Hi there

We recently found out that our 8 and a half year old dog, Sox, has osteoarthritis in his hind legs/hips. He's been given a 3 week supply of Metacam to help with any pain.

At the moment, he's not allowed off his lead. We were managing his pain just fine by doing that, but we noticed his back hips were looking rather skinny so we took him to the Vet to be weighed & they told us he'd lost 0.9kg & because of his age, this was cause for concern.

We had to take him to a different Vet for diagnosis because of financial & insurance reasons.. They had a quick feel of his hips & thighs, then recommended that we use Metacam for 3 weeks. After the first week, we can take him off lead for 10 minutes, then slowly increase the time to see how he copes.

I'm just a bit worried from reading things online about Metacam. I think he seems a bit goofy since we started giving it to him, but I might be imagining it. I will keep an eye on him. He just seems rather confused when he wakes up. Yesterday afternoon he couldn't figure out what he needed to do.. Did he have an itch, did he need to clean himself? He was baffled!

They've not done any blood tests to check kidney function before prescribing, should they have done this?

Our regular Vet didn't even mention Metacam to me when I had him weighed, they gave me leaflets for a few supplements that would help to lubricate his joints. Of course, she was a Vet Nurse & told me I needed to get Sox seen by the Vet to create a proper plan for him.

I'm just worried. I want the best for Sox. I feel awful that he's got osteoarthritis at such a young age & I want him to be able to run around like a collie/whippet should be able to! Is Metacam the best route? & only 3 weeks worth.. Will that make much of a difference or should we have been given a supplement as well?

I hope someone can help, I'm just so confused by the conflicting info from different Vets. & tbh, the supplements seem safer as a long term treatment than the Metacam! Does anyone have any experience with this? I'd really appreciate some advice.

Sox has very mild osteoarthritis, he is able to run around still, he just ends up paying for it later with really sore hind legs (to the point that he can't sit or stand properly), the next day he is fine though. Should we have just kept him on lead instead of giving him medication? He seemed perfectly happy on lead.. He's on an extendible lead normally so he can still run about a bit, just not overdo it. I'm rambling.. I just want to know I'm doing the absolute best for him

Well to have been on the safe side your vet should have done a complete blood count before starting a course of Metacam, and at least once every six months while on the drug, primarily to monitor kidney and liver function.

One of the things to watch out for is an unusual desire to drink or urinate whilst on Metacam, if this happens you should consult your vet immediately but don't restrict giving water as the kidneys require this.

I found that giving Metacam with a meal, or right after a meal, helps prevent nausea which can be another side effect.

Great Dane owners usually give glucosamine and chrondritin for joints and also Omega s fatty acids found in fish may help the joints too.

Hope this helps.

My OH is just calling the Vet now to find out some answers.. They didn't seem interested in doing any blood tests & they told us that if the 3 week supply helps (& he feels worse off it) then we can just pick it up again. He has a repeat prescription so there are no blood tests scheduled for the future.

Our regular Vet told me that he would be better off with something like Nutriquin to help with his joints. Metacam didn't even come up.. So now I'm wondering why the new Vet has given us Metacam without doing blood tests & never even mentioned things like Nutriquin?

If he's not in pain normally, wouldn't he just be better off on something like Nutriquin & walks on a lead (which wouldn't have the awful side effects), we can then look into Hydrotherapy as an addition later on.. Than taking Metacam long term?

I had a great dane on metacam for 7 months - she had a broken leg and had to have five major ops taking out pieces of bone to allow the other bone to grow at the same rate. She didn't experience any long term damage that we know of and to be honest Metacam is widely used. Having said that if you are at all worried you should speak to your vet about alternatives such as suppliments, hydro therapy etc. The problem with dogs is that often you don't know if they are in pain because they just accept it and get on with it.

It's a tough call and I know it is worrying for you but you must be guided by your vet - you could always ask for another opinion if you are unsure.

Metacam is always the medication of choice if one of mine is unwell, and never had the slightest problem with it (whereas Rimadyl can cause problems for some labs) - it's an NSAID in the same manner as humans take Ibuprofen or Aspirin etc. I've never been aware of any dog having any tests before using it though - and we've certainly never experienced any problems with it - and neither have many other people I know who've used it.

I am sorry to hear your boy has arthritis - sadly it's something that can affect us all (dogs and humans) as they get older - something I know a bit too much about

If it is arthritis - not really sure how three weeks treatment is going to help - he's surely going to need something longer term? I do know of dogs taking Metacam regularly long term - not cheap though if you are not insured.

I give my girl with 'dodgy' joints has glucosamine, chrondroitin, MSM, Green Lipped Mussel and Hyaluronic Acid - you can actually buy this in one 'doggy' product Yumove from Lintbells - Pets at Home certainly sell it.

Dog Health Problems - Glucosamine for Dogs, Joint Supplements - Lintbells

She also has Salmon oil every day which lubricates the joints.

For pain, I use Devils Claw from Boots - however, talking to her physio last week, she no longer recommends it - as she says it can cause stomach problems for some dogs - but then so could NSAIDs.

Boots Jointlieve Devils Claw root extract 600mg - 40 Capsules - Boots

My girl hasn't had a painkiller now in nearly two years - and she's had terrible knee problems since she was 3.5 She also has poor (but currently very solid) hips.

The other thing I would strongly recommend for relief and enhanced mobility is bioflow collars - I was so impressed wth the one I bought for my girl, I bought a Bioflow bracelet for myself.

Bioflow-Magnetic dog collar-Only £24.95-Magnetic pet products-Bioflow

My girl also has regular Cartrophen injections - and we have definitely seen a difference with this - and I know of some Lab owners who have had miraculous results with it.

Cartrophen and Osteoarthritis

OA is never going to improve - but with good weight control, a good supplement regime and pain management, there is no reason why he can't remain healthy and happy with a good exercise regime - many slow down as they get older (dogs and humans) - it's a natural fact of life - but there are lots of things you can - including many 'natural' products do which may help

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Other things you may want to consider if you haven't done so already - it changing to a good quality senior food - while my 8.5 year old has plenty of stamina - the change to a senior food seems to have given her a new lease of life (she isn't the one with joint problems).

This may also be worth considering (ignore the word Equine - it is a dog product

TopSpec - Expert Equine Nutritionists - Created Without Compromise


HTH

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What you need to know before buying a Labrador puppy

^^^^
This
I can also recommend the Cartrophen injections. My boy will have to have Metacam at some point in the future, but at the moment Cartrophen and supplements are keeping him mobile.
Just be aware that they should not be on any NSAIDs for a week or so either side of having the injection
My boy also has hydro once a fortnight

Oooh thanks for that - not that my girl has needed any (which is maybe why the physio didn't mention it as she knows we use natural treatments) - but useful to know if she had a 'pull' or some other problem.

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Another set of products I forgot to mention and do have a notable impact are Mixed Vegetable Tablets and Garlic and Fenugreek from Dorwest Herbs

Mixed Vegetable tablets - Dorwest

Garlic & Fenugreek tablets - Dorwest

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What you need to know before buying a Labrador puppy

Hydro & accupunture are good to

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All my children have paws!

Yes - my girl has both - although not so much the acupuncture now - she uses a treadmill under water - just wasn't sure if this (Hydro) would have as much benefit with an older dog?

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What you need to know before buying a Labrador puppy

Thats the one Banjo does to, there are quite a few old dogs go to our's mainly for weight problems as they cant do as much as they used to & nothing to do with diet according to their owners anyway

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All my children have paws!