Hip Displaisia ??

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katiebear

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Good morning all, Well my dog seems to be in more pain than before, He is having a rough time getting up stairs ( so do I, there is 22 of them,what were we thinking ) hes is cautious jumping on the couch..and swaggers when he walks.All classic signs of hip displaisia. He is probably developing arthritis as well. The baby aspirin works pretty well for pain control. But I am wondering about glucosemine....any one ever use it? All the vet sites say take him to a vet ( of course..) I just can't afford to get surgery..I love my dog... but he is just a"from the box in front of walmart" mutt. I can't afford to go to the doctor for myself so...
Anyway my question is does it help? And the people version is less expensive than the pet one, so can he use that? :?: Thanks for any info..going to walmart today to pick some up, Depending on ya'lls input...
 
I would check prices at a feed store for the equine versions- I used to get it for $9 for what was probably a 1lb jar, and it also contained MSM.

By the way, I have also seen either glucosamine or MSM (or a combo) for sale at either Dollar Tree or the 99cent store- but as tablets for human use.
 
My childhood dog had hip issues. They gave her a regular sized glucosamine pill for people(she was about 80lbs).
 
I know there's equine versions with glucosamine, MSM, and chondroitin. If you go the human route see if you can find the chondroitin too, that actually helps to stop the progression of joint degeneration. Well... doesn't stop it, but it can slow it down some. Pretty much every horse doing any competition in their 20s was on a Consequin supplement that contains all 3.

Here's the dog version, with the dosage and what each tablet contains. If you go with human stuff, just find the equivalent dose. http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/dog/dog-joi ... ble-tablet
 
I went to dollar tree and got the people version...glucosamine only not the combination..will be going to tractor supply in a few days. I will look for the horse type there. I hope this works..I feel so bad for him..he isn't that old, only about 7 1/2..that's middle age for most mutts...he is border collie mix.so he loves to run and herding is his favorite thing.. :cry: ...
Thank you all for your advice and support...
 
Hang in there... check the dose on the dog version I linked.. there's a "loading dose" you start with for 4-6 weeks then lower it to regular dose.
 
That's about when our boxer started having issues. I had agility trained her(she was never shown, because she refused to jump through the tire, and instead insisted on attacking it), and that was what did her in - the stress on her joints from agility and high jump(at her best, she could scale a 6ft wall). The glucosamine really helped - not to the point where we would allow her to do agility anymore, but enough that she lived until 13 without any major hip problems(they hurt her when it was cold, and she had a big cushy bed to sleep on). I also gave her hip massages, which I don't know if they helped, but she sure loved them!
 
The tabs I got are only 200mg. So he got 6 this morning..1200mg for the first month then down to 600mg daily. I love that dog, he took six pills chewed them up, no problem.. just regular tabs..not flavored or chewable... must trust me to be trying to help him..
 
Thanks katiebear for posing the question and of course thanks to all who replied. Both of my dogs are now 10 years old and every time we take them for a little walk they have trouble going up the stairs at night. I'm going to the feed store tomorrow to see what I can find for them.
 
It really does make a difference for some. It may take a month or so to be able to see a difference, so don't expect any overnight miracles. It'll be more gradual than that.
 
In order for the supplements to work properly, you need the chondroitin, otherwise the body cannot produce the hyonaluric acid that helps repair certain cartilages and helps with the production of synovial fluid-the joint lubricant.
 
I have 2 German Shepherds. The older one has great hips, but the younger one doesn't. They are from the same breeder/blood line. We found out about the younger one's hips when we had them x-rayed to determine if she was suitable for breeding. She was showing no signs of pain ( she is very high energy and is faster than any other GSD I've ever seen) so I was shocked to find out how bad they were. I say this because I don't know if the meds we are using are working or not, since she never has shown that she is in pain. I can say that there is no arthritis in her joints, so it may be keeping her hips lubercated. There are 3 levels of it. I use the Gyco Flex II. The GF III is for dogs with advanced problems, and the GF I is for mild issues. I was getting it from my vet, but Amazon has the best price.

http://www.amazon.com/Glyco-Flex-II-Sta ... ycoflex+ii
 
Hi everyone..Just wanted to update, Max has been on the glucosemine-chondroitin for 2 & 1/2 months now and he is going down hill fast. :cry: He hardly puts weight on his right rear leg at all. He is falling down on the stairs, and mostly just lays around. He even lays down to eat and drink. His front feet turn in now..not sure but I think it is from shifting his weight forward. He has still been a trooper though, and does enjoy the hip massages, but is getting a little leery of being touched.
He is now afraid of the kids...they sometimes accidentally kick or step on him... :( The oldest has A.F.O.'s for his toe walking so he walks a little like Herman Munster, and is not very careful about where he steps.. :x He is 10 so he is a big boy...
Hubby ask me how much it cost to put our last dog down..so I know he is thinking about putting Max down..We don't want to be keeping him around just for ourselves, it is just not right, Ya know?
I am thinking we should have seen improvement or at least less deterioration...maybe I didn't start soon enough? Or maybe it's something else... .
 
Sorry to hear about your dog.
I do believe that quality of life is very important in deciding these things. Only you can make that decision for him, but if he's obviously not enjoying his life anymore... it may be time to let him go.

*hugs*
 
Sorry to hear that he isn't getting any better. :(

It is never easy to make the decision to put down a pet, but it sounds to me like that is the most humane thing for him, poor guy. :cry:

It would also be best for the sake of your kids- when dogs are in constant pain like that, they tend to get snappy- even to the point of being proactive about it and biting before they actually get hurt. And I'm sure your dog wouldn't want to do that.
 
If the flex doesn't work then try metacam. It is very costly, I mean very costly but it works. For my sheltie, at 35lbs, it cost me $70 a month. It is dosed by weight. But if your dog is in that much pain the best thing is to let them go. I had to with my baby boy and it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But I had a plan in place and it help me make the decision to put him down a little easier.

Best of luck and best wishes.
 
:( It's a hard decision to let go, but they can't speak for themselves..... I'm so sorry he's going through this.
 

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