pheryn:I have an 8 year old female boxer dog that has started to get athritis in her hip. She has a hard time getting up in the morning, or just getting up from being inactive for a while in general. Once she gets up and gets going though, she seems to be doing just fine. I was wondering if there was any sort of treatment you guys could suggest for my dog. Also if it would be good or bad to take her on walks or play with her still.
I have a whole list of stuff I'd be happy to send you (or your friend - whatever works). Has the vet diagnosed this or are they just *assuming* it's arthritis. ONE hip can be dysplasia (altho boxers aren't hugely at risk).
First, you have to understand what "arthritis" really is. Arthritis is where bone/joint tissue actually gets inflamed. The joint itself (including the bone) can become calcified and disfigured -- it's stiff and it hurts. The trick is to do the things that will help *slow* the progression of the arthritis and to keep the inflammation under control.
That's actually trickier than it sounds.
1. You have to exercise the joints -- if stiffness sets in and you 'baby' it you then lose the mobility in the joint all together. so making sure exercise happens is very important.
2. HOWEVER at the same time, it's ultra important not to "over-do". Because once that joints has gotten some exercise -- "too much" becomes very detrimental -- simply because just beyond "exercise" becomes INFLAMMATION. More and more inflammation.
dogs tend to be stoic - they will push *thru* pain and often you don't even KNOW they are already hurting, and sometimes people wait until they see a pain response (like when the dog limps or stops all together) to think that's "enough". It's not -- it's TOO far and further damage has been done.
So you have to learn with *this* dog where pain begins. when the dog is relaxed play with the fur/skin on the back of the neck. It should be relaxed. Memorize what that feels like. Then -- when you are walking frequently check the neck -- learn to feel when it begins to tighten. STOP.
You don't have to stop all together. Just STOP and let the dog rest for a few minutes (and a sit may NOT be a relaxing position - it can stress the hips more than just standing). *then* continue. But be on your way 'back'. It's better to turn around while the dog is still pain free.
I've used a wagon MANY times -- it can be a great tool for the dog because you can continue the walk and they can ride and not over-stress the joints.
3. Understand the various ways of dealing with pain:
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glucosamine and chondroitin -- these are 'hydrators' -- they plump up the connective tissue that is still there and simply cushion it better. In that sense they help pain because they simply help the joint work better
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Knox NutraJoint -- one of my favorites as Glenda mentioned -- it puts the basic nutrients at the body's disposal so new connective tissue can form. It literally helps the body "re-build" joint tissue. It's just cartilage (bovine cartilage) and calcium -- totally benign, won't hurt the stomach or anything. Takes about THREE MONTHS to work tho - it's not a painkiller -- it literally can help rebuild some of what's been lost.
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pharmaceutical pain management stuff -- ANY of the pharmaceutical NSAIDs (like rimadyl, deramaxx, and even Ascriptin or aspirin) -- they ALL cause stomach bleeding, and they all are hard on the liver and kidneys. They can cause some darned serious side effects -- so please please keep the use of them very minimal. They relieve pain by reducing the inflammation in the joint. WHEN YOU USE THEM **do NOT** do it sporadically. Just use a low low dose. But giving the dog a big dose when it hurts is counter productive -- it's better to use a tiny dose every single day (maybe using a relaxant along with it so it does more with less) so the body can manage the pain than allowing MORE damage to occur by over-doing and then having to use big doses.
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herbal pain management stuff -- NEWSFLASH -- if it's an herbal that does **not** mean you can just use lots!! Things like white willow bark ARE nsaids -- and yep, it causes stomach bleeding too!! Same caution as above -- be careful. Chammomile is an exception - it's a very very very mild nsaid -- and it won't hurt the stomach. But it's not a 'powerful' nsaid -- so it's great for maintenance, and it can help if you're using small doses of something to keep the stomach settled and actually help with pain management. -- just brew chammomile tea from the grocery store -- add it to the dog's food (including the wet herbs). You can do that twice a day with absolutley no ill effects. It's not a huge help but it IS definitely helpful and helps keep the tummy settled. It is great for any kind of queasy tummy.
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some herbs can help relax the joint -- **that's a good thing** -- because when you hurt you tense up. So when the joint really hurts you tense which then causes bone to rub against bone even harder. MORE pain -- so using a relaxant like valerian root or passionflower or milky oats (a/k/a wild oats) can help a lot by relaxing the joint so less nsaid actually is more effective because the joint isn't working against itself.
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topicals -- this is where much of the BEST help can be found. You can't easily do topicals like BenGay on a dog -- it's too 'gunky'. However - there are essential oils that are fantastic. An essential oil is usually found at a health store -- it's not a 'flavoring' -- but a good quality peppermint or wintergreen oil is an excellent rub on and helps reduce inflammation a great deal. I also like some of the blends -- my favorite is White Flower Oil and WoodLock oil -- both are oriental blends and work AWESOME on dog joints. My Billy will come up and LOOK at the bottle and ask for it when he's sore.
http://www.morningstarhealth.com is the best place I've found online to get them (and he carries the non-alcohol valerian tincture too) in the massage supplies. The more oil you use the more heat you get. The more you rub the more heat you get. Can bring them a LOT of relief.