Rimadyl

One dose will offer relief.  Just like if you take an Advil...you get relief.

Karen -- carprophen is literally a "kissing cousin" to ibuprophen (dogs *can* take that where they can't take ibuprophen).  It operates on the same principle -- it's an anti-inflammatory - it simply "builds" on consecutive use.

If you have to give it a few times give him milk thistle to protect the liver (like 2-3 capsules twice a day) and it will mitigate a lot of the damage.

 It does give immediate relief. A few years ago, Jessie had a severe ear infection caused by food allergies. Her eardrum was bright red. My vet had me give her a rimadyl about 30 minutes before using the ear drops he prescribed, so she could tolerate having her ear rubbed.

 I hope Bugsy feels better soon. (((HUGS)))

 Thanks Janice sure wish I knew what it was that was bothering him.  I gave him the rimadyl and he did feel better this morning and seemed to have stayed more comfortable all day.  Its the first time that Traumeel hasn't really done the job.

Callie I always give milk thistle if I medicate him

Karen, you may want to try Zeel rather than Traumeel--I find that Traumeel works great for muscular pain, but for osteo pain, the Zeel is better.  It takes a bit longer to see the effects, but well worh it.  Her's an interesting study:

http://harmonyvetcenter.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/homeopathic-remedy-equivalent-to-rimadyl-in-clinical-study/

 Thanks tzu_mom, I have combined Zeel with the Traumeel in the past but since I didn't really see any difference between it and the Traumeel alone I didn't buy any more.  Guess I'll get some more and see how we go.

I sure wish I knew what it was that was happening but I understand that shoulder/front leg issues can be hard to detect.  I *think* it was front end but he also wound up with intense muscle knotting in the shoulder when his knee was bad.  He hasn't favored the other knee at all so just trying to get some idea before seeing the ortho.  He's fine again today just tired from the beach

I hope it's nothing serious Karen and maybe just sore muscles. Sassy has had mysterious aches and pains that come and go to (in the same area) over the last few years. I find that the Rimadyl helps greatly and I rarely have to give it to her more than 2 days in a row.

 Thanks for the input Cathy - he had rimadyl after the knee surgery and about 2 weeks in had blood in his stool so I am VERY wary of giving it.

If he had any consistency to this pain issue I would take him straight in but he doesn't - I think it was several months since we saw this front end thing and many more before that.  I thought it was a neck issue and have altered his collar to a harness thinking that was why he hadn't had it again.

Today he is just tired - but running up and down the stairs as per normal with no hint of pain - which is how he was yesterday.  So he was in pain from either Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday and then it disappeared.

I found no particular area of pain and no pattern to when he would limp or not, sigh.  If he would just talk to me it would be easier 

Karen, obviously I'm not a vet or qualified to even guess at what could be causing Bugsy's occasional limp. I do know that when I had active dogs that trained daily and worked hard it wasn't unusual for them to show some lameness for a few days after a hard workout.  Goodness knows Bugsy works harder than most dogs at having fun.  

JackieG

 Goodness knows Bugsy works harder than most dogs at having fun.  

I just worry so much with his ortho issues.  He seems so young in many ways but we saw a 6 yo lab at the beach who looked and acted twice his age so perhaps I just am not in tune with his aging.  I just hate seeing him impaired and always quickly jump to think it is related to his non-repaired knee.

kpwlee

He seems so young in many ways but we saw a 6 yo lab at the beach who looked and acted twice his age so perhaps I just am not in tune with his aging.

   It's good to remember that large dogs age faster than smaller dogs.  We've been fortunate with Jessie; she's twelve and a half and didn't have problems with arthritis until this December, when she started limping. My vet did x-rays, thinking it might be hip dysplasia, but her hips were fine and the limping was caused by arthritis in her right knee. She was on a low dose of Rimadyl for a few weeks. When the limping returned a month later, I did acupressure and massage, targeting the knees, and that helped, so she didn't need Rimadyl. I noticed that when she ate, she had to bend the knees in her rear legs in order to reach her bowl. I elevated her bowl and she hasn't limped since then. I hope you can find out what's causing his pain soon so he won't have anymore episodes. I'm glad he's feeling better again.

jessies_mom

It's good to remember that large dogs age faster than smaller dogs. 

jessies_mom

I noticed that when she ate, she had to bend the knees in her rear legs in order to reach her bowl. I elevated her bowl and she hasn't limped since then.

I wonder if raising the bowl isn't a just a generally good idea? Is there any reason not to? Maybe I should do that with Sassy. She had her annual derm vet appt this week and the vet said she could see some early signs of arthritis and/or hip dysplasia. She's 11ish, so I'm not surprised but I'd like to do anything I can to minimize it.

Karen - As we've all said to each other, you know your dog best. I think going with your gut is always a good idea. Even if you're wrong about the knee, you'll feel better getting him checked out.