I have an old dog, about 15, who has arthritis in her hips. She's a German Shepherd cross. I can't afford to take her to the vet. What can I give her to ease the pain?
The vet I called suggested children's Tylenol, which worked for a few months, but has stopped working. Any advice? Thank you.
By Dena Roberts from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
My dad has a German Shepard with the same problem. The poor dog at times could hardly walk, so my dad started to crush up aspirin with some water on a spoon. It really works for him. (02/07/2010)
By lil l
Please don't give your dog aspirin, ibuprofen, or other human painkillers. I am afraid it can be very fatal, very fast! It can cause internal bleeding and dogs have a very different digestive system than humans.
Try glucosamine sulphate, fish oil, or even put olive oil on its food (you can buy these very cheaply). Keep the dog as warm as you can and if it is overweight try to help it lose weight as this can really help, too.
I have also heard that aloe vera is helpful, but I am not sure of the dosage, so perhaps ask for further advice.
Good luck, but please please promise you won't give the dog aspirin! (02/08/2010)
Try giving her the Tylenol that's made for arthritis. Adjust the dosage according to her weight. You might have to cut it in half or even into 4ths and then give her 3/4s of a pill at a time. You can use whatever method you have always used to give her pills.
Also there is a product that I've been giving my 10 yr old Dachshund that I got in the pet department of Wal Mart. It's called Pro-Pet Glucosamine Joint Care. There's an Advanced one that may be better for your dog. But it seems to help my dog when I give it to her regularly.
When she has a bad day, I give her the arthritis Tylenol on advice from the vet. (02/08/2010)
By Cricket
Another thing, is your dog's bed heated? I went to Wal-Mart and bought a small "lapghan" size electric blanket. I put it on the floor underneath her bed, and gave her a blanket on top of her bed to get under. I plugged the blanket in and set it on low. The warmth permeates up thru her bed and doesn't allow the cold from the floor to reach her, but yet her bed itself protects the blanket from her scratching to "make her bed". Between the two, and her foam rubber bed she sleeps a lot better.
For her bed, I searched around and found a place where I could buy sheets of foam rubber 4 inches thick. For a Shepherd mix, you'd need much thicker, maybe 8 inches. If it was me, I'd use two 4 inch sheets of foam rubber, placing the electric blanket between the two. That way the heat would be able to get to the dog better. You could have the cord running out from one corner of the cover. But I made a cover for it, using sheep skin on one side, and fabric on the other. This way, in winter, I put the sheepskin side up for warmth, and in summer the fabric side up so i's not so hot. It wasn't hard at all to make (you could even use the cover from her current bed to cover the foam rubber) and was much cheaper than buying a heated bed.
Oh, and if you're worried about her catching the cord when she's moving around or making her bed, you could put a small piece of paneling behind her bed to protect the cord. You could attach it to the wall with those removable clips that they sell at Wal Mart. (02/08/2010)
By Cricket
Google natural remedies for dog arthritis; there is a lot of info. (02/08/2010)
By PENNY K
Dogs can take aspirin once in awhile. You can call your vet and ask how much and how often for the size of your dog. (02/08/2010)
By Judi
Onlynaturalpet.com sells a product called "Get Up and Go". It's rated very highly. I gave it to my dogs when they were sore from a fight they had with each other. It worked wonders. You can give them glucosamine, as well. You can get it at Petsmart or Petco. I heard this works well for dogs. I use it myself and have had tremendous results. Good luck. (02/11/2010)
By Debby
I had an older dog with arthritis in her back and my vet told me to give her one baby aspirin every day while it was bothering her. It worked for her. (02/11/2010)
By Crystal
My grandmother always gave our old dogs brewers yeast. Just sprinkle some on her food. Should work like a charm. (02/11/2010)
By Beth
Do not ever give your dog any form of Tylenol. It is toxic to them. If a vet advised you to use it. Fire that vet. Ask any other vet around they will confirm it is a deadly poison to dogs and there is no cure once their liver is damaged. (02/24/2010)
By KIM A TERRY
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