My senior dog has luxating patellas. How to help her climb stairs?

I think Florence would benefit from some joint supplements. I recommend dasuquin or flexadin with UC-II. If one alone doesn't help, you can also give both but you want to separate the two by 12 hours apart. Also, make sure you are giving her a high quality dog food which will have all the required vitamins and nutrients she needs. She will need to be on a puppy food until she is 10-12 months old. I hope this helps!

Chacha may have a luxating patella or cruciate ligament strain. Those are the most common reasons for holding up a rear leg in a poodle. I recommend you carry her up and down the stairs, prevent jumping on and off the furniture and take her for short slow leash walks several time a day. This should improve over the next few months if she stays quiet and doesn't keep injuring the leg with running and jumping. To reduce inflammation I give an omega 3 or fish oil supplement, and a joint supplement such as Cosequin. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chacha.

Typically, grade 1 luxations do not require surgery unless they become a frequent problem, progress or cause pain. Time will tell how your pup does. Yes, dogs can have shellfish allergies but it could also be something else in the supplement just causing her stomach to be upset. The best course of action is to avoid execessive hard exercise (daily jogging and heavy running every day) and to start her on a joint supplement. Try Dasuquin. If she does not tolerate that, try an injectable product like Adequan. An omega 3 fatty acid supplement will also be beneficial. I hope this helps.

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.

Her hips are not that bad but that one knee is pretty advanced. It is best to let her keep walking and climbing stairs to keep the joints in motion and prevent her from getting stiff. I would add a glucosamine and chondrotin supplement to help her joints and omega 3 fatty acids also. I would consider adding an anti inflammatory so she doesn’t get painful and can still fetch without paying for it the next day. From there they make other medicines to add but if she is getting around well with no lameness then I would wait until signs develop further

In senior dogs, arthritis is common and that could be causing Poppy's reluctance to climb the stairs. It may be painful for her. I would take her into the vet for an exam. The vet can diagnose if she is suffering from arthritis, and can give her 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 her 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 her symptoms. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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.