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Old dog, arthritis and skin problems?
Arthritis and skin problems iin an old dog, supplements?
Hi there, I have an older basset hound/beagle mix, we are guessing that he is about eleven years old. He has the basset body and bow-legged look, and has a lot of weight on his front paws. He has developed arthritis in the front paws, and recently I started him on cosequin. He's been on it over a couple of weeks and he isn't limping as much. I would like to find something more effective though. What about Glycoflex, SynoviG3, etc..? Of the three, which is the best? Next, we've been fighting with skin issues in my dog. He is on flea prevention, and doesn't seem to itch. His paws are red, he licks between the paw pads constantly, and I dont know why.. he has always licked his feet but they seem redder. They're also swollen. He is missing fur on his stomach, it has thinned. He has sores on his mouth, he has always had them and since we switched him onto a ceramic bowl from plastic; the sores haven't been as bad. They're these red bumps, that break open from time to time and bleed, they're around his mouth on the bottom jaw and below his nose. Little bites, he is on flea prevention, whats up with this? Or is it a reaction to something outside? Sometimes he'll even get these bumps under his skin that go away after a while. Redness and bald spots: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...P1010003-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...P1010007-1.jpg Sores around the mouth: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...P1010006-2.jpg Pink, swollen paws: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...P1010005-2.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...P1010004-2.jpg Not sure what else to put.. We were wondering if the skin problem might have been caused by an allergy, maybe wheat or grains. We switched him from Innova Senior to Earthborn Primitive Natural and Evanger's Chick en and Rice.. both of which are free of gluten. I also started giving him fish oil, 1000 and Vitamin E 400. But that has only been going on for two or three days... I'm hoping to improve his coat and improve his joint function a little. Can anyone give me some insight? The vet just says he might have a doggie version of athlete's foot... and had me washing his feet for months with an antifungal wash, with NO change. |
#2
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Old dog, arthritis and skin problems?
"MismatchedMongrel" wrote in message ... Arthritis and skin problems iin an old dog, supplements? Hi there, I have an older basset hound/beagle mix, we are guessing that he is about eleven years old. He has the basset body and bow-legged look, and has a lot of weight on his front paws. He has developed arthritis in the front paws, ...........Probably because he's been compensating for hind end weakness and his front end has been taking more weight and recently I started him on cosequin. He's been on it over a couple of weeks and he isn't limping as much. I would like to find something more effective though. What about Glycoflex, SynoviG3, etc..? ......................The one that works is the one you should use! I urge you to compare ingredients. If they're not much different, they probably won't act much differently. And you need more than 2 weeks for the whole effect. Follow the instructions on the bottle. With glucosamine there's usually a loading dose, don't know about these combo products. His paws are red, he licks between the paw pads constantly, and I dont know why.. he has always licked his feet but they seem redder. They're also swollen. ...............Probably yeast infection, but no way to know if this and other red itchy bumps are until you get a skin scraping. Little bites, he is on flea prevention, whats up with this? .............a critter with a flea allergy can react to one bite. Don't know if that is what is happening or not. If fleas are an issue in your area, treat the house also with an IGR. Lastly, if you're in the S. US., Frontline is just not working very well on fleas. Try switching flea prevention product. Or is it a reaction to something outside? .............If environmental allergy you should see waxing and waning depending on the season. We were wondering if the skin problem might have been caused by an allergy, maybe wheat or grains. We switched him from Innova Senior to Earthborn Primitive Natural and Evanger's Chick en and Rice.. both of which are free of gluten. I also started giving him fish oil, 1000 and Vitamin E 400. But that has only been going on for two or three days... I'm hoping to improve his coat and improve his joint function a little. Can anyone give me some insight? The vet just says he might have a doggie version of athlete's foot... and had me washing his feet for months with an antifungal wash, with NO change. .............Didn't have time to look at your pix, but I urge you to join the Yahoo Group K9Nutrition. A lot of your questions are very common ones, and you may get some answers to help your dog. You're going the right direction. Any nutritional supplementation may take 6 weeks to see full benefit. buglady take out the dog before replying |
#3
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Old dog, arthritis and skin problems?
