Limping doggie:(

[pocketpit]

Yes, Rimadyl has possible side effects but that's for dogs who use it on a long term basis. Short term usage won't cause a problem and you should follow the vet and manufacturer recommendations to get regular blood work up done when you use it long term.
There are other medicatons on the market now that are quite effective as well and are supposed to be safer. Deramaxx and Meloxicam are two examples. If your dog has to have long term medication (very likely) you might want to inquire about them.

Hope your baby is feeling better soon

[blover27]

Thanks pocketpit! This is all new to me and I appreciate the advice. I will mention those 2 to him when I speak to him next week

[turtle]

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I lost many of my dog links in a computer failure a few months ago so I don't seem to have the one on Rimadyl.

But here is one on APBT health and they may have some info there.

http://www.apbtconformation.com/APBT_Health_Center.html

Please note that Cuddles, the dog the site is named after had only ONE dose of Rimadyl and now has permanent liver & kidney damage.

Cuddles is a pit bull so it is not just Labs which have problems. I would never give Rimadyl to my own dog. Just be careful and be aware of the risks, they are there from the first dose, not from only long term use.

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[Leslie H]

If your vet is going to charge you $900 for x-rays, you're going to the wrong vet. The biggest cost in x-rays is the anesthetic, once they're out you can take plenty. I'm in CT, the most I've paid for x-rays was about $250, which was for Pennhip. Standard hip x-rays my vet doesn't send out is about $125. I'm very surprised that he would say he could rule things out w/out an x-ray, though his diagnosis could be correct. I don't know of too many pits w/pano or OCD, plenty w/bad hips, patellas and torn cruciates. Sorry to be such a bummer, but I'm a little surprised by this. On the other hand, I have used rimadyl short term on a few dogs w/no ill effect.
Did your vet rule out Lyme? It is very common here, and typically causes sudden onset lameness that may fluctuate, and move to other limbs. Your symptoms don't sound like it, but you never know.

[spane1]

The $900 quote was for a full lower body series: both hips, knees and ankles from both angles (I think). Unfortunately, I've learned that everything is more expensive living this close to NYC (which is why we want to move so bad, right Xgirl?). The vet said that all 4 of Jack's ankle and knee joints were swollen and that if we took the xrays we would probably find at least mild hip dysplasia too but at this point he wanted to treat his presenting symptoms which seems to be his left ankle (because that was the only thing that elicited a reaction when manuvered sp?). He only gave us a 5 day supply of the Rimadyl. I hope/assume because he wanted to be aggressive in seeing if this type of medication would work- I think he was concerned about how quickly Jack's hind legs seemed to be deteriorating (based on my description). Thanks for all the suggestions, when we call him back we will ask if he can be switched to one of the other RXs you guys mentioned with less side effects for long term use.

Now for the good news, Jack responded very well to the first day of treatment!!! He is moving around alot better, almost better that when we first brought him home. No limping or soreness after prolonged sitting or laying, hopefully his improvement will continue and we can switch him to a better maintenance option.

Thanks again everyone for all of the kind words and suggestions! This forum is great!

Sarah

[Leslie H]

I'm happy to hear your boy is feeling better. I thought that Rimadyl was an anti-inflammatory and reduced pain. If so, are you just treating symptoms, and not the cause, or does the doctor think that this should take care of things?

[Maryellen]

Brad, have you had Jack tested for Lyme Disease???? also, try Valley Brook Veterinary Hospital, Saddle River Road, Fair Lawn NJ Dr. Riskin. he is an awesome vet and he wont rip you off. jack could have lymes disease too. i would get a second opinion if i were you, and DrRiskin is the one to find out whats wrong, i used his office for 18 years with my cat, and i use him for my rotti now.

[spane1]

I'm happy to hear your boy is feeling better. I thought that Rimadyl was an anti-inflammatory and reduced pain. If so, are you just treating symptoms, and not the cause, or does the doctor think that this should take care of things?

Treating the symptoms and hoping that the symptoms are all there is, if it is OCD the anti-inflammatory should treat the cause as well (I think). I think that's why he prescribed such a short supply and wants feedback so quickly.

