My irish setter girl has been diagnosed with degenerative arthritis on her knee (right front paw - first joint). We are heartbroken about this - she has been my constant running partner over the last six years. We started her on Metacam (anti-inflammatory), Adequan as well as Cosequin. We are also going to get her started on a weekly acupuncture regime. A couple of questions:
(1) Are these the most effective treatments we can pursue? What do you think about Cortisone injection? Our vet says that one does not inject cortisone into the joints of small animals. My husband thinks that this is going to be the most effective treatment.
(2) Will she be able to run again?
(3) How effective are Adequan and glucosamine/ chondroitin?
(4) What do you think about adding green lipped mussel?
(5) Is acupuncture really effective?
(6) Is surgery possible for dogs?
(6) Any recommendation for a good vet (in West Los Angeles or Valley areas) that specialize in canine arthritis?
Any help would be appreciated.
I am no vet but have experienced some of what you are going through with our dogs. I will let the Vets respond to best course and prognosis but I can share our experience with some of those treatments
Adequan. glucosamine & chondroitin: We have had dogs on all three and they seem to help, but I think it is really based on the dog. It seems to help some more than others. Some people say it didn’t do much for their dog. I think to some extent it is cumulative, the more you can do for them the better the overall result is.
Acupuncture: We have a dog using this for some stiffness in his back cause by bilateral hip dyspalsia and we think it helps. He seems to have better mobility and is more playful
As for specialists, can your vet recommend any? There is a great hospital here and I am sure they can help direct you if you can’t find any other options, they are here http://www.vrcc.com/. I will see if my wife can help as she has ties to vet specialists.
Hello,
I am sorry to hear about your dog-it is hard to watch the ones we love go through such pain and see their activity level change.
5280 is my husband and he asked me to reply since I work for the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (I work for their foundation). Our college is the Board-certifying entity of internal medicine specialits, such as oncologists, cardiologists, neurologists and internists. There are also specialists in other fields such as surgery, dermatology, etc. I also worked in an animal hospital for 5 years. I would recommend that you ask your regular vet if a referral to a Board-certified surgeon is possible. There are more and more specialists who do things such as knee and hip replacement, etc. But you need to find out if your dog is a good candidate first. You can visit www.acvs.org for a list of surgeons in your area and more information on what a Board-certified veterinary surgeon is. (However, if the joint affected is in her front leg, this is not her knee and your options may be more limited).
As 5280 mentioned, our Chow mix was recently diagnosed with severe bilateral hip dysplasia. We are using accupuncture, Adequan, and a product called Cetyl-M to help managed his pain and hopefully slow down the degeneration. So far I think the accupuncture has done the most good. One of our regular vets is certified to do it-just make sure you go to a vet that has the extra training. Many vet schools are now offering this certification. It’s also important to make sure your dog is not overweight. I personally like to stay away from using steroids on my animals and you should follow your vet’s recommendation about cortisone.
Beyond that you may just have to accept (as hard as it may be) that your dog can no longer engage in the same activities. Running is very hard on dogs and you may have to consider swimming, underwater treadmill, etc as a replacement exercise (which is also what our vet recommended for Alex). But I would talk to a surgeon and see what your options are and work with your regular vet on the best treatment plan.
Good luck and I hope your doggie feels better!
Thank you. It is somewhat unfortunate, but Amy (my dog) does not care too much for swimming. However, she is a fit, trip setter from years of running (primarily off leash on trails - chasing squirrels and rabbits). I am hoping that she gets well enough to go on pain free trail walks with her brother (another irish setter).