chloe has a poorly leg

Can i have your opinions please guys..?

Chloe as you know got a spey last year following pyrometer (sp), however since then she has piled on the pounds and is currently on RD food from the vet..

Soon after we noticed Chloe was very stiff in the mornings, became lazy and just wanted to lie around all the time.. Last month it looked like she was a little lame on her left front leg.. Then habits changed, she wasn't coming to greet at the door as eagerly etc.. She just didn't seem as active as she was..

We took her to her vet who ordered X-ray to be done, this was done the day after... The results show Arthritis, and elbow dysplasia.. She was given a anti inflammatory and some Synoquin tablets.. We have given the meds as prescribed, however Chloe has gone down hill rapidly since beginning them, she can not even manage a walk round the block now.... She is really struggling, 500% worse then she was before the meds...

She has been referred by our vet to a specialist service "west midland referrals" Apparently these people specialise in bones etc... Chloe has her first consultation on Tuesday, thank god for insurance I tell you

Any opinions guys, I worry I may make the wrong decisions relating to her care... Vets are already speaking of operations.....

Hi Sue, I am sorry to hear about Chloes condition, I haven't been through anything like that myself so I really can't help, but we're all here if you ever need to vent Xx

No experince here either. Hope Chloe is going to be okay

sorry no help either , other than our old BC X was diagnosed with Arthritis and used to have to take Metacalm daily , but he was 8/9 when that all started

Yea Chloe is on metacalm as an anti inflammatory drug... Just worried she will have an unwarranted operation... Will know more on Tuesday after her west mids appt

Oh sorry not to add.. Chloe is only 5 yrs old

Sorry to hear about Chloe

How is her weight? My number one priority would be to get her nice and lean as extra weight will not help.

Could you take her for hydrotherapy? It's often very good for dogs suffering with arthritis.

Hills RD contains a lot of grain which often gets stored as fat. If I were you I'd change over to something with a high meat content like Applaws (would work out similar cost wise I think) it also contains glucosamine and chondroitin which are good supplements for the joints. Or maybe look into raw?

I know of a dog that was in a bad way with arthritis but once the owner got his weight down, got him on a good diet, he improved massively so the only drugs he needed was the occasional dose of pain killer on his bad days.

ETA: How bad is the arthritis? And which joints are affected? Just noticed she's on Synoquin - don't know much about it but think that has glucosamine and chondroitin...

chloexxx wrote:Yea Chloe is on metacalm as an anti inflammatory drug... Just worried she will have an unwarranted operation... Will know more on Tuesday after her west mids appt

Oh sorry not to add.. Chloe is only 5 yrs old

There was never any discussion over operations with Dusty , he had the Metacalm and that was it until his final days 5 years later. Hope you get everything sorted ok must be a big worry for you ><

I really hope you can get some answers from the referal with the specialist.

Very sorry that I do not any experience of the problem but I also think the hydotherapy could help.

Will speak to the vet regarding hydrotherapy after her appt on Tuesday, but she hates water completely...

With the hills rd it was a vet recommendation, but Chloe's not really keen.. She has been on JWB lamb, we then moved onto pro plan weight control as we noticed her piling it on...Another recommendation was original chappie as its got no animal fats, but she hated that...

Her weight has gone from 19 kg at her Spey last year to a whopping 23.5 kg so there's a definite problem, she really doesn't over eat tho.. No idea with that one

We had her on 4joints and cod liver oil before the vet got involved due to her stiffness, neither have made much a difference
will update you all after her specialist on Tuesday ... Anyone ever been to west midlands referrals by the way ?

Sorry cant help RE: west midlands referrals but just wanted to say that it's a shame she doesn't like the water, it would be a great benefit to her if you can get her to swim. Best form of exercise for arthritic joints and great for loosing weight.

The only reason neutering can cause weight gain as far as I'm aware is because it can slow down the metabolism so you have to feed less and/or exercise more.

As she's less mobile, you'll have to reduce the amount she's eating even more. Fats in the diet are the primary source of energy for dogs and protein builds good lean muscle. Carbs, (especially simple ones found in many dog foods) as mentioned get stored as fat and stop the fats in the diet being used up. The best thing for weight loss is low carb, high meat content food. I really do recommend giving Applaws a go - http://www.applaws.co.uk/dog_dry.php or looking into raw. Not many vets actually know much about nutrition, they spend very little time on it during training then go to a few lectures that are often created and paid for by the companies that make the food they sell in their practices.