simon11
She was perfectly healthy and was used to 10 mile walks over the mountains. One day I took her out with a ball and after running after it very fast and putting her brakes on she came back limping badly on her front leg.. I rested her a few days and all seemed well. Two weeks later like a fool I threw a ball again and the same thing happened but this time it didn’t mend.
I t seemed mild at first and I kept walking her as she seemed no worse coming back than going.
Then it got bad and I took her to the vets. They said she had arthritis and gave her Metacam which didn’t seem to do much. They have now x-rayed her and state that her shoulder is a bit arthritic and her left knee looks a bit swollen. She is on Metacam and glucosamine. I am resting her and stopping her jumping on things but as yet it is not mending. She usually doesn’t limp on the lead walking slow. But when she speeds up she has a definite limp and now doesn’t want to walk very far.
Arthritis doesn't come on that fast **HOWEVER** they will hide it from you if they can. And often they are extremely good at that.
Then comes the day when you over-do or add in a small injury that seriously aggravates the pain. *suddenly* the pain is too bad to ignore and YOU see it for the first time. But it doesn't mean that it hasn't been there, or that it hasn't been building.
You have to understand -- arthritis is *inflammation*. You can't "rest" it a few days and have that do ANYTHING. Because you have to reduce the inflammation **and** you have to prevent it from happening again.
Once arthritis really gets started, you're on the track for it. You don't "cure" it. You **maintain** it.
Marathon walks may truly be a thing of the past. But you have to understand -- yes, you have to do exercise. But you have to be FAR more attuned to when pain begins ... don't wait for her to *show* it -- that is FAR too late. Because by the time she lets you know, it is BAD.
And with arthritis, that means there is huge inflammation. And that's a never-ending cycle with arthritis.
See ... you have to understand arthritis a bit -- it's inflammation. But that constant state of inflammation actually deteriorates the cartilage around it. The inflamed state makes the cartilage brittle and it begins to deteriorate faster.
The secret to arthritis is AVOIDING inflammation. Now exercise is critical -- because without it you get faster deterioration. BUT you have to stop short of inflammation and pain. You may be able to go some distance -- but you will need to make stops for her to rest. You will need to make a *shorter* walk. 8 miles is an incredible distance for a dog with arthritis. The last half of that is likely VERY painful.
But dogs are stoic -- they won't let you see.-- so generally you have to watch incredibly closely for signs of pain. The faintest suggestion of tension in the back of the neck. Even FEELING of the joint to see if there is any tension there.
simon11
Metacam which didn’t seem to do much. They have now x-rayed her and state that her shoulder is a bit arthritic and her left knee looks a bit swollen. She is on Metacam and glucosamine. I am resting her and stopping her jumping on things but as yet it is not mending. She usually doesn’t limp on the lead walking slow. But when she speeds up she has a definite limp and now doesn’t want to walk very far.
If you're going to give Metacam you really should be giving milk thistle. Metacam is only one of many nsaids that are pretty hard on the liver. But in addition to the nsaid -- you'd do well to give her a relaxant. Even something easy like an herbal (passion flower works very well, valerian root is also a good one).
Why? Because when you hurt you tense up. When you are walking on a leg that is sore, you tense up -- and then that actually causes the joint to rub HARDER bone on bone (because the tension pulls them together harder). But then -- after you expend the energy, you tend to remain sore -- so the tension lingers past the exercise -- and if you relax those muscles, then the nsaid you are using actually can do *more* good. Because it doesn't have to fight the tension-induced pain.
glucosamine is a hydrator -- that means it simply plumps up that cartilage with moisture so it cushions better. You may want to try something simple like Knox Nutra Joint. It's a human supplement (Jello aisle in the grocery store). You don't have to get the fancy one -- just the gelatine/calcium one. it takes about 3 months to really work because what it does is put the stuff at the body's disposal to help **re-build** cartilage. Not just cushion or maximize what's there, but literally to *repair*. For a sheltie I'd use about 1/3 of a scoop (that's what I used to use on Foxy the MOstlie Sheltie -- he made it to 19).
For someone who doesn't themselves suffer from arthritis, it's very difficult to describe to you how it feeds itself. The swollen joint is TYPICAL of arthritis. The bone itself swells - and it's that inflammation that causes the degeneration.
You may need to almost stop walks for a while -- you will need to use some radical measure (like the Metacam) to get that inflammation down, so you can then begin to rebuild an exercise regimen that works.
I also use a lot of essential oil blends to help reduce the inflammation topically. They truly can really help. The best one I've found is White Flower Oil -- it's a blend of peppermint, wintergreen, eucalyptus and others. This isn't a cream or something gooey -- it's an essential oil blend. Just plain peppermint oil or wintergreen oil can also be super effective (just get the essential oil-- NOT a food flavoring -- generally you have to go to a health store that carries essential oils). My favorite source personally is Morningstar Health (that's a link). Go to the massage supplies page.
Yep, I'm talking about actually pulling the coat back and dribbling a few drops of oil on the joint and massaging it gently (particularly at bedtime). It can go a long way at helping what you are already doing to bring down the inflammation further and help heal that joint as much as possible.