# Advice on best arthritis med???



## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

My sister in law is in desperate search for the best pain med for arthritis for her 10 yr. old dog. Help anyone???


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

I think everyone has their favorites. 

I use Synovi G3 on mine. I also give hyaluronic acid and then my oldest gets Adequan shots. http://www.caberfeidh.com/Adequan.htm and http://www.adequancanine.us/

I know others use things like GlycoFlex, Cosequin, Dasquin and other things as well. 

I did a spreadsheet so I could view ingredients side by side for the different products I was looking at. 

Things like glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, perna sea mussel...I know there are other things that people look for. 

Also, I try to use products with guaranteed analysis. Some human (and dog) products do not offer this. 

Oh-for actual pain, I use tramadol. But I try to prevent needing it as much as possible. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_tramadol.html

Good luck to your sister's dog!


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## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

Thank you soooo much! your input has been forwarded to her!


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

yeah, something like tramadol or rymadil for actual serious pain. there can be negative effects from these over time, but better for a dog to be comfortable than suffering. if its minor arhtritis, then some of the supplements that jean mentioned are pretty popular. however, they may or may not have any effect at all. from the research ive done, cosequin ds is the glucosamine/chondroitin formula that i would trust the most as far as guaranteed analysis of ingredients.


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## Cooper&me (Dec 18, 2007)

My vet likes Glycoflex III the best but my dog seems to respond best to Cosequin DS. I just ordered Desequin. I want to see what that is like. My friends dog does well on Synovi 3.

I agree that it is wise to look for garanteed anaylsis.

Is she feeding a high quality kibble?


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: frenchMy sister in law is in desperate search for the best pain med for arthritis for her 10 yr. old dog. Help anyone???


The three senior Hooligans take Tramadol for pain and Dasuquin for the joints. Adequan injections are also helpful when dealing with joint pain.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Avoid at all costs getting the cheapie human joint supplements from Walmart etc. It's mainly filler, and most importantly-- the molecular weight is not absorbable by the dog, so most of the medicine doesn't get absorbed. Plus, most of the pill itsef for people for the cheaper stuff especially is all filler-- REALLY makes your dog itch like crazy.

I like Cosequin, and Drs FosterSmith has the equivilent, at the correct molecular weight, cheaper.









Never panic if the vet suggests Rimadyl. We now have Metacam, Deramaxx, and others to try first... but in reality, provided the liver and kidney profiles are good, none of these is truly worse than the other.. it is all about what your dog tolerates. And sometimes, it gets to the point that quality of life means finding exactly whichever one helps with the pain.


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## GSD10 (May 20, 2007)

There is also a lot of good information for seniors in this thread:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=541294&page=1#Post541294

I found a significant difference in my senior's arthritis when I switched him to a grain free kibble (along with the other health regiments we have going on for him)


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: Arycrest
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: frenchMy sister in law is in desperate search for the best pain med for arthritis for her 10 yr. old dog. Help anyone???
> ...


I was half watch an I LOVE LUCY marathon when I wrote this and completely forgot to mention that the elderly Hooligans also take Metacam for pain and inflamation.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

A grain-free diet is a great place to start.

Avoid foods like potato that have inflammatory properties. (I love this website -- http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20ig.html. You can search on all sorts of food. And right in the middle of the top of the page -- the "inflammation factor." Some foods, like potato, cause inflammation. 

Some (sweet potato, garlic in tiny doses, olive oil, many kinds of fish) are strongly anti-inflammatory and can be easily added to a dog's diet 

The supplements mentioned above are great. I use the human brand of Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM called "Move Free" on my senior. She has finally reached the point of needing rimadyl and tramadol as well. I've found that we can give lower doses of each (minimizing the side effects) and they're more effective together than either would be at a higher dose alone. Often vets don't think incredibly creatively, so it's helpful to ask them "what else will work? What about combining drugs at lower doses?" 

The one thing that has been the single-most effective treatment for this senior, as well as another senior that I had with arthritis and hip displasia, is water therapy. My other senior could barely walk when we started. After a few months, she was trotting around without even a limp (although she did remain on rimadyl and supplements). Water therapy can work wonders. 

If your SIL can find (and afford) that, I would start there (and with supplements). Yes, even before I tried Rx meds. 

Good luck to all of you.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

i had always read a grain free diet would be good for an arthritic dog. however, for those of us using a grain free kibble, they all seem to have potatoes in them. this defeats the purpose if potatoes cause inflammation.

are their any grain free kibbles that dont use potato?


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## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

unfortunately she isn't. I am not sure what she feeds him but I know that she buys it at walmart, so do the math. I am now relating all the info I have learned in this website to her so that she can choose a better quality kibble. Thanks for all the outstanding input!!!! Don't know what I would do without this website myself. Luckily my gsd is only 5 mos., so I think I caught on to this info with plenty of time....thanks again


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

Roxy, Instinct by Nature's Variety doesn't have potatoes. 

That's what I feed my senior. She loves it!









We can also feed something like Natural Balance Fish w/ Sweet Potatoes. The Sweet Potatoes and Fish Oils are highly anti-inflammatory; these both can work to offset the potato that is also contained in the kibble. Potato is lower on the ingredients list, so there's less potato stuff. The flax seed and tocopherols (vitamin e) are also good anti-inflammatories. We just have to try to offset where we can. 

So, our pups can eat a few french fries if they eat their salmon, sweet potatoes and flax seed... as well as take their vitamin e capsule!










(But beef, lamb, and meats along those lines tend to be inflammatory. So no fries with THOSE meals! And corn, even rice tend to be inflammatory, which is why no-grain diets are so great, regardless of the protein source.)

NB Fish & Sweet Potato ingredients: Sweet Potatoes, Salmon, Salmon Meal, Canola Oil, Potato Fiber, Natural Flavor, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Methionine, Choline Chloride, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, etc....


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

BTW, French, Natural Balance kibble can be purchased at Petco for relatively inexpensive. You can explain to your SIL that she will feed a lot less of it than she does the Walmart stuff, so serving for serving, it costs about the same. For a healthier dog. 

With smaller, less stinky poop (who doesn't love that?)


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

i had looked into the instinct, but was very unhappy with the high calcium levels (i think around 2.3%-2.5%--and those were listed minimums). the rabbit formula is better in that regard, but the chicken fat is too high on the list for me and the overall fat content is high, at 22%.

the natural balance, imo, is much too low in protein for a senior. there is some conclusive evidence that seniors who have healthy kidneys really need higher protein to help maintain muscle mass.

wellness core is one of the few where i like the numbers for a senior, but it does have the potatoes. i wonder which is worse, the grains or the potatoes.


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