Ask the Vet About Arthritis in Dogs and Cats
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Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

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While efforts are made to answer all questions as quickly as possible, if an immediate answer is required or if your pet is in need of urgent or emergency care, contact your pet's veterinarian immediately.
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Is there a medical device that would help my 12 1/2 yr old golden retriever with his balance, he has arthritis in his hind leg and stumbles
Hey! I do not know of one. Medical devices or braces for dog legs cause skin soars and end up hurting the dog more from discomfort then simply dealing with their arthritis. Sling walks and assisted care I think is the best. You can try using anti-inflammatories such as Rimadyl, Galliprant or Previcox to help with arthritis pain, which I regularly like to use for my older patients. Otherwise, this is a process of aging that is inevitable and simply helping him walk is all you can do. I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Dear Dr. Butzer: I have a 15 and a half year old collie/lab and she has some arthritis , especially in her hind left leg. In addition to some supplements, I'm considering giving her CBD oil. There are so many options on the market and I'm very confused. Are you able to help me decide which product I should choose? It would also be helpful for you to go through list of supplements I'm giving her and let me know if I need to add or modify anything. Thanks for your help. My email is gautamsethi@gmail.com.
Hey! For a dog that is 15 years old with arthritis I really like to use an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) pain medication called Galliprant that you can have prescribed by a vet on Vetster. This will help alleviate inflammation and pain associated with arthritis. Other pain medication with no side effects on organs is Gabapentin. However, Gabapentin can make pets tired and some pet owners don't like this. For supplements I think a good combo glucosamine, MSM and chrondroitin product is great to give once a day to support their joints. This product below is great and has been around for many years: Dasaquin -https://www.1800petmeds.com/dasuquin+with+msm+soft+chews+for+dogs-prod12048.html

My dog is unable to get up on her own due to arthritis and the NSAIDs don’t seem to help her. Is there anything else I can do for her? I am unable to leave her alone when I go to work
Yes, there are many other options nowadays (laser therapy, hydrotherapy, physical therapy, weight loss if needed, acupuncture, etc.) so talk to your veterinarian about what is available near you and might be a good next step for her.

How can 1800PetMeds help?
Here is a direct link to Meloxicam tablets (it also comes as liquid): https://www.1800petmeds.com/meloxicam-prod11177.html Any prescription medications, like Meloxicam, must be approved by a veterinarian that has met her face-to-face.

I know LDN works for arthritis. Do you sell it?
This is the Ask the Vet sections for medical questions. Contact customer service about what products they carry or can order for you. Here is their contact information: Toll Free Number (Call or Text) 1-800-PetMeds® (1-800-738-6337) Email Address customerservice@1800petmeds.com

What can I give my dog Bella for her leg she is banley walk on it
There are MANY causes of limping. So many that I will attach a link to our article about limping that lists many of them in the first paragraph and then goes on to recommend various over-the-counter and prescription medications, but see your veterinarian for a diagnosis if the limping continues: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/limping-in-dogs-and-cats-2.htm

Request safe arthritis supplement for my 12 year old Golden Retriever. Thank you! Suzanne Zarabi
There are many choices nowadays, but here is a really good one by Bayer - it has all of the active ingredients that I really like in one chew, which is hard to find: https://www.1800petmeds.com/synovi+g4+soft+chews-prod11325.html

can dogs take ibuprophen? is it similar to carprovet? how much ibuprophen should I give an 86 pound shepard?
No dogs shouldn't take ibuprofen, it is a totally different active ingredient from carprovet that is too hard on their kidneys.

Our 12-year-old dog has arthritis and 200 mg of Gabapentin 2x/d was helping, but now it's less effective. Carprofen/Rimadyl did not work. Is there another safe med to try?
There are so many treatment options, I will attach our article detailing many of these but the article was written a couple years ago and there are even more, so contact your veterinarian to see what might be right for your dog. Here is a link to many over-the-counter and prescription options: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/cats-dogs-arthritis-treatment-2.html

What is best product for arthritis
There are so many treatment options, I will attach our article detailing many of these but the article was written a couple years ago and there are even more, so contact your veterinarian to see what might be right for your dog and available in your area. Here is a link to many over-the-counter and prescription options: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/cats-dogs-arthritis-treatment-2.html

What can I give him for the pain he has arthritis but he has loss of appetite and vomits yellow his eyes are so foggy he cries once in a while when he’s sleeping
He has so many severe sounding issues involving many different body systems, you will really get your moneys worth from one office visit, so I would recommend going ahead and seeing your local veterinarian. I don't think anything over-the-counter is going to provide much relief.

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I need more information to really help you with this, so see your local veterinarian if it persists or worsens. Here is a link to various articles and treatment options for pain: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/pain

Which brand has 250 mg of glucosamine and 200 mg of chondroitin, which is what my vet recommended?
This regular Cosequin contains 250mg glucosamine and 200mg of chondroitin: https://www.1800petmeds.com/cosequin-prod10317.html

My dog seems to be having a lot of pain from arthritis she’s having a hard time walking. I don’t have the funds to take her to a vet please help
You can try over-the-counter things like this doggie aspirin https://www.1800petmeds.com/nutri-vet+aspirin+chewable+tablets-prod12693.html or this homeopathic remedy https://www.1800petmeds.com/t+relief+tablets-prod10795.html or a good joint supplement https://www.1800petmeds.com/naturvet+glucosamine+ds+plus+soft+chews-prod12852.html, BUT nothing works as well as prescription medication (usually NSAIDs like carprofen) from your veterinarian. They will also either have or know where you can get other treatment options like laser therapy, acupuncture, physical therapy, hydrotherapy, etc.

Should I be concerned with Daisy constantly grooming her right front paw Our vet says nothing wrong with paw I already give her Cosequin
If she targets just one foot, I would need to examine her and snap some radiographs, to really determine what is going on but it could be many things (arthritis, allergies, mange, infected nailbed, interdigital cyst, etc etc.)