My arthritic dog couldn't get up, but then walked fine. What happened?

When I have patients with arthritis or starting arthritis I always recommend starting a glucosamine supplement. This can be bought over the counter or online. A great animal one is Cosequin. All the directions are on the bottle. This will help lubricate his joints. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Arthritis is definitely a possibility. You could start him on a joint supplement, like Dasuquin and see if that helps. Your vet could also take an x-ray to evaluate for arthritis and then start him on a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, like Deramaxx, Previcox, Rimadyl, etc. NSAIDs help relieve the discomfort associated with arthritis.

At his age and size, arthritis is almost certainly a factor. However he could also have a neurologic issue contributing to the walking changes you're seeing. I would recommend a vet visit for a general exam, to make sure more testing of Joe's neurologic system isn't needed, and then to get started on some antiinflammatory and pain medications to get him more comfortable moving around. It's also important to make sure Joe is an ideal weight (if he's not, decrease his food by 10% every month or two until he is) because that helps a lot with arthritis in big dogs as well. Good luck!

Oh my. Poor guy. : ( Arthritis can progress fairly quickly in pets, even when they are on the proper medication. The only thing you really can do at this point is to have Roscoe re-examined by your vet for a full evaluation. Repeat or initial radiographs of his back legs and hips should be considered and then if arthritis is indeed the only problem here, your vet can prescribe additional medication to hopefully help stabilize Roscoe and properly manage his pain. However, I suspect that he may have a back injury if he is crying out in pain, which may not be so easily treated. I do hope that there is something that can be done here. Some additional medications to consider are Gabapentin (for pain) and an injectable osteoarthritis medication called Adequan. Best of luck moving forward with your pet Roscoe and I hope that he regains his mobility soon. Take care.

Hello, while I am glad you have been using a good joint supplement, it sounds like your girl needs some more serious pain medication for her osteoarthritis. There are many to choose from, and they can literally give an aging pet a new lease on life. I have literally seen crippled dogs that owners wanted to euthanize become happy, active pets. The first thing to do is see your veterinarian for a thorough exam, blood work & possible x-rays & hopefully start your pet on a medication to ease her pain. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Walking Gandhi may flare up his arthritis so shorter walks may help lessen this. Also, I would recommend a joint supplement if you have not already. Exercise is great for Gandhi still and providing appropriate joint support and helping reduce any arthritis pain would be recommended. I would consider the below products and discussing arthritis management with your veterinarian. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Dasuquin for dogs 2. Welactin omega 3 fatty acid capsules for dogs 3. Adequan injections with your veterinarian 4. Hills J/D food (requires a prescription) 5. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as Meloxicam and Carprofen for flare ups of arthritis.

You can start with taking your dog to a veterinarian for an exam to rule out other causes of pain and stiffness and to determine how bad the arthritis is. Your vet will then recommend either NSAIDs for dogs which will take inflammation and pain, or just glucosaminoglycanes with SAME or both, fish oil and mild exercise. This should give your dog a good quality of life.