogs. Seems that each vet has their own opinion. Of course, you can always get pain relievers from the vet. What about a heating pad or a hot compress? Would Lennon lie still enough for it to stay on? After surgery, I used to put a cold compress on Drez's incision, both to decrease any inflammation and also to dull any pain. JMHO, Chris |
| I was told Baby Asprin for my last dog who had arthritis really bad. It really seemed to help. That with a combination of Glucosamine & Chondrotin and he was running around like a puppy again |
| I've been told NEVER Tylenol. I would just try aspirin for now and see if that helps!
Kristen |
| I have seen heated dog beds for sale. That might help, if he can keep his joint warm through the night, it probably wouldn't be as sore the next mroning, when he goes to move it again. I saw one at Petsmart, you could give it a try!
Karen  |
| Thanks for all your wonderful advise, it's given me a way to start making Lennon feel more confy.
Lennon has a bed where he likes to sleep, but it's getting lumpy so I guess it's time for a new bed. He's also welcome to sleep on the couch but he's not very fond of it. When he gets hot from the bed or the bedside, he moves to the cold tile floor. I put him a couple of warm throw pillows last night underneat his achy leg and he seemed to like it a lot, he stayed there for a long time and fell asleep preacefully, so it seems that's another argument for a new bed. I tought about a heated bed, but I think Sofa is going to like it too and she'll fight him for it, so we better get a fluffy bed or an orthopedic one, any advise? According to your posts, it's OK to give Lennon Ibuprofen on Aspirin for the pain, but NO Tylenol. I'll try that. More excercise is in order also, I noticed his leg is a little stiff with the cold last night when we were playing with his frisbee. Can I warm a moisted bath thowel in the microwave and apply it to his leg? I think he's going to like that, I just hope he won't start chewing on it...  I'll try that tonight.
If you have any more ideas for treating an achy joint and tendon, please let me know, it's very, very much appreciated. |
| I have been told by a vet that aspirin is okay as long as it is coated. This prevents it from dissolving too quickly and giving dogs stomach trouble and bleeding. You can find it with the regular aspirin in the drug stores, it is usually called enteric (sp?) aspirin. |
Hi We used something called Ascripten (sp) a coated aspirin product for our 13 yr. old pupper along with glucosamine/chondrotin. That combination did not bother his tummy & we were able to keep up the walks in the park...that we all enjoyed & what he lived for...rainbow bridge at 17 yrs. We also put an eggcrate (foam insert) between his favorite quilts  |
| Is Ascripten a veterinarian product, or I can get it over the counter?
It's nice to hear that your doggie lasted for 17 years, I hope Lennon can stay with us for such a long time. Is there any reccomended dose for the Aspirin? I don't want to hurt his tummy... What is glucosamine/chondrotin for? Thanks! |
| I would definately start him on Glucosamine/ Chondroitin (which is a supplement to help with joints/cartilage). You can get that over the counter - in a human drugstore. I would recommend adding Ester C to that as well. You can get a RX from a Vet (i.e. Cosequin) too - but I don't know if there's a true difference between those products and the over the counter supplements.
In terms of Aspirin - Ascriptin is an over the counter - human drug as well. Enteric Coated Aspirin - you know the kind with the orange coating. You would give one aspirin - one or two times a day (I would go with one time a day and see if that helps). Talk to your Vet to confirm this is okay though! Kristen |
| Another thing that helps meds be a little easier on their tummies is a little bit of yogurt given just before the medication. |
| Hi,
Poor Lennon :O( I hope he's feeling better. Shaggy had bad arthritis in the last year of her life and was on Glucosamine which helped a lot. Eventually, she got the stronger stuff which has to be prescribed Metacam..it did wonders! I too also heard that Tylenol was dangerous where aspirin could be given to relieve sore muscles and pain. Hey just thought of you guys this week as recently read about the first ever, long term research study completed by a team of scientist regarding Glucosamine. A little article about it was published in this months Readers Digest. It said Glucosamine given with another medicine was found to have amazing results on arthritis and muscle pain. When I read it I immediately thought of you guys. Trying to find my issue as I can't seem to remember the name of the other medicine. I'll try to find the magazine and let you know as soon as I find it. Maybe it's the same thing that Cassie's momma was using! Wow 17 is a fantastic age! That's a tribute to some good care! Nothing is too good for our boys/girls! In the meantime give Lennon a belly rub for me. Marianne and the boys |
| I want to thank everyone for the wonderful advise you gave us.
