Young Doodle with Early Onset Arthritis

[Tina McNerthney]

Hello everyone:

My doodle, Baxter, who is about 1 year 8 months old, has had episodes of hind leg limping on and off since July. At first, we thought maybe he overdid it running at the dog park. However, the limping has become a frequent problem that takes a long time to heal. Our vet recommended we get x-rays of Baxter's hips and knees. He had to be sedated and it was a costly procedure (another reason I am so glad I purchased Healthy Paws pet insurance when Baxter was 8 weeks old as he is covered for hip issues since the symptoms appeared after the one year waiting period for hip dysplasia). The radiograph readings show early signs of arthritis, very likely attributed to hip problems.

I am frustrated and we're taking Baxter to see a specialist who may do a PennHip test and will discuss options ranging from painkillers and antinflammatory medications to, potentially, something more radical like hip replacement sooner than later.

Baxter's parents both tested "excellent" for hips, but genes can be unpredictable.

Wondering if anyone else has had a doodle with early onset arthritis and hip issues and would recommend any supplements, treatment or thoughts on "wait and see" approach with some supplementation vs. surgery. We love Baxter and feel bad that, at such a young age, he's dealing with these issues. I want to do whatever I can to help him. I've heard there are some good supplements that can really help, but I also imagine that they will only help so much.

Thanks for your advice.

Sincerely,

-Tina

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

From what I've been reading, the ASU seems to be more beneficial for humans and the G/C more beneficial for dogs. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Interesting.

[Stella]

Karen, there is a product called Acetyl M that can be beneficial with joint problems. My canine rehab mentor recommends it. Can JD have that one? The same company also makes a human version than many of her owners asked her to order after they saw what it did for their dogs!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The canine one does have animal liver flavoring. But thank you for the suggestion.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Cheryl, I just checked my relatively new bottle of Dausequin, which I ordered from Chewy.com, and the expiration date is May of 2019. Interesting . . . I'm curious, too, about the more advanced option.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Interesting for sure.  Thanks for checking.  I must admit I'm a little confused about the client service rep and the tech telling me they don't sell to these outlets. Because obviously someone does and in large numbers.  I can't imagine it's not them.   

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We've talked about this before, with the flea/tick products. If you call Merial (maker of Frontline & Heartgard, they will tell you that they do not sell to any retail outlets, online or not; only to vets. Which means that the pet supply stores, warehouse clubs, and online sources that offer Frontline for sale did not buy the products from the manufacturer. In some cases, it's supposedly counterfeit. In other cases, (and this has been documented), large vet practices have actually bought the products and then sold it to the retail stores. I'm not sure, but I do know that I got a bad batch of Heartgard from Foster and Smith and have purchased it from the vet ever since. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's one article about this. http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=20241

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Thanks for the link, Karen.  I'm sure this is what's going on with Nutramax too because the rep mentioned large vet practices as one source. The things you learn on DK :)

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Hi Tina, I didn't mention this in my earlier response, but Wally eats Acana food, too. I rotate through their Regionals line - when I am close to finishing one large bag (which I buy online from Chewy.com), I start to transition to the next protein. I buy Dausequin from Chewy.com, as well. There was a period of time about a year ago when I thought that Wally was reluctant to take long walks, so I gave him Rimadyl for a while, only to discover that it caused liver damage (now recovered) and it was the heat that made Wally want to head home after walking for too long. There is a Yahoo group for people owning dogs with hip dysplasia that you might want to join. It's called, [e-mail]. It sounds like you are doing your research and will ultimately understand what is the best way to take care of your precious Baxter. Sometimes conservative care works and other times surgery is the preferred solution. Please keep us posted.

[Tina McNerthney]

Thanks, Laurie.

I purchased a bag of Acana on Chewy last night (before reading your post ;) and I, too, rotate food among the flavors. Baxter has been eating Fromm grain free food for the past six months and there are lots of blends and he likes all of them and I like to mix it up every time we start a new bag so I'll do that with the Acana, too.

I am curious about what everyone has been saying about the Dasuquin not allegedly being distributed by anyone but vets since it is clearly available on Amazon.com and Chewy.com. I will ask my vet where to get it and my vet actually has a discount program we're enrolled in that would give me 15% off anything I purchase though them so it might be a better deal any way.

I had no idea the Rimadyl causes liver damage but it's really not surprising. NSAIDs and Ibuprofren and Aspirin in large amounts damage human livers. 

Thanks for the info. on the yahoo group. I may very well join it.

I will keep everyone posted. It's a really busy time of year for me right now ([plus holiday season drawing near), so I am trying to juggle everything in work and personal life with Baxter's appointments, but I know it's worth it to get on it!

Take care! 

[F, Calla & Luca]

It is possible to get the ASU on it's own too I think. The evidence is mixed for glucosamine and chondroitin in humans.