Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) and pain therapy?

Our 7 year old cocker spaniel, Bismark, is plagued by what was determined last year to be degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis). The x-rays show that the cartlidge in his knees is almost completely gone. He has his good and his bad days, but lately, more bad than good. Originally, our vet prescribed him 30 days of an anti-inflamatory and told us to give him glucosamine on daily basis. He won't treat with pain meds for long periods, but the gloucasamine hasn't improved his mobility at all. Should I start over with a new vet (we've been taking our 4 dogs to our current vet for 9 years) or should I simply try to order the pain meds online (I think it was Rimadyl)? Do you have any suggestions for other forms of pain management?

Hi there,
I find DJD one of the most heartbreaking conditions to treat because we can only manage it rather than cure it. Obviously keeping animals on long term non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (of which Rimadyl is one) is not ideal as it can have detrimental effects on the kidneys, etc. However, you need to weigh up the con of this with the pro of actually keeping your dog comfortable. Does the Rimadyl help?
Personally I start dogs on a short course of Rimadyl and if it's helping I then try to cut them down to a maintenance dose (usually aiming for about half the initial dose) to minimise the bad effects. It also gives us somewhere to go during the flare ups as you can double it again for a short period.
Alternatives to try if the Rimadyl isn't working are Previcox, which is another anti-inflammatory, but it's a bit different in its action. I'm getting some good responses to that in animals who were no longer comfortable on Rimadyl. You could also speak to your vet re cartrophen injections, am getting mixed reviews with this.
If you're planning on ordering drugs online, you will still need a prescription from your vet, beware those that don't ask for one!
I'd recommend keep going with the glucosamine as well and go speak to your vet, explain the situation and your views because obviously you can't leave an animal in pain.
Hope this is helpful.

Our 5 year old Bulldog is currently on Rimadyl, Snovi - MSM, and Prescription Royal Canin Mobility. She has servere HD, ligiment problems and osteoarthritis. This combo has worked very well for her. We do need to have frequent blood tests because the Rimadyl can be damaging to the liver and kidneys. Make sure you keep her lean and don't overdo the excercise. I'll be wishing you well.

go to petsmart / petco and find a supplement that has glucosmine and Chondroitin...Glucosamine by itself is useless. Look for doseages as high as you can get...1500 mg of both is ok, have see those...crush the tablets, give them to him 3xd (three times a day) in a little bit of wet food. Switch his food out to NUTRO Senior...It has protien he needs, NO whole ground corn *used as a filler material* and glucosamine /chondroitin for his joints. You may be able to find a vet who will has the training to inject, directly into the joint, a synthetic buffer that is non toxic and will last for a few weeks....Keep up with the massive doses of gluco. and chon., give it some time...eventually, if his condition is not so bad off, he will begin to show some signs of relief and possibly recovery.

Rimadyl is a good drug for pain management but i used to work for a vet that used a product that was very effective. it was a powder that you put on the food and they had one for joints. nnot sure of the name (sorry) it was an all natural product. i am not usually one for natural or holistic medication but i saw a golden retriever go from almost not being able to walk at all to moving like there was nothing wrong with him. i will see if i can find the name of the product for you. Also with the Rimadyl the reason your vet probably doesnt want to keep it up is that it is a good pain med for dogs but not intended for long term use and you might be hard pressed to find it online as it is prescription only. good luck

EDIT: Hi I found it. The product is called Standard Process. They have one for just about every thing but the one that would help you the most would be the Musculoskeletal Support. its worth a try before putting him to sleep.

before you give your dog rimadyl, do some research. many dogs have died from it. glucosamine and chondroitin, and msm are good to help the cartilege and keep the dog moving. my dog also takes tramadol for the pain, much less dangerous than rimadyl.