arthritis

My 11 1/2 year old golden retriever has arthtis in his hips and spine.  I give him MSM/Glucosamine caps.  He gets two twice a day.and it does help him.  I also give him one EsterC and a fish oil capsul each day.  Both of these are suppose to help.  I can't really say if they do or not.  However, i take the same things as he does for my rheumatoid arthritis and they help me.  I don't know it it is only the MSM/Glucosamine or it combined with the EsterC and fish oil.

When my old dog developed arthritis around 12/13 I started giving him one of the glucosamine w/chondroitin tablets from Costco every day (I was taking them myself) and it really made a big difference for him.  He was walking better at 15 than he was at 13.  They're not expensive - I think it's about $20 for a bottle of 180 caps.

Joyce

my leela has hip dyslplaisa and arthritis and I give her Glycoflex which has many of the supplements she needs in one pill: MSM, Glucosomine, chondroitin, etc. Her energy and movement have both improved tremendously.

I have arthritis and I've had many dogs with arthritis.  There are a LOT of things you can do -- herbals like white willow bark can be a far better alternative than things like Rimadyl, etc.  Plain old Knox Nutra Joint can be an awesome help long term -- it doesn't work fast.  It simply puts the materials at the body's disposal to rebuild cartilage.  So it takes about 3 months to 'work'  but the change is ***permanent***.  It's not a pain med -- it actually helps the body rebuild.
 
Glucosamine/chondroitin work fine but I save them til I have to use them. 
 
Massage can be an awesome help as well -- and I like a massage oil like Wood Lock oil or White Flower Oil (essential oil blends that provide a bit of heat and are good anti-inflammatories) can be a super help. 
 
If the arthritis is severe, coupling a mild nsaid (like the White Willow Bark or even chammomile tea) with a relaxant like valerian root can really help.  Sore joints 'tense' up -- and giving a small relaxant can help the nsaid "do" more with less amount. 
 
I've got a lot of this written out ... if you want to email me I'm glad to send it to you.