Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Lola, the Vet and Arthritis



Lola had a vet appointment yesterday.  I am able to drop her off in the morning and then pick her up in the evening.  It is great because nothing is rushed, and she loves all the attention she gets.  They did all their wellness exams and she got a rabies vaccine and a heartworm shot. The heart worm shot lasts for 6 months.  And she got a clean bill of health with all that.  


I also mentioned to the vet that she limps on her left back leg at times.  It is usually after she has had a hard round of playing.  So I asked that they look at it.  They did a full exam with range of motion on both of her back legs and she looked good.  They said the only way to know what is really going on is x-rays.  So, I told them to go ahead.   


I met with the vet when I picked Lola up to go over the x-rays.  The vet says that she has arthritis in both knees.  Right now the back left leg is worse.  But she will be using the right leg more because of that, so then the right leg will probably get worse, and it will continue down alternating between which is worse.  They gave me pain pills to give Lola.  But she said the only real option is surgery and gave me a referral to a surgeon. And she will probably need it on both knees.


I am apprehensive about Lola have surgery.  I am just not convinced it is the only solution and don't know if that is the right solution.  I just wonder how much it will really fix, and will it end up being harder on her to have 2 surgeries with in one or two years.  I think I will probably look for another vet to get at least one more opinion.  The vet we currently go to is a national vet chain in a pet store.  (I am not naming them because I don't want to call them out for any reason.)  They have been absolutely great with Lola and adore her but I think they are more geared towards general care.  And not towards the specialty that Lola may need at this point.  


So here is my call out to the blogging world.  I obviously want Lola to be comfortable, and do not want her in pain.  And I would like to avoid surgery if possible.   Like I said the vet has prescribed some pain pills, and said I could give her 500 mg of gluclosomine twice a day.  I have already ordered some and it should be here in a few days.  I have found some stuff online that talks about changing her diet and I willing to do that once I think I have found a good plan.  The vet said that she is at a good weight and she does not want her losing any significant amount of weight.  


Has anybody out there had any experience with their dogs having arthritis in the back knees or anywhere?  And have you found anything that has worked great for them?  I am willing to try different things to find what would be best for Lola.  





10 comments:

  1. Funny you should ask... :)

    Riley just had a torn CCL ligament in her right knee and had to have TPLO surgery on it yesterday. I just got her home from the surgeon's office a few hours ago and she will be on crate rest only for 8 weeks. EIGHT weeks!?!? You gotta be kidding me! But, we do what we have to do for our dogs.

    She already has arthritis in her hips because of her hip dysplasia, and already has some arthritis in her knee--meaning her ligament has been torn for months and I just didn't know it until the end of last week...major guilt trip!

    Anyway, Riley has been taking Dasuquin (glucosamine/chondroiton supplement) since she was 10 months old. She doesn't really have too many problems with her arthritis (until she started limping from this torn ligament), so I would say it helps.

    What kind of surgery are you looking at for Lola? I would think the vet would want to avoid surgery at all costs, but then again, the vets can be weird... Good for you for getting her checked out as soon as you noticed!!

    Elyse (and Riley/Gimpy at the Moment)

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  2. Oh I hope they find a plan that works well for her

    Stop on by for a visit!
    Kari
    http://dogisgodinreverse.com

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  3. Arthritis is no fun for anyone :( The fact that Lola is at a good weight is a start in the right direction. We have 2 seniors with arthritis who are on the plump side (working on it). Both girls take Glyco Flex III & love it. Chloe is on Deramax (ms?) daily & Annie is on her way to needing it. I am with Elsye in that you would think that surgery would be the last option. Hope the supplements help her.

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  4. Hope you find something that works
    Benny & Lily

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  5. I agree with the Glycoflex 3 recommendation. I'd also try Traumeel tablets for the pain/inflammation (they are for humans and you can buy them online, a holistic vet suggested them for my previous senior dog). you can also give half a buffered low dose aspirin, twice a day. good luck!

    http://maisieme.blogspot.com/

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  6. Luckily, we haven't had that problem....but we see lots of products and advice in our dog magazine. Two huge surgeries seems radical. Looks like some bloggers have great ideas. Hope they work.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella

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  7. Darn Lola that bites. Mom says her previous doggy had arthritis in her hips beginning at a very young age. Glucosamine helped her live virtually pain free and very mobile until the ripe old age of 12 (very long for an English Bulldog). We found Level 5000, a glucosamine concentrate for horses and canines to work the best. We found it at a local holistic pet store but you may be able to find it on line as well.

    Sending you the healthiest of vibes Lola :)

    Waggin at ya,
    Roo

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  8. Yikes, poor girl! Sorry I don't have any advice to offer but I hope you can find something around the internet. Sending well wishes!

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  9. Hi Lola, it's us again. Yes, the Level 5000 that Roo mentioned is made by the same people as he K-9 liquid health. Two surgeries seems extreme. Big doggies like us often get arthritis. Our first rottie who's at the bridge now, lived to be 12 taking rimadyl and using the glucosamine.

    -Bart and Ruby

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  10. So sorry! You've gotten a lot of good advice already that I would have given. We do the glucosamine, but up the dose to 1000MG per meal (AM and PM). I recently switched to a new holistic one made with tart cherries. It's called Hipflex by Overby Farms. We do the Omega three oil. We do a generic Rimadyl for the pain as well as Adequan shots (at home - ick). And I found a product called HipHug. It's basically a heating pad filled with rice. I microwave it for a minute-plus and wrap it around her hips in the evening. The rice makes it a damp heat, which Téa seems to love even though damp weather increases her limping.

    Despite all of that, you'll be reading about surgery in the next week or so if you stop by my blog. It's pretty depressing since we clearly try to do everything right, but bad genes are bad genes and she's just too young to have to go through another 10 years or more in so much pain.

    Good luck!

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