I am looking for any help on relieving my 9 year old male Rottweiler's joint pain in his knees. He has had surgery on both and seems to have arthritis. I am considering using Hill's J/D recommended by my vet, but am not sure of its quality. I try glucosamine & MSN pills but he rarely gets them down.
Does anyone have experience with J/D or have any other solutions to relieve the poor boy's pain?
Caesar says thanks!!!!!
Hills is not a quality food, it is full of cheap fillers (do your homework on food quality). Most vets recommend it cause they get a kick back to do so. Go to a health food or nutrition store and get "Joint Solution" the brand is Peak Nutrition. One in the morning, two at night…on an empty stomach. Dip the caplets in a little peanut butter to get him to eat them. This is what my holistic vet recommends as opposed to things like Rimadyl, that can be very hard on your dog : )
As for food, check into Canidae, Royal Canin or Flint River Ranch…all super premium foods that have a Lot of the things (like vitamins and omega 3's) that will also help your dog.
February 17th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Ask your vet about Adequan injections. These are very beneficial.
You can get the joint supplements in powdered form and sprinkle it over his food.
You can buy Nupro Joint Support. It makes a gravy that all the dogs love.
Good luck.
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February 17th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Hills is not a quality food, it is full of cheap fillers (do your homework on food quality). Most vets recommend it cause they get a kick back to do so. Go to a health food or nutrition store and get "Joint Solution" the brand is Peak Nutrition. One in the morning, two at night…on an empty stomach. Dip the caplets in a little peanut butter to get him to eat them. This is what my holistic vet recommends as opposed to things like Rimadyl, that can be very hard on your dog : )
As for food, check into Canidae, Royal Canin or Flint River Ranch…all super premium foods that have a Lot of the things (like vitamins and omega 3's) that will also help your dog.
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Works great for my 10 yr old Border Collie with a slipped disk and bad wrist as well as my 5 yr old Lab with hip dysplasia.
February 17th, 2008 at 9:03 am
I've not used J/D, but I've used others (K/d, W/d, I/d, L/d). They are a really good quality food. You can also try a medicine called Rimadyl, or Etogesic, all available from your vet. You also might want to offer him a heating pad on the lowest setting to lay on. The heat therapy does wonders for arthritis!
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4 years vet tech experience
February 17th, 2008 at 9:06 am
My 10 yr. Rotty was taking one baby aspirin a day untill he died. Your dog is very old for his breed, so be very compassionate with him. Keep him warm too! Good Luck!
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My own experience.
February 17th, 2008 at 9:06 am
j/d is great! I also really like mobility support by royal canin, you can also try Synovi G3 chews I have never seen a dog not like them!
* You can get pet foods that contain glucosamine from the pet store but they generally do not contain enough to make a difference.
Those are the first steps in controlling joint pain, if you find that they aren't giving your dog enough relief then you may need to move onto more pain control by medications such as: Metacam, cartrophen, deramaxx, rimadyl.
There are so many great options for joint pain from your vet, see what they recommend for your dog. It can really improve their quality of life!
*vets barely make any money on food, we recommend it because we trust it and it works!
That is a well known myth made up by pet store food companies.
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vet tech
February 17th, 2008 at 9:07 am
My mom's Lab had the same surgery, on top of severe hip dysplasia and does very well on the J/D. It is a good quality food, expensive, but it is well worth it.
Also talk to your Vet about pain relief. Tramadol, Rimadyl and Metacam are all good pain relievers.
There isn't anything you can give over the counter at home. Sometimes Vets will recommend baby Aspirin, but it has risks the other drugs do not. However your Vet can discuss this with you.
If your dog likes to sleep on beds, I know there are orthopedic beds for dogs who have had surgery on joints. Our lab hates his, but when he does sleep on it, you can really see the difference. He isn't as stiff when he gets up and seems to be more comfortable.
Short walks can also help if he is able, light exercise can help keep the joints lubricated and limber. Walking is low stress and can be done in 15 minutes or less even to see improvement. But not all dogs are the same, it might not help him.
Best wishes with him!
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February 17th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Work with your vet there are many meds that can be used to help with pain relief.
Deciding what will work best should be done with you and the vet and your dogs. Some dogs do not tolerate some of them neds well.
As for food there are many better quality foods than the Hills out there. Hills uses a large amount of cheap fillers and grain products in their foods and while that is not horrible it is also not great.
Check out http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com for many food ratings.
Some foods have condroition and gulcosamine built right into the food. Some of the senior formulas have high amounts of it in the food so you would not need to give it as a suppliment. While these will not cure they seem to help with joint pain in many dogs.
I use Preimum Edge Senior on my weim who has hip issues. He gets around very well and does not need a daily pain med while eating this diet. There are days where he needs a pain med but not every day. He seems to like this food and does very well on it.
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I am a dog trainer
February 17th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Go with what NoBoysAllowed suggested. Medications can be helpful but they can also be very hard on your dogs system, hold off on the drugs for as long as possible. Go with a natural supplement and a higher quality food. Try water therapy too.
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Several years experience as a behaviorist and owner of 3 senior (13 yrs) dogs
February 17th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Our Bulldog is currently on Synovi-MSM, Royal Canin large breed mobility support, and Rimadyl. She has severe HP, arthritis and one bad knee. She is doing great! I know that some are against Rimadyl, but we have had 3 blood test in the last 2 months and vet reccomends a work up every 3 months from now on. I think every dog is different and you have to do what is best and what is working for your particular dog. You can get the joint care supplements and Rimadyl from the pet catalogues much cheaper than your Vet's office, but the pres. diet must be ordered from the Vet.
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February 17th, 2008 at 10:02 am
JanelleR….You are not a vet so therefore your use of the term we is inappropriate!!!!!!! You are just a vet tech!!!!!!! I am a microbiologist but not a doctor so just because I work with doctors does not give me the right to speak for them!!!!!!
As far as food for Ceasar I would compare the ingredients of the foods that are on the market and see if they are premium. The biggest thing to watch out for is cheap fillers like corn and peanut hulls. "We are what we eat"!!!!!
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Microbiologist
February 17th, 2008 at 10:12 am
cosequin, the dog formulation of glucosamine………dogs love the taste. and omega 3 and omega 6. no, i do 't kbow anything about hill's jd, but i would switch to a more natural dog frrod such s blue buffalo or taste of the wild. as for the pain, my dog takes tramadol. i would never consider givig him rimadyl (just in cane your vet suggests it.) it can have deadly side effects.
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