Do you think this is arthritis?

I will start out by saying I haven't yet talked to my vet about this. But thought I'd get others' opinions since I've never before dealt with a dog with arthritis. Long story short - Kayla has hip displaysia and some pretty serious arthritic changes in both hips. She's gone drastically downhill since June - meaning, she's limping more than usual (we have pain meds for her bad days), but in addition, she's gotten very weak in her back end. She no longer jumps on anything - in fact, she really can't jump up on anything anymore. She tried to jump on the couch the other day and didn't have the strength in her back end to jump up high enough to make it on the couch and she fell. When she walks, she has a tendency to drag her left foot, I believe the right one will drag too, but mainly I notice the left one. Don't get me wrong, she still walks and can still run through the yard like a maniac when she's wrestling with her brother. But it's just such a drastic change from where she was in spring even that it worries me.

So my question is - is the weakness caused by the arthritis? I have NO experience with arthritis so it may very well just be normal and I'm worrying for nothing. But I worry that there's something more than just arthritis going on. Should I be more worried?

It might be caused by the arthritis, but the foot dragging is more often neurological/spinal. I'd wonder if she didn't have a disc issue. Bob had bad arthritis and tended to drag his front feet--that was what clued my vet to spinal issues. Turns out he did have some degenerative disc stuff going on that caused the foot dragging.

I'd have to agree with Blanche on this. I have 2 fosters who both have spinal issues and drag their feet. Both can run like nobodies business but from reading your post, it sounds like somethings going on in the spine.

I just had this conversation with my vet this morning when he called to check up on Bruno. Bruno has minor hip dysplasia in the right hip and arthritis on his left side. He's still limping on and off and we were thinking of physical therapy because we thought it was still a sprain. The vet said that if Bruno is still having some limping and pain, there is a chance it could be a herniated disc, a pinched nerve, a partial ligament tear that later tore completely, or something else involving the spine.

He wants to see Bruno again (after a long walk when Bruno's injury will be a bit more aggravated) and examine his knee again to make sure the knee ligament is intact. If it's not a knee issue, then he said the next best diagnostic tool is a bone scan after Bruno has had a long walk because if anything is inflamed or out of whack, it will light up on a bone scan. For that, we have to go to a special animal imaging hospital at a whopping cost of about $1,000.

We're going to wait a few more days to see how Bruno is doing (give him a full two weeks to heal) and if he's not better, go the route the vet suggested. We are also getting kind of a second opinion since one of Karl's new clients is a vet and he's going to give Bruno a free exam when he meets with Karl tomorrow.

I hope Kayla feels better.

Kendie, we did have the full ortho exam done and x-rays while she was sedated. Initially we thought it might be a ligament tear, but after doing the thorough ortho exam under sedation, the vet didn't think that was the issue. When he found the arthritic changes in the hips on the x-rays, he was pretty sure the limping was caused by the arthritis. But the back end weakness seems to have worsened since those x-rays. (I think those were taken in late June, early July, if I remember correctly - man, remember when you only had one pug and remembered every single date of every single illness or injury? These days, I'm lucky to remember which dog is which, no way I remember dates anymore!!) And that's why I wonder if it's something more than just arthritis.

I'm thinking it's worth giving the vet a call next week and picking his brain about the issue.

dieselsmom wrote:(I think those were taken in late June, early July, if I remember correctly - man, remember when you only had one pug and remembered every single date of every single illness or injury? These days, I'm lucky to remember which dog is which, no way I remember dates anymore!!)
I'm thinking it's worth giving the vet a call next week and picking his brain about the issue.

Yes, I remember when I threw a real birthday party for my only pug and could recite his last vaccination schedule by heart. These days, I have to think really hard to remember how old everyone is. Good idea to pick your vet's brain. Kisses to Kayla.

Rachel,

Chyna's symptoms started very slightly with just a funny looking walk at times. Then, she began to drag her little feet just a little. Things slowly got worse, and xrays showed just a narrowing of her spine. That is when we went to see the neurologist. I'm glad I took her incase her problems were caused by a tumor on the spine or something that could have been fixed, but unfortunately, she has degenerative disc disease. Two of her disc are affected right now. Surgery would have halted progression but not fixed her as far as her walking or being fecal incontinent. I just could not stand putting her through such a tough surgery then to have another disc or more become a problem. So, we were told to not allow her to jump up or down on furniture. (she can't jump up any more), not to do stairs so Tim built a ramp for her to get into the yard, and to not let her run, etc... She has pretty good days then just this past week she was having very bad days.