[mnp13]

A few thoughts:

Arthritis is not uncommon in young animals, I have had it in my hips for about 12 years, and I'm 29. It seems from your posts that the stiffness comes on after periods of inactivity and is aggravated by lots of movement.

I can only give an opinion from the view of someone who has abused her body physically for MANY years - competitive running, 12 years of rugby, horse back riding, biking, gutting my house, etc. I tend to GO until I break...

I have a few different problems with my joints, here are the ones that seem like they might relate:

Hip: gets stiff and sore if I sit in a bad position or don't warm up properly before exercise.

Hands: I had nearly crippling carpel tunnel brought on by extreme over use. My hands were little knar led claws every morning when I woke up and I had to use a table edge or other surface to force them open. I almost completely lost the ability to write, as I could not hold a pen and could not control the movement necessary to form letters. One of the many things that helped my hands was chiropractic care, as part of the problem was a pinched nerve in my upper back.

I know chiropractic care is not cheap for pets, but it might not hurt to have him looked at once. My cousin was unable to ride her horse for a while due to pain in his back, one adjustment cured him completely. They could also tell you a few stretches that you can do with the dog to get things limbered up faster.

Right big toe: stabbing pain from normal movement. I had a cortisone shot about a year ago and that cleared it up - they thought I had adhesions left over from my foot surgery. It recently flared up again after I wore heels for a day for a wedding. They think it is a problem with the joint encapsulation - rest is the only cure for that one.

So anyway, enough about my train wreck of a body!!! Here's how I think it relates: I have been on all sorts of great drugs to keep me going. I'm not a big fan of drugs, I'll take them as necessary but don't like the 'every day' stuff, even the stuff that works well.

Hydration is an often overlooked part of joint pain. When I don't get enough water my 'bad' joints are much more painful. Dampness aggravates me as well, and I have found that in colder damp weather that sleeping on a heated pad helps keep things pain free. Make sure he sleeps on a well padded bed, but not TOO padded. It should be firm and keep him off of the floor, but too much padding and you get 'sagging' in the joints and that causes pain as well.

Do you have any idea what his life was before you got him? I know that thin coated, lean dogs like Pit Bulls often get joint problems from extended periods of sleeping on hard surfaces like concrete or floors. Not that that helps you now, but it would give background.

Have you tried just plain aspirin? The anti-inflammatory properties may help, and it is much milder than prescription drugs. Never give a dog ibuprofen, of course.

um... I guess that’s enough rambling...

Michelle

[spane1]

Thanks, Michelle. My other vet gave me the impression that asprin wasn't good for a dog's stomach, I guess that is not true. (Looks like I need to find some new vets)

I changed out one of his beds about two weeks ago to one like you described, I will change the others as well.

We don't know much of his history, other that he was taken away from his former owner by the aspca. His back legs were bowed and very skinny, we think he may have spent alot of time in a crate or other confined space.

Thanks again everyone!

Sarah

[mnp13]

Thanks, Michelle. My other vet gave me the impression that asprin wasn't good for a dog's stomach, I guess that is not true. (Looks like I need to find some new vets)

I would never give it without a substantial amount of food - like a full meal. If you are concerned, get buffered asprin.

I changed out one of his beds about two weeks ago to one like you described, I will change the others as well.

Has it made a difference? When we got Ruby she sat sideways and it took weeks to make her sit square, but sitting sideways can cause problems so we kept at it. Have you noticed if he is worse if he sleeps on one side vs the other? If you catch him sleeping on his 'bad' side I would roll him over. You'll get lots of dirty looks, but you may be able to change his habits.

We don't know much of his history, other that he was taken away from his former owner by the aspca. His back legs were bowed and very skinny, we think he may have spent alot of time in a crate or other confined space.

If he was neglected enough to be confiscated I'd guess he was in rough shape. Perhaps you should research common ailments for dogs that were forced to sit or lie down for long periods of time. I'm sure there are more common problems for them. I would wonder if the confinement messed up his tendons or something like that.

I am a member of a YahooGroup called petVetCafe (though I haven't been there in a long time), it is run by vets and they are very helpful. It might be a good resource for you - since you can get a number of different opinions.

Michelle