Arthritis
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| yeah Morgan has a little arthritis - not in his spine. I think when his gets worse we will look into the stem cell therapy. I talked with someone about it at a recent local pet health fair and I am intrigued. |
| My 11 year old has spondylosis - spinal arthritis. Is that what he has?
The two best things you can do is keep them lean (was that the reasoning behind the recommended purina prescription food? Low calories? There's no food specifically for arthritis, but you can supplement with glucosamine etc) and KEEP HIM MOVING to maximize muscle mass. Unfortunately it's not uncommon in the breed as they age. Most people just write it off as the dog slowing down due to old age so probably never x-ray to look for it, but it's a rare dog who doesn't have at least some early signs of it by middle age if not younger. Pain meds are an option, but keeping him moving in line with his tolerance level and keeping his bodyweight down may help you put that off. Five is a bit young to be symptomatic, but at least now you know and can take precautions. One of the contributors to the condition, I suspect, is our dogs' bodyslamming ways. Belle used to play very rough with her daughter who unfortunately for her grew up to be a bit more massive than her, so though she was quicker on her feet if she couldn't get out of Liz' way, she got bodyslammed - hard. And T-boned some times. These days when they play it's entirely on Belle's terms and if she thinks her darling child is even thinking about bodyslamming her, she tells her off as a precaution. It will get worse as he ages like all arthritis does, though at this stage the spurs may be in the process of fusing, which ironically becomes less painful after a while as the fusing itself creates a bridge between the vertebra that serves to stabilize the spine. Still, it can lead to some neurological deficits down the road, hopefully, way, way down the road. Such as the "oops poops" where they don't even know they're pooping. Belle insists I hasten to add she does not oops-poop and even if she ever does, she has no intention of admitting to it and fully intends to blame it on her daughter instead 
Kristine |
| Thanks Kristine! Oakley has spondylosis and the food the vet recommended is Purina JM (Joint Mobility).
He weighs 77 pounds which for him is not overweight. He walks at least 5 km a day...some days its 10-12 km as well as runs around the backyard with Sydney (who at 21 months keeps him busy playing). I will keep monitoring him during our walks and if he slows up, I'll cut back the distance and do shorter but more frequent walks. Give Belle a hugs from us....hopefully Liz will be more careful with her. |
| Good advice given. Just to add in my experience: Lucy also had arthritis in her spine and it was very difficult for her in her old age. The glucosamine supplements helped more than any pain medication that she took. Definitely try it. I'm giving it to all my boys now just as a preventative. |
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