[Virginia's Mom]

Virginia has had some problems with stiffness in a rear leg lately.

Our vet had her on Deramaxx for 10 days, and now we're looking to start her on a glucosamine/chondroitin product. For those of you who give this product to your beags, can you give suggestions for brand names that have been effective for you? Also, I've read about a liquid form called Syn-Flex. Does anyone know anything about this product?
Thanks.

 

[KSycamore]

Virginia's Mom, I haven't used that on my dogs, but, I & hubby have used it. And, I've given it to our horses. It takes a while to get in their system & get working. But, once it does, it's great. After a while we switched to Yucca. It's an anit-inflamatory. It works pretty good too. But, I would use the G & C first. Those two together rebuild/regenerat new cartlage. Then you might switch to the Yucca (it's a lot less expensive). The only thing is, I haven't been able to find Yucca for dogs, so....

Anyway, I know that doesn't answer your question. But, I would say ask your vet to suggest a brand, or variety (liquid or pill). Or ask at your favorite pet supply store which is their best seller.

I'm a believer in both. Good luck, hope Virginia is getting around better soon.



------------------
Kathy & Murphy

 

[Genie]

Wow, Va's Mom, I'm so glad you wrote!! My vet just started Shiloh on Deramaxx about a week ago. We were doing Rimadyl but it seemed to stop being effective. Why was Virginia only on for 10 days? My vet gave me a month's supply; after that I'm hoping for a big improvement, as the stuff isn't cheap!! Anyway, I'm also giving Shiloh a tablet called Glyco-Flex that the vet reccomended. He says it has Glucosamine and is made of ground up mussels. We call it the stinky fish pills, but Shiloh loves it. When I first started giving it to her (alone) it seemed to be effective at first, but then not so much when she had a bad flare up. But the dr. suggested combining it with the arthritis med and she seems to be getting around better--even hopped up on the bed last night!!

Good luck.

 

[Virginia's Mom]

Genie:
What were Shiloh's symptoms? Did she ever have problems before? Did the vet do bloodwork or take x-rays?

I have heard of Glyco-Flex. It is made by Veti-Science, a reputable manufacturer who makes the multi-vitamins we give VA (called Canine Plus). I'm still evaluating which glucosamine/chondoitin product to start her on...I'm leaning toward trying the liquid.

I am a big-time advocate of complementary/alternative/integrative (or whatever today's buzz-word is) medicine for both humans and pets. With the understanding that some alternative supplements can be just as powerful (and potentially dangerous) as traditional pharmaceuticals, I really like to take the safest, least invasive and most conservative approach to medical problems. Having said that, however, I also believe there are times when traditional medicine is helpful and necessary. It's really a matter of doing the research and intelligently weighing the risks and benefits.

My vet is "integrative" in his approach, and really takes his cue from the pet owner. When he suggested putting VA on Deramaxx, I was very leery since it is a fairly new drug and I knew nothing about the drug's profile or side effects, etc. I did some research and I wasn't thrilled. It turns out Deramaxx is a Cox 2 inhibitor for control of pain and inflammation, similar to the human drug Celebrex. There are some horror stories circulating on the web about how the mfg. rushed it to market, and some dogs had suffered side effects.

However, after 3 days of watching my otherwise-healthy dog walk with a limp, I knew there was inflammation that wasn't going to improve on its own. So, I called the vet and he urged me to give her the prescription, telling me that he had found the drug to be very effective in his practice, and has not seen side effects. I "negotiated" my decision- instead of 1-1/2 pills a day, tapering to 1 if she showed improvement, we gave her 1 pill a day- period. She did seem to move much better after about 3-4 days on the Deramaxx, but I still only view it as a short-term fix, which is why I want to look at glucosamine/chondroitin now.

Here's an interesting article: http://www.ivillage.com/pets/vet/pages/0,,197293_543882,00.html

By the way, it very much depends on what your dog's symptoms are as to how you make these decisions. I don't honestly know if I would be ok with her being on it for more than 10 days. And, I know that I would NOT be comfortable with Rimadyl. Having said that, there are dog owners whose dogs are in dreadful, chronic pain with serious disk and joint problems- who view these drugs as a god-send. So, I certainly don't pass judgment on these folks- just think everyone should exercise caution and weigh the risks.

(Sorry to be so long and rambling...)

 

[virginiapeg]

Just my 2 cents worth...Annie & Shelby both get Glucosamine/chondroitin in Nupro joint formula, a powder that I add to one meal a day. It makes gravy and they love it. Shelby has been on G/C for several years.

 

[Genie]

Quote:Originally posted by Virginia's Mom:
Genie:
What were Shiloh's symptoms? Did she ever have problems before? Did the vet do bloodwork or take x-rays?

Shiloh was in quite a bit of pain--sometimes after she'd been lying down for a while she'd get up and start yelping and twist around like she wwas trying to get at her hips. And she started limping and having trouble climbing stairs and jumping on the sofa or bed. 'The vet took x rays and said that her knees look fine, but her hips look like they just aren't "real solid in their sockets." (His words.) Which would explain why she started developing arthritis so young, (She's 7 now and has had problems about a year or more.) He did blood work before starting her on Rimadyl, to make sure her liver enzymes weren't too high. (He'd recommended against giving Rimadyl to our standard poodle Coco because at age 15, he didn't want to risk liver complications on toop of everything else that was going wrong with him.) So when the vet suggested Deramaxx, that was the first thing I asked, about side effects. He said he's had his own dog on it for a few months with no problems. And I am seeing some improvement--but I don't want to have to give it to her long term. Maybe use the glucosamine regularly and save the Deramaxx for flare-ups. What do you think?
Virginiapeg, how is Annie doing? Is she still on Rimadyl?