If your little one has arthritis, I know there is an injection that can be given as my vet gives it to her pug who had horrible knees and hips. The name of the medicine is completely skipping my mind right now.

Is the medication Adequin? Penny gets a shot every month for her arthritis, and it really helps. Plus Rimadyl and glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM and lavender oil massages. But let's not go there.

Nancy, I think it is Adequin. Thanks a bunch. I hate it when your mind just stops!

leslyeb wrote:Nancy, I think it is Adequin. Thanks a bunch. I hate it when your mind just stops!

The other injection (unless it's the same thing with a different name) that I've used with great success is Cartrophen. One shot a week for four weeks then one injection every 3 to 6 months as needed.

Blanche, I've never heard of that one.

CARTROPHEN VET is an injection administered by your veterinarian. It has negligible side effects and works to retard the progression of arthritis in your pet.

CARTROPHEN VET

CARTROPHEN VET is a revolutionary advance in the treatment for Osteoarthritis and musculoskeletal disease in dogs. ft relieves pain and lameness, and increases the range of pain-free movement by treating the underlying disease processes - not just the symptoms.

CARTROPHEN VET has multiple pharmacological actions which affect the immune and tissue cell systems.

These effects include:

Inhibition of enzymes which break down cartilage in addition to stimulating natural inhibitors of these destructive enzymes. Stimulation of the production of lubricant and cartilage molecules by the joint cells. Improvement of the circulation of blood to the arthritic tissues, thus improving nutrition to the joint tissues. All this adds up to help repair and rejuvinate the damaged cartilage.

Normalisation of the immune response by regulating the messenger molecules which control these processes.

Stimulation of the production of proteins which block damaging free radicals and antigens.

WHAT CHANGES WILL BE SEEN?

The improvement in your dog should last for more than three months and in less severe conditions, Itcould last for years. However, the treatment will likely need to be repeated. Your veterinarian will advise you as to when this needs to be done.

You may, in some cases, notice that your dog is a little quiet in the 24-48 hours after the first injection. This is a temporary affect, thought to be due to the improved joint micro-circulation. After this period, an improvement should be seen which should be more noticeable after each injection.

In very rare cases, dogs with undiagnosed cancer have collapsed after treatment. In the event that your dog is distressed and unable to rise, consult your veterinarian immediately.

THE TREATMENT

CARTROPHEN VET improves the symptoms by affecting the underlying disease processes of osteoarthritis. Treatment is similar to vaccinations, with a course of weekly doses for four weeks. This is followed by booster applications at intervals of about one year, although this will vary between individual cases. Most pets are v" quick to respond to the initial course with an increase in activity and general well-being. Eighty percent of dogs treated respond to the therapy.

Although it may be disappointing if you do not see immediate relief after the first injection, in order for your dog to obtain full benefit from the treatment, it is very important to complete the course that has been recommended by your veterinarian.

In severe cases of arthritis the clinical effect may not be obvious. However CARTROPHEN will still help extend the life of the joint and hopefully delay further that day when pain control is no longer possible

I will ask Penny's dogtor about this. Thanks, Blanche.

Thanks for posting that Blanche.

I talked to the vet tonight and he did say he feels her symptoms are normal with arthritis. She will lose muscle tone and strength. But he does want to do a checkup - it's been 2 months since we did the xrays and it's worth taking a look at her muscles right now to see how the muscle tone is. I will also mention to him the injections and see what his thoughts on them are. We will take her in on Saturday for a checkup.

First, let me start off by saying that I'm a putz - I totally forgot to ask him about the injections and his thoughts on those. I will have to make it a point to do that at our next visit.

I took Kayla in yesterday for a checkup. She has lost muscle tone on her right side and her right side is definitely weaker than her left. But he did a pretty thorough exam and feels that this is all normal given her HD and the arthritic changes he saw on her xrays in July. So, we just continue monitoring her, keeping an eye on her strength/weakness in her backend, continue her glucosomine/chondrotin/msm supplement, use her Deramaxx when she needs it and just know that when she has a rather busy day, she's going to not only be sore but also fatigued and thus show more weakness in her back end.

I did find a local boarding/daycare facility that has a hydrotherapy pool. And the prices aren't too bad at all - $35 for the mandatory orientation, then I can get a package of 12 sessions for $200. A typical session is 1/2 hour with several breaks and I can actually get in the pool with her to help her feel more comfortable and confident in the water. After our trip to Oklahoma, I'm going to make an appointment to check out the facility and hopefully get Makayla started on some hydrotherapy sessions.

Penny does occasional hydrotherapy when she sees her physical therapist, and it really does help her. I think Kayla will love it, especially when you can get into the water with her.