dog with arthritis do i need to put him down?
ByI have a 15 year old dog with arthritis, he can barely walk or stand. We took him to the vet yesterday and he gave us rimadryl. We have been taking it faithfully.
Is there anything else we can do for him?
If so what and what doses, how long till we see results?
Do we need to put him down?
Arthritis is a degenerative condition that can be caused by normal wear and tear on the joints over a long period of time. Eventually joint cartillage can wear down and then you have bone grating on bone, which is very painful.
Think of joint cartillage like a brick wall. Your body is the bricklayer, and time is the enemy firing weapons at your wall. Your bricklayer is pretty good at putting up bricks, but he has a very sporadic supply train (blood) giving him replacement bricks and mortar. If there was a way to increase the supply train, your bricklayer would be able to work faster. He will never be faster than the enemy, but he can stall defeat.
In my clinic we counsel clients theat treatment of arthritis is a three-pronged approach.
1) control pain and inflammation. This is achieved through the use of drugs such as NSAIDS (Rimadyl, Previcox, Deramaxx) or when these drugs become innefective, you can advance to the cortisone drugs.
2) Give the joints what they need to repair themselves (think back to your bricklayer.) This means fortifying his diet with the building blocks of cartillage- glucosamine and chondroitin. Plus, there is exciing new research that an amino acid (chromium ethylester- sold under the brand name Rejuvinate) has a catalytic effect on the glucosamine and chondroitin, making them work even better.
3) Retain muscle mass and range of motion. Mild exercise (several short walks per day- no more than what is comfortable for your dog) is very beneficial in the treatment of arthritis. There are also veterinary physical therapy centers that have underwater treadmills for dogs also, so that they can walk without thier full weight on the joints. Swimming is great, too!
At the end of the day, addressing the problem of arthritis from all three angles will give yout the best result and make him comfortable for the longest period of time, but ultimately your dog will reach a point where he is no longer having a good quality of life. No one knows your dog like you, so no one besides you- not even your vet- can know when he is ready to give up the fight.
Best of luck, and my heart goes out to you. IM me if you want any other info.
And apologies for the typos- i’m typing with a broken wrist!
15 Comments
January 17th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
If he is in constant pain with poor quality of life it would be more humane to have him put down. Give him a few days to see if the meds make a difference. It is a very tough decision and I don’t envy you that. Good luck.
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January 17th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
ask your vet for other recommendations for joint care
do online searches for folk remedies
there is hope
good luck
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January 17th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
My 11.5 year old lab has arthritis and we just keep him comfortable. We’ve purchased an orthopedic bed and have made "handicap" ramps for him to get in and out of the truck and also off the porch.
He takes Dermaxx daily too. Just because they’ve got arthritis, doesn’t mean that they are ready to be put down. Only you can judge that with your vet. Also – give the meds about 2 weeks to really work.
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January 17th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
I would never suggest you put your dog down. Its a painful decision to make. We had to put our family dog down this year and let me tell you I don’t regret it because he was in pain however I could not bare to watch my dog suffer. Just remember you are in more control of the situation than they are and dogs will fight to the bitter end. I love dogs.
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January 17th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
That happened with 2 of my dog.
i think it would be best to put him down
even with the medicine he is still in pain..
I know its hard but its better
then knowing and seeing then in pain…
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January 17th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
Give him a few days to see if the medication will work. Joint supplements can also make him more comfortable. If the medication can’t help, then it’s time to let him go. It is never an easy decision, but it is our duty to not let our beloved pets suffer just because it causes us heartache.
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CVT
January 17th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Do not add any other medicine to rimadyl unless your vet reccomends to do so. Give the meds time to work, it’s only been since yesterday. If things aren’t improving in a week or so call your vet and discuss other options.
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January 17th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
You know, I am such a huge animal lover.
People have arthritis. Do they get put down?
No there is medication to help with the pain. Talk with your vet. You may want a second opinion.
I lost my little dog Friday. I am so sad and I miss him so much.
I do know there is medicine for your baby. I hope it works.
Good luck, and God bless!
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January 17th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
No, i had a 15 year old Doberman and he had arthritis, but he lived for 3 more years. so see if you can find any other pills from your vet. Hopefully things will work out. good luck!
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January 17th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
Rimadryl is doggy painkiller. It will not cure arthritis, it will only relieve some of the pain. He may have to take it for the rest of his life. You can treat arthritis in dogs just like humans – massages, warmth to the joints, and swimming (if he is able) is a good exercise that causes little discomfort to the joints since there is little weightbearing. If his pain is so great that he cannot get himself to the food bowl, or if he no longer participates in any activity that used to bring him joy (even passive activities, like chewing on a bone), then his quality of life is suffering just as his body is suffering. However, if he can still enjoy a good meal, chewing on his favorite toy, or wag his tail with a good belly rub – he is just old, not ready to be put down.
References :
January 17th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Arthritis is a degenerative condition that can be caused by normal wear and tear on the joints over a long period of time. Eventually joint cartillage can wear down and then you have bone grating on bone, which is very painful.
Think of joint cartillage like a brick wall. Your body is the bricklayer, and time is the enemy firing weapons at your wall. Your bricklayer is pretty good at putting up bricks, but he has a very sporadic supply train (blood) giving him replacement bricks and mortar. If there was a way to increase the supply train, your bricklayer would be able to work faster. He will never be faster than the enemy, but he can stall defeat.
In my clinic we counsel clients theat treatment of arthritis is a three-pronged approach.
1) control pain and inflammation. This is achieved through the use of drugs such as NSAIDS (Rimadyl, Previcox, Deramaxx) or when these drugs become innefective, you can advance to the cortisone drugs.
2) Give the joints what they need to repair themselves (think back to your bricklayer.) This means fortifying his diet with the building blocks of cartillage- glucosamine and chondroitin. Plus, there is exciing new research that an amino acid (chromium ethylester- sold under the brand name Rejuvinate) has a catalytic effect on the glucosamine and chondroitin, making them work even better.
3) Retain muscle mass and range of motion. Mild exercise (several short walks per day- no more than what is comfortable for your dog) is very beneficial in the treatment of arthritis. There are also veterinary physical therapy centers that have underwater treadmills for dogs also, so that they can walk without thier full weight on the joints. Swimming is great, too!
At the end of the day, addressing the problem of arthritis from all three angles will give yout the best result and make him comfortable for the longest period of time, but ultimately your dog will reach a point where he is no longer having a good quality of life. No one knows your dog like you, so no one besides you- not even your vet- can know when he is ready to give up the fight.
Best of luck, and my heart goes out to you. IM me if you want any other info.
And apologies for the typos- i’m typing with a broken wrist!
References :
Vet Tech
January 17th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
15 years old is very old for a dog.
You can buy tablets in the supermarkets for ‘arthritis’, Not to sure how good they work. If the dog cannot stand or hardly walk, maybe its best to put him down :’(
Save him the pain.
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