Long term pain management

[NewfieMama]

Hi all,

Has anyone used any alternative therapies for pain management in your newfs? Zuzu has had ortho problems since she was 7 months old (she'll be 2 in January). Right now she's on Cosequin DS (2 caps/twice a day) as well as 100 mg Rimadyl twice/day.

She has some signs of elbow dysplasia, and that has worsened over 2 sets of x rays from July and October. Her knee is also showing ACL issues, but according to the ortho surgeon it's not to the point where it needs to be fixed, and it may never get there.

The ortho surgeon and I have discussed the fact that she will likely always need some sort of pain relief/inflammation relief treatment (either with or without surgery she will almost surely develop arthritis). He is open to the idea of pain management through alternative therapies like acupuncture, massage, etc.

Has anyone done anything like this? How did you find therapists, what were the procedures like, and how were/are your results?

Thanks!
Mary

 

[charlieinnj]

Honestly, one of the most amazing things I have recently come across is MSM. I say this because it had worked wonders for my pain/arthritis/inflamation. Seriously....I am amazed.

A lot of products have MSM in it but pure, 100% MSM is actually better. And, I found out they're all not alike, either. I started out buying 1000mg capsules from GNC and felt remarkable within days. It was $19.99 for 180 capsules and I take 2000 mg, 2X day. When that bottle was finished, I bought the Spring Valley product at Walmart. Within a day or so, I was back to feeling horrible. Wondering if it could be the switch in brands, I bought another bottle of the GNC. Felt terrific again in 48 hours or so. So, I won't be changing brands again.

But, I have mine on the MSM as well because of it's benefits in joints as well as it's supposed benefits with allergies and overall skin health.

 

[Ivoryudx]

She has some signs of elbow dysplasia, and that has worsened over 2 sets of x rays from July and October. Her knee is also showing ACL issues, but according to the ortho surgeon it's not to the point where it needs to be fixed, and it may never get there.

What kind of elbow dysplasia does she have? If it has worsened that fast, and she's not even 2 years old yet, is there a medical procedure to help? As far as the knee goes, while it may not need fixed when thinking about it on its own, getting it fixed could help the elbows. She needs at least her rear to be pain free and stable to help with her front, especially if there isn't a way to help with the pain on her front.

Other things I would discuss with my Vet would be Adequin injections, and possibly add Tramadol with the Rimadyl and possibly changing to the generic Rimadyl to help with lower cost.

Over the counter supplements I would try would be Lubrisyn, and Duralactin. a quick search here and on the web will help you with these.

 

[Lori]

We have had good luck with Microlactin -which is the same as Duralactin. It has helped Sydney a lot. She gets Cosamin DS twice a day, and I just started MSM also.

We did acupuncture for Chance. It helped him a lot. He did really well at the sessions, doing his best bear rug impression!

 

[jane]

As far as the knee goes, while it may not need fixed when thinking about it on its own, getting it fixed could help the elbows. She needs at least her rear to be pain free and stable to help with her front, especially if there isn't a way to help with the pain on her front.

I'm with Susan on this. When Roger's knee's were torn he used his front end mostly. He does not have elbow issue's so didn't suffer further discomfort. Getting her knee fixed would take a lot of pressure off her front end.
There is a great ortho surgeon in CT...http://veterinaryspecialistsofct.com/
Dr. Berzon is fantastic and has worked with a lot of newfs. I drove from Long Island just to see him. You might consider a consult with him.

 

[NewfieMama]

Thanks all. Jane, I will check into the specialist. Our surgeon in Boston is one of the best, too, and tends to run on the conservative side in terms of surgery...he'd rather treat medically/with meds or therapies than do surgery if at all possible (y'all remember I actually brought Zu in for ACL surgery last summer, only to have him call it off after x-ray, and instead drawing fluid off her knee, which helped for a few months...).

It will be nice to have someone nearer by. I share the frustration that when one part hurts she then exacerbates the other, therefore neither "end" is ever feeling very good.

I'm also not happy about the possibility of NSAIDS every day for her entire (hopefully long) life. So I'll also look into the supplements. The Cosequin is good but it feels like I could do more so I'm grateful for the recs.

I got the names of a couple of local vets who do acupuncture today, and also found one that does a stem cell therapy for joints...interesting eh?

 

[Pam G]

I've also seen very good results with Microlactin which is the human form of Duralactin. Seems to really help with inflamation. My 9 yr old, Hunter has some arthritis in his hips and is doing SO much better... getting up fine now. Cash, who has bilateral elbow dysplasia has always had swollen elbows..but I've noticed the swelling has gone down since on this. It may be worth a try. They also get cosequin DS but this seems to work better or maybe just different...don't know. I'm not sure if it is ok to add this along with Nsaids. I would check on that before supplementing with it.
Good luck...

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

Maggie has lived her whole life with severe bilateral hip dysplasia, and the past few years also with spondylosis.

She has some heavy duty drugs for those times when she pinches a nerve and gets muscle spasms, from the spondylosis.

For the arthritic pain, a very low dose of Metacam (meloxicam) is working wonders for her. On days when she can hardly get up, I give her a dose, and a few hours later, she wants to JOG on our walk up the street. It honestly makes that big a difference for her.

The vet has me giving her a dose typical for a 40 pound dog, although I can increase that a bit, if needed. (We haven't needed to). We have found that one dose, every third day, is all that she needs, to keep her comfortable and moving easily.

 

[NewfieMama]

Thanks all! A quick update, I've ordered some MSM (the GNC kind), and am awaiting a call back from a local vet who's certified in stem cell therapy - I want to interview him a bit then perhaps put him in touch with our ortho surgeon in Boston to have them evaluate together whether she might be a candidate.

We ran out of Rimadyl (the refill didn't make it to us on NYE) and it's amazing to me to see the difference in Zu when she does not have NSAIDs on board for just one day - she can barely get up. But, once up and walking for a minute or two, she'll dash across the yard chasing Cooper or a squirrel. I've given her her regular Cosequin as well as some Tramadol to take the edge off and keep her quiet until the Rimadyl arrives (hopefully?) today.

I've also put in a call to a holistic vet who does acupuncture (which has done wonders for me of late for neck pain/nerve damage) to see if that might help her. - Update, I just spoke with this practice and they seem GREAT. Have an appt for next Monday where they will do a full exam, review her records from Angell, and probably get her started with acupuncture and/or chiropractic care. Yay!

Will post more once I have a chance to speak to these 2 vets.

Charlie, do you give your Newfs 2000/MSM/day, or do you give it once/day to them? I ordered the pure kind, though I saw that I could get a combo of it with Microlactin, I thought I'd try each one individually to see what works.

 

[Lori]

I give Sydney one Microlactin and one MSM at each meal (twice a day - 1000 mg each pill). They really seem to help. Maybe you could try Metacam instead of the Rymadil? One might work better than the other, especially if she's been on the Rymadil for a while.