One cold Friday night, this past January, I arrived home to find him lying in his own mess (something I’d never seen). I couldn’t assist him to get up as he couldn’t stand. I enlisted a neighbour to help me carry him to the car and raced to the vet. (The vet, I might add, knew I was coming but went home for dinner nevertheless, leaving us to a stranger.) On my own and at my wits’ end, I had to decide to put him down. Just as you’ve said here, I had lousy — or at least outdated–advice. This dog was clearly old, a shelter dog, and beyond the expertise of this veterinary practice.

Vicki…no doubt and non-steriodal anti-inflammatory like rimadyl works and can be used daily in some patients. That being said the real question is what are you doing in terms of natural daily joint support? A daily joint health supplement like the one we formulated here at TopDog called GlycanAid HA can go a long long long way at optimizing daily joint health.
What Efficacy Data Are Available for Amantadine?
Feldene® is not approved by the FDA for use in dogs – I avoid it. But veterinarians and dog owners are legally allowed to make their own decisions when prescribing approved human drugs for animals. Usually, carprofen veterinarians and pets benefit from studies conducted in animals that were designed to understand and treat health problems in people. However, when it comes to arthritis treatment, most veterinary knowledge has come from studies done in humans. That is because you can tell your doctor much better when his treatment relieves you from pain and debility, than your dog can tell your veterinarian.

She is a sweet, sweet girl but there has to be a better way to help her. Hello Dr., within the past two weeks our 7 year old lab/pit has started limping on her right back side. This only occurs after we have taken a walk or she has run around the yard (at break neck speed, she’s like a greyhound!). It doesn’t happen immediately but after she gets up from lying down for a 1/2 hour or so she will start limping on that back leg. I have checked her paws to be sure there aren’t foreign objects, etc.

Duralactinis a milk protein that contains factors that reduce the movement of white blood cells into an inflamed area thus relieving pain. Results are seen in 4-7 days with peak effects in days. It comes in a chewable tablet, or a powder and your veterinarian can get it for you.
Pain is naturally controlled to some extent by the descending inhibitory limb of the pain pathway; however, this limb is often dysfunctional in patients with neuropathic pain. Most dogs develop tolerance over time when trying to get chronic pain relief … so they need higher doses of gabapentin. The risk of side effects increases along with the dose of gabapentin, of course.
There are a handful or really high quality natural supplements on the market with ingredient into improve and condition optimal joint health, GlycanAID HA being one of them. In addition you can maximize your omega 3 content and also there are herbal combinations proven to help with uncomfortable joints. Remember there are always many options in life, you just need to find the path that works best for both you and your dog.