My dog has severe arthritis in his knee. What are the best treatments?

Hello, thank you for your question about Tasha. Osteoarthritis is a very challenging condition to manage in pets. Unfortunately we cannot cure the arthritis but instead focus on management and delayed progression. The first line of therapy is pain management; anti-inflammatory medications (such as carprofen) often help significantly. However, these medications can be hard on pet's kidneys and liver, so bloodwork prior to starting therapy is often recommended. Tramadol can be helpful in some pets, but for other dogs it is not strong enough to be used as a sole medication. Another option is a pain medication called gabapentin, which has a dose range and can be added in to therapy. The second aspect of treatment is slowing of progression. Key aspects in this kind of therapy include joint health. Dogs can take glucosamine supplements to help maintain the lubrication in the joints. There are also some specially formulated diets that can help in the management of joint health. Finally, maintaining a healthy lean body weight helps to ease the pressure on the joints and can slow progression. Additionally, if Tasha's pain is well controlled, short leash walks to maintain activity can also help prevent progression. Hope this helps, good luck!

You can talk to your vet about therapy laser treatments if it is available in your area as these can help with pain and inflammation. You can also see about starting Adequan injections to help with the joints or further pain medication such as gabapentin or Tylenol 3 or 4 in extreme cases.

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.

It could be that Buddy is suffering from arthritis, and that's causing him to limp in pain. Arthritis is common in older dogs. I would take Buddy into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose if he is suffering from arthritis, and can give him some pain meds for it. Rimadyl (an NSAID) is a good drug to give to help with the symptoms of arthritis. I also recommend giving him glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate supplements. They provide the necessary nutrients for cartilage repair and function. Use of them helps relieve some of the symptoms of arthritis, and you can use it in conjuction with Rimadyl to help maximize relief from his symptoms.

You should let him rest and only take him out to eliminate preferably on a leash. He will need to be seen by your vet to assess the leg and why he is in pain. This could be due to arthritis, a sprain or trauma such as a cruciate ligament tear or rupture. Your vet will be able to prescribe NSAIDs suitable for dogs in order to curb inflammation and take the pain. Please take him to a vet, preferably today, before the vets close. Do not give your dog human NSAIDS such as Ibuprofen or tylenol, etc. as they are toxic to dogs.

Hello, sorry to hear about Mollie. There are multiple causes of pain and lameness in the front legs. One of which includes inflammation of the biceps tendon, most often diagnosed with an ultrasound. Elbow dysplasia which can be composed by 3 different disease processes (elbow incongruity, fragmented medical coronoid process, and ununited anconeal process) which is diagnosed with a CT scan. And any injuries to the wrist or toes often seen with x-rays. Most of these can be treated first with medical management, strict rest, and occasionally a splint or bandage. However, of this is not working for Mollie, then she may need to see an orthopedic surgeon to determine if surgery is necessary. At that time, depending on what the findings of the orthopedic exam are, you may be faced with having to do additional diagnostics. Unfortunately, your insurance may or may not cover these. Speak with your veterinarian about adding more pain medications or considering a referral to an orthopedic surgeon if deemed appropriate. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If can only use one, the anti-inflammatory drug would be more useful in this scenario probably. There are no safe over the counter pain control medications that can be used without the guidance of a veterinarian. The pain is likely due to a combination of factors including arthritis and the abnormal bone growth you described. Good luck!