Disclaimer, I am not a veterinarian and any supplements or treatments discussed in this post should not be taken as advice, you should ALWAYS consult your own veterinarian regarding your pet’s health.
I had a question from one of my readers, Alexa88. Typically, I would respond to this during my Follow-Up Friday post, but since I suspect the answer to her question will be quite lengthy, I decided to make it into a post.
Here is her question, “Lily has a vet apt. on june 6th. she is 11 years old. she has days where she gets up more slowly and takes the 4 outdoor steps slowly going up and down. she doesn’t seem to be in pain at all. any advice on questions for our vet about joint supplements that might help with her joints. can’t stop the aging process but want to help in any way we can. she is medium size and weighs 60lbs.”
So everyone knows I’m pretty Type A when it comes to my dogs. I routinely go in for their vet visits with a list of questions regarding their care. I think it’s a great thing to have core questions ready, and you can follow up with other questions as you get your answers and more questions pop up.
Probably the first thing I would ask if Lily were my dog is – WHY Lily is slow in getting up and using the outdoor steps? Is it a normal part of the aging process? (Sampson’s back legs tremble sometimes, which my vet says is similar to an older person’s shaking.) OR is there an underlying issue such as arthritis or hip dysplasia? Once you have your answer to the WHY you can then switch to the WHAT, being WHAT can we do to support or help her with this issue?
You say she doesn’t seem to be in pain, but dogs are super stoic. I had no idea Sampson was struggling with his knee until the vet told me he’d lost muscle mass in his back legs. 🙁
Your vet will more than likely have their own ideas of what types of supplements he/she wants Lily on, but here are some of the ones I’ve used for Sampson, in case your looking for a reference.
For his arthritis:
- Dasuquin – a joint supplement with glucosamine and chondroitin.
- Carprofen – (a pharmaceutical) an anti-inflammatory drug that helps both his arthritis and his knee.
For his knee injury:
- Green Lipped Mussels – (I’m using Super Snouts Lipped Mussel powder) pronounced Green Lipid Mussels (don’t make the same mistake I made and call it lipped, I felt like an ass when my vet pronounced it.) 🙂 Green Lipped Mussel contains Glucosamine and Chondroitin, it has a myriad of health benefits for joints, heart, eyes, skin, bone and brain.
- Ligaplex II by Standard Process – With his initial injury we did a bottle of Ligaplex I which supports tissue repair, healthy joints and muscles, bone growth and synthesis of cartilage, and it also supports natural anti-inflammatory response. The Ligaplex II supports tissue and joints, helps feed the muscolosketal system and facilitates freedom of movement, and is also involved in maintaining healthy fluid levels. When I was researching the I vs II, I found out that the Ligaplex I is good for an initial injury to help get the healing process moving along. It was recommended for a six week course and then to switch over to the Ligaplex II for long term support.
- Gabapentin – I put him on the Gaba because he keeps licking at those front paws. Honestly, his paws are a mess, but I can’t get the damn dog to stop licking them! The Gaba is used for nerve pain and since we’ve been unable to determine WHY he keeps licking those paws, we use the Gaba. But it is a medication I hope to remove shortly.
- Tramadol – is a opiod pain medication. I didn’t initially start him on this, but I did put him on it for a couple of months, and I just recently stopped it. The main reason I put him on this was for its sedation powers. I really wanted to Sampson to rest more and allow his body’s natural healing process to work, (he kept tweaking that knee) and I felt that would work best if he wasn’t in pain.
I have also used a number of different supplements that all worked really well, among them Rejenease and Omagease by Finest for Pets. And I have also used (and Jen from My Brown Newfies still uses it) Natural Strides. They are all really great supplements and have all helped Sampson at various stages of his recovery. If you click on the Omegease link, there is a discount code for your first bottle and the Rejenease discount code is in the side bar of the site. The only reason I stopped using any of these supplements is because my vet recommends the Dasuquin.
Adequan injections are also an option. The usual dose is once every four days initially and then it tapers off and is administered dependent upon the dog. Some dogs need it more frequently than others.
You’d think getting needles stuck into you would hurt, but it actually makes me feel better.
Acupuncture is also good if there is a veterinarian in your area that does it. At my vet clinic an acupuncture treatment costs about $55. This is another treatment that is dependent on how well the dog reacts to it.
You didn’t mention exercise, so I’m curious, what types of exercise does Lily gets and how frequently? I might consider asking my vet what types of exercise would be recommended for Lily.
That should give you some ideas of what’s available and what they are used for. I could go on and on as I’ve learned so much these past two years working with Sampson, but your head is probably spinning right now. So I’ll leave it here, but if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask, you can even send me an e-mail. (There’s a contact section at the top!) Also, the community page has links to a number of different blogs where you will find a variety of information regarding injuries and illness regarding pets.
So yeah, the title of this post.
After I get ALL of my questions answered to my satisfaction, I always, always, always ask my vet one last question, which in my opinion is the most important question you can ask your vet.
And that is: If it were your dog, what would you do?
Does anyone have any ideas for Alexa? A product you’ve used for your pup that might help Lily? If so, please share.
And thanks for asking that question Alexa, I hope we’ve given you a starting point for Lily’s vet visit. Please update us after Lily’s appointment!
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