Tyson's got osteoarthritis...

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the board and decided to post here because we've just found out our gorgeous boy has osteoarthritis in both his front legs :-(. There's no real cure other than weight management, no high intensity exercise, pain relief and anti inflammatories. The vet has suggested some options for physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, which we will look into - although Tyson hates swimming so I'm not sure about that!!

He's 9 years old and I'm really hoping we can manage this well enough so that he's pain free for many more years...

If anyone else has experience of dealing with this do let me know.


Rebecca

It's not the news you wanted, I know, but it can be managed. Our retriever, Mungo, had arthritis from his toes up from about 9 months old and, although we did have bad patches that were quite awful, most of the time he was a happy lad, albeit restricted in the amount and type of play. His last year was rather wonky but before that we coped pretty well most of the time.

The pain relief is pretty good, and we found we could play with the dose according to what he needed. As things progressed, he also had Cartrophen injections which I think helped. I wasn't convinced that supplements worked but we have since put Nola (nearly 10) on YuMove and it has perked her up, so that might be worth trying. You can get it on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lintbells-YuMOVE-Joint-Supplement-Tablets/dp/B003W5VDWO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Physio/hydro are definitely worth looking into. Keeping joints moving correctly is important. We have had a couple of dogs in at Danaher (where I volunteer) who improved with hydrotherapy, and both were fairly immobile before starting. Do look for a good pool, though. Most dogs can be taught to enjoy water provided the therapist takes their time. See if you can find one with a hydro treadmill - they can be a great first step towards getting happy in the water before the actual swimming. One of the Danaher dogs, Athena, was distinctly unsure to start off with but is now enjoying her dips thanks to the treadmill.

I'm sure your vet has given you advice about exercise. Ball games and anything that involves sudden stopping, jumping, etc are the real ones to avoid. Also, listen to Tyson on the days following longer walks - he'll let you know if it was too much.

And cuddles. Lots and lots of cuddles.

My Flo also suffers sometimes, often weather related or so it seems and we also give her a supplement called Nutraquin. At first I didn't think it made any real difference until we ran out. We certainly noticed her not wanting to as much, after a restock it took a few weeks to get it back into her system but I can definitely see the difference.

Ah bless:(

hydrotherapy is great! he may not much like water/swimming, but the pool's water is nice and warm, and he'll have lots of support with a life jacket and an experienced hydro-technician. it really is worth the time & effort.