Arthritis

[smilez4u0102]

Oliver is just over a year and a half...he loves running and jumping around and generally acting nuts whenever he can. I can tell in his back left leg though that he runs on it differently than he should. Its very subtle and you would only notice if you are watching closely for it, but its consistent. I have had him xrayed and if there is a problem, it hasnt gotten bad enough to really be able to tell in the pictures. I have him on a joint supplement that has glucosamine in it, but I dont see too big of a difference. Is there anything that anyone knows of that might be able to keep in from being a big problem in his future. Also for a dog, he's big...for a dane, hes a shrimp. Hes only maybe 100lbs...on a good day. Maybe that will benefit him in the long run...

[Charlene]

which supplement are you giving him and how long has he been taking it? with most of them, it can take 2 or 3 weeks, at least, before you see the benefits of it.

[maggiemay98]

If you can, look for a supplement that has glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and HA. I found one at KVvet called Vet's Best. It has all the stuff I mentioned, plus a bunch of herbs that are good for the joints, fish oil, and MSM. You can also use human supplements like Osteo-biflex since Danes are about human size in terms of weight. Also, keep him on the lean side and make sure he gets regular exercise. Last of all, make sure he has cushy places to lay down. Sleeping on a hard floor isn't good for any joints, let alone arthritic ones.

[Zagari]

My APBT girl was diagnosed with arthritis when she was two and had back joints before then. The vet said she'd be suprised if Em was walking by the time she was five years old. Well, in three weeks, Miss Em will be six!

We've had her on all kinds of things prescribed by the vet. Glyco-flex II is what she was on forever. Osteo-biflex for humans is good too. And on a bad day, it never hurts them to slip a Rimadyl in her food.

Good luck with your baby! Keep a close eye on him.

[zoocrew]

My oldest (non dane) is on "human grade" glucosamine/chondroiton. We get it at Walmart. She gets 1000mg glucosamine and 800mg chondroiton. This was upped from 500/400 a number of years ago.

I also am curious how long you've had him on it and what dosage? If it is something like what I'm giving, you have to start with a higher dosage for awhile (sorry, can't remember if its a week or a month), then lower it to a maintenance level.

I know the vet said that when I start Gunther, he will have to start with 1500/1200, then drop back to 1000/800. Keiko (the old lady) started with 1000/800, then dropped back to 500/400 which we upped when that was no longer working. At this point if her current dosage stops working, we'll have to go with prescription pain meds as you can only give so many mg's before it has no benefit.