new from europe (arthritis and vetoryl?) - Ian, Flynn and Enya have passed

Dogs with Cushings are self-medicating as cortisol is a natural anti-inflammatory. Once the cortisol is brought down to a more healthy range, frequently, things like arthritis can be unmasked or become worse. It may be that Flynn may do better to let his cortisol run slightly higher to help with his arthritis. A lot of members have dealt with this issue, if you can tell us what meds you tried, someone may be able to offer something new.

Debbie

he got painkillers: NSAIDS like norocarp/carprodyl [europe] but they do not help enough.

Just wanted to tell you that I have joined your new thread into your original thread, along with a title addition that will reflect your new question. This way, people will know what you are wondering about in terms of the arthritis, and also be able to read about the complete medical history for Flynn and Ian with all the information here in one place. :)

Marianne

I just wanted to pop in and tell you my experience with nsaid's and such

My boy started with cartrophen needles a series of them. They weren't too expensive, but it didn't help much at all.

Then he was diagnosed with cushings, (that's a very long story) and the jury is still out on that, so I'm not treating him at all for cushings.

I then got laser therapy for him, and he was taking Metacam, however the Metacam made him vomit every so often and he constantly would eat grass. I don't know if the laser therapy worked or not either.

Then I went to Tramadol, which has no anti-inflammatory in it and I really don't know if that helped him at all, but I figured it was better then nothing.

Knowing he needed an anti-inflammatory, my new vet suggested Previcox. I did a trial period of it just over the last few weeks. It is an anti-inflammatory and pain killer. He's doing wonderful on it so far, no stomach upsets, and he's eating, pooping normally, so I ordered another months worth. Originally I just had over a week of pills then tried a couple of weeks, now we are on it for the long run. It's not cheap - here in Canada 20 pills cost $58.00 but he takes 3/4 of a pill once daily. He's just over 60 lbs, so I'm sure it's adjusted by their weight. I might add also that he has hydrotherapy once a week in a warm salt water pool, which I'm fortunate to have available in this small town, and I think it's done wonders for him. He can still climb a full flight of stairs without too much effort and he's over 14 years old.

Hope some of this info help you.

NSAIDS are not recommended for cush pups because they are so very hard on the liver which is already under great stress with the cortisol. So I would talk to the vet about something for pain other than NSAIDS. It is difficult to find something that can help and not cause more problems but there are other options to try - like some of the things Patti mentioned. Also look into Adequan, Dasuquin, and Cosequin.

i went to the vet today. he got a little bit of fever. his wrist was inflamed and way bigger than normal. he is now on antibiotics for ten days. if it is not improving within 2 days [he does not use this leg at all for now] i will put him asleep. this is not worth him. after all , a bordercollie needs to be able to walk several times a day. even if he is retired from work now. saturday we went to the forest and he walked for an hour, sundaymorning he could not walk at all. those arthritis attacks come on so fast with him. 2 months ago he had his last one and after a.b. for 10 days, he was fine again. hopefully this time too.

I am so sorry this is happening. Could you instead ask your vet about Adequan shots. They helped my Tipper really a lot, they are not that expensive. My vet charged 20.00. It really will make a difference and you could keep your baby this way, and he would not be in pain. It is terrible all of the things happening to all our babies. Stay safe and warm. Blessings
Patti

Oh, me....I am praying the leg will heal and he is able to use again very soon so you aren't faced with "the decision" just yet.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

i'm glad you all understand so well what i and all the other owners are going through. it feels good to be able to talk on this forum about our dogs. and about the tips about the cushing treatment. i hope the a.b. will do their work with flynn. besides the arthritis and the cushing, he still is in a pretty good shape. no more vetoryl for him, so we will see how long he will last. he is a tough one.

Oh so sorry that he is having so much problems with the leg pain. :( To go from walking one day to not being able to use it the next makes me think, perhaps he over did it on the one day. So maybe just no long walks, short walks for him.

Hoping he recovers.
Sharlene and molly muffin