We went the next day to get Lennon and orthopedic bed, the ones where the foam is hard but takes the shape of whomever get on top of it, he loved it! We also started to give him enteric aspirin and he's getting at least 30 minutes of excercise daily... All your ideas did wonders, after the bed and the aspirin, the results were immediate, he's not grumpy anymore and seems to be very energetic, as always. Marianne, I would really appreciate if you can provide me with the medication name so we can start putting Lennon in that, I'm sure that will help him over these cold winter days... Once spring comes along, I know he will be unstoppable! |
| There is a med for doggie arthritis and I can not, for the life of me remember the name, except that it starts with an "R", rimidrell, maybe? My cocker (Rainbow Bridge 10-03, age 14 yrs, 11 months) was on it only when we had cold weather. We live in Florida, so it wasn't all the time, but we had tile and wood floors, which made it uncomfortable for Dylan. For some reason he preferred the floor instead of a nice comfy doggie bed. |
| Rimadyl
It's a prescription drug - and in this case - I wouldn't recommend it until you see that the aspirin and supplements aren't helping. There's also Metacam which has less side effects. Rimadyl has had some bad publicity because of reactions / problems - but that's not why I don't recommend it. I'm coming from the position of "how bad is the arthritis" because if you start on Rimadyl or Metacam at this stage in the game - there's not going to be anything you can do when the symptoms get worse as the dog ages (they become less effective as time goes on). You will probably find that there are "times" where Lennon has more problems than others. (Alot of it can be weather related - rain , etc.) Saulmr - I noticed that you mentioned exercise - that is so critical! That's one thing I wish I had paid more attention to with Brittney. Once she started with arthritic symptoms - I slowed her down - and it made the progression that much worse (her muscles atrophied and weren't strong enough to take the stress off of the joints). The other critical thing is make sure Lennon isn't overweight. Disclosure - This is only an opinion - I am not a Vet! Kristen |
| Hi Again,
I'll just type up the article as it is written for your info. I'd recommend asking your vet is this drug can be given safely to pets as it may be a people only med. Here goes: " Arthritis sufferers swear by glucosamine for pain relief. Now a study by doctors at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences in India suggest glucosamine, an natural occurring substance found in carilage, may offer even more relief if it's taken as a supplement with methylsulphonlmethane (MSM), a sulfer thought to block inflamation. " The glucosamine and MSM cut pain and swelling on their own, but the combo was even more effective" University of California, rheumentologist Daniel Furst, who's participating in the largest glucosamine trial to date (results are expected soon) say doctors aren't sure how either supplement works in combo but say they help preserve cartilage. Readers Digest - Canadian version /Jan 2005 Just from my own experience as I've had several pets on glucosamine it's been very effective. Ironically, my breeder had suggested I have Merlin on it as a young pup for his growing bones , while Shaggy had used it for her arthritis (Later switched to Medicam the last wks of her life). The Glucosamine did not cause any side effects in any of my pets. As with anything recommended however, always best to check with your vet if it's right for your specific pet. Good Luck! |
| It's hard because the dog's can't tell us if they are feeling better (although you can probably tell) - however - my Mom takes Glucosamine and Chondroitin and she swears by them! |
| Thanks for the article Marianne, very informative!
So far, the aspirin and excercise combo have done wonders for Lennon, his stiff joint seems to be better now and on my next trip to walmart I'll get some Glucosamine for him to improve him even better. I'll give the vet a quick call to be on the sure side. I'm really glad the remedy was simple and quick... Joint pain at this stage of the game was not good, he's only 2!!! But with the medicine he's back to his old crazy self and yesterday he started to try to catch his frisbee with 4 paws in the air again, more excercise and soon I won't be able to catch up with him... phew! Thanks a lot to all! |
| I know these are old posts, but maybe someone will see this and it will help. I have had many dogs in my life time, and when a child in Montana an Old English Sheepdog. His name was Bo Bo. I am writing now because I have used The Missing Link w/ Glucosamine for years for my dogs. Baxter, my fifteen year old Malamute/Yellow lab is taking it with great success. For all of you writing about enzymes and glucosamine, this is a great product and all natural. Hope this helps. Jan |
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