Any results from Cosequin in just 2 weeks is excellent! It takes 4 to 6
weeks to reach full effect. I have used this for one of my guys with good results for just basic old age stiffness.... a little arthritis, but not severe. Back nearly 20 years ago, when there were few choices, I used GlycoFlex (which was just being started to be used for dogs after having been a staple for horses for years) for my guy with hip dysplasia bilaterally, starting when he was about 8 1/2 yo, and he was mobile and doing stairs until he died at 15. I think that both Cosequin and GlycoFlex kept both dogs from developing much more limitation of movement. As a result, I start my young dogs on a glucopolysaccharide supplement on a preventive basis at about 3 yo.... and they are moving beautifully as oldsters. My friends who breed and train German Shepherd Dogs for performance sports start the supplements in their puppies. The loading dose for this category of supplement is double the maintenance dose, and lasts at least 30 days, although I think some recommend 6 weeks. The reason is..... They make the fluid inside the joint capsules thicker, more "slippery", make more fluid, and reduce the inflammation from the tiny bone spurs and pits of arthritis, so those surfaces aren't rubbing each other any more This "new and improved" synovial fluid takes 4-6 weeks to replace what's in there to start with. So a single missed dose once in a blue moon is no big hairy deal; it takes days/weeks to loose all of these good qualities. And nothing speeds it up, so don't get suckered into liquid glucosamine, which is more expensive. Pain in a body part often causes a dog to lick that area. Watch to see if that constant licking of feet decreases as the Cosequin increases relief to the larger joints. His feet may be arthritic, too. Discuss using a human athlete's foot over-the-counter product on his feet with your vet. My vet had me use Lotrimin brand for a fungus issue at one point. There's even a spray-on version, although I used the cream. But get the vet's consent FIRST! I stopped feeding foods with corn, wheat, and soy a long time ago when someone commented to me that dogs aren't cows..... {grin}. That summer was the first one when I didn't have dogs with hot spots. They weren't allergic to those grains, but were sensitive. There were no problems with the other grains in foods I tried. In recent years, I've fed grain-free.... which it looks like you are doing. I currently have a dog in one of my obedience classes who was recently found to be sensitive to chicken, when his owner switched foods. He's back on the animal protein base food he'd been on for the last year, and itching MUCH less. So sometimes it can be the animal protein in a food that causes the problem. When dealing with food sensitivities, it can take up to 90 days to get rid of the results of feeding something the dog is sensitive to, although you can see results starting, much faster. And if the dog is allergic to an ingredient, you see some improvement very promptly, within days to weeks. I suspect that your dog isn't dealing with food sensitivities or allergies because you don't mention repeated ear infections, which go along with excessive foot chewing and licking caused by food issues. Once the Cosequin has reached time for maintenance dose switch, talk to your vet about anti-fungal treatment of those feet.... at least on a trial basis.... if the problem hasn't started to decrease. Jo Wolf Martinez, Georgia, USA |
#4
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Old dog, arthritis and skin problems?
I suspect that your dog isn't dealing with *food sensitivities or
allergies because you don't mention repeated ear infections, which go along with excessive foot chewing and licking caused by food issues. There's another thing you can try to see if it allergies, which is Benadryl. Ask your vet if this is recommended for your dog and what the appropriate dose should be. I too have found Cosequin to better than any of the OTC remedies, so if it's working for you, stick with it. And lastly, since I'm on my 2nd arthritic dog, sometimes a suplement isn't anough, and you need to consider anti-inflamatories and pain medicines. There are NSAIDs adjusted for dogs that are safer than aspirin (don't give ibuprofin, naproxen sodium, or acetaminicin to a dog, please!). Rhymadyl, Deramaxx, and Metacam are commonly used for this. There can be side effects, and there is still a possibility of liver or kidney damage (just much less than you get from the humabn formulations). I've had good luck with Deramaxx, others I've spoken to have sworn by Metacam (but it's a liquid and more expensive). Rhymadyl has gotten some bad press due to interactions, so read up on it before you decide to use it. And just as in human medicin, sometimes a pain medicin and an anti-inflamatory don't have as much effect when either is used alone as they do when used together. Current dog is doing very well (for almost 16) on Cosequin, Deramaxx and Tramadol. Your pet's metabolism may differ, so work with your vet on this. Reactions vary dog-to-dog, not just by breed. Good luck, --Glenn Lyford |
#5
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Old dog, arthritis and skin problems?
Glenn Lyford wrote in rec.pets.dogs.health:
And lastly, since I'm on my 2nd arthritic dog, sometimes a suplement isn't anough, and you need to consider anti-inflamatories and pain medicines. Current dog is doing very well (for almost 16) on Cosequin, Deramaxx and Tramadol. Your pet's metabolism may differ, so work with your vet on this. Reactions vary dog-to-dog, not just by breed. Yup! I'm with 2 arthritic dogs here (had another who has since passed on named Sammy). Sammy needed tramadol and a glucosamine suppliment. Cash doesnt seem to benefit from the suppliments so doesn't get them but Aunti Mabel does. Neither Cash or Aunti Mabel are on pain meds but we watch carefully for this plus regular vet checkups on it all. What's worked well here is our nooner bone broth and other natural sources. Aunti Mabel gets the natural and the powder forms. She seems best on both of them. PS to all, Aunti Mabel turns 15 this Thanksgiving (best guess, adopted her believed to be at least 14 last Thanksgiving). Smile, she and Cash are doing fine. Aunti Mabel's cataracts are holding stable and she's developed a permanent happy grin. |
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