My senior Malamute has hip pain. What helps her walk and climb?

Since Zeus is only 6, I would certainly have your veterinarian evaluate his joints to see if he does have arthritis. At 150 pounds, he is likely overweight for a Shepherd/Malamute cross. Weight loss is very important for treating arthritis and may be one of the most important treatments we can offer. There are a huge number of supplements and medications that we use to treat arthritis. I have attached a link to a handout below with additional information. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=587 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Zeus feel better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

If it is quite mild pain she is experiencing you could try giving her a supplement of chondroitin and glucosamine. You can get this from good pet shops and it helps to lubricate the joints. If that does not help you may have to go to the vet to get her something stronger such as an antinflammatory. Also make sure she has a well supported bed to take pressure of her when sleeping.

Hello. I agree, surgery at this age would not be ideal given her age. You do not indicate what meds she is already on, but she should be receiving an NSAID such as meloxicam, carprofen, or any one of several excellent drugs in this classification. I would also have her on gabapentin, possibly tramadol, & maybe even Adequan injections, just in case some of her joints are painful. An alternative for the NSAIDs would be steroids as they are very good at reducing inflammation, but that does put her at some risk for side effects. Hopefully, these can keep him comfortable for some time to come. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I agree that this is possibly arthritis especially if this has been an issue before. Usually this can improved with joint supplements like Cosequin and the food Science Diet j/d. Pain control medications such as NSAIDs and gabapentin can be used on an as needed basis to help with pain. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment of this. If they agree that this is likely, they can go ahead and prescribe this to help her. Good luck and have a great day!

If supplements alone haven't helped, it may be time to add in a pain medication or other joint medications to help relieve Halo's discomfort. Unfortunately, these do require a trip to the vet in order to be prescribed, but it's a good idea to schedule a vet visit anyway to monitor Halo's joint health and any progression of disease. Your vet may recommend regular bloodwork and X-rays to watch the hips for any additional deterioration so that medications and joint supplements can be adjusted as needed. Changing supplement types in addition to this, such as adding in fish oil and vitamin E, Green-Lipped mussel, or another glucosamine/chondroitin combo may also help, however, consulting with your vet first to make sure there is no interaction with other medications is best.

Poor girl. Considering her age she likely has some arthritis setting in her joints. Sometimes joint supplements (ie Dasuquin or Cosequin) can help with pain if it is mild-moderate. However for immediate help with her pain your vet can prescribe some anti-inflammatory (Rimadyl or Meloxicam) and pain medicine (Tramadol) to help with Nila’s comfort. Also the vet will want to check her organs (liver, kidneys, etc) to ensure they are also fine. Best of luck with Nila and I hope she feels better soon. Take care.

First I would recommend to have Cloud examined by her veterinarian. Cloud is old enough that she may start to exhibit the beginning signs of hip dysplasia or other growth abnormality. Large and giant breed dogs are prone to the issues and the issues are best addressed while the pet is very young to avoid permanent changes to the body. The veterinarian will need radiographs to look at the joints and determine what to do next. At home you can give her supplements. Start giving an omega 3 fatty acid (Nutramax makes a nice product) can help with natural inflammation control. Make sure to get one meant for pets. Go ahead and start her on a joint supplement. Dasuquin is a good product for the joints. It will help to keep the inflammation in the joints lower and this will decrease pain. If you are interested in a diet change, Royal Canin makes a diet called Mobility Support which has green lipped muscle as an ingredient and pets tend to do very well in it. You cannot use this though until Cloud is adult sized as it is not formulated to support growth of puppies. I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to post any additional questions.