I swear I am having the worst luck with my dogs lately!  First Faith's thing in June and now, less then a month later, Dakota's showing signs of joint discomfort it seems. Since Dakota's a former stray that we adopted, we don't know his exact age but he was estimated to be 2 yrs old when we adopted him which would make him about 8 years old now.

I noticed the last couple weeks he's been a little stiff when getting up from a laying position. So I've been keeping an eye on it and increased his glucosamine, chondroitin & msm intake. Well the past 3 days it's gotten way worse. He has a good deal of trouble getting up now and he really struggles with the stairs. He has always loved spending time outside and the past 2 days he goes out, does his business right away and then goes straight back to the door to go back inside and lay down...not at all normal for him.

I've also noticed he's been licking his boy parts considerably more than usual, but I am sure that is unrelated to his joint discomfort. Yesterday I booked an appt with the vet for the morning of July 15th. But if things keep looking worse I may try to get an earlier appt.

The joint issue is with the back legs, my guess is the hips. He seems to do okay walking once he's up and gets moving a bit. But what concerns me most is how suddenly it's gotten so much worse coupled with his sudden not wanting to move unless necessary and not wanting to be outside anymore. After Faith, I don't think I can bear any more bad news right now and Dakota has me really worried.

Thoughts? Ideas? Experience? Advice? Words of encouragement? Anything would be appreciated right now. It is breaking my heart that my boy is not comfortable or able to enjoy life normally.

My Dalmatian has had super bad hips since he was a year old. They really start flaring up when a storm comes. For a while they were getting really bad and my vet gave him Rimadyl 100mg. I know a lot of people are against giving their pets that, but honestly it's the only thing that seems to work for him and stop the pain right away.

I really hope Dakota starts feeling better and the vet is able to help the poor guy out!

It sounds like my golden retriever when I was a kid he got hip dysplasia it started showing around 6 years old he ended up going on a daily pain medication but he lived a few more years after I would see if maybe you can get him in sooner he's probably in a little discomfort

I'm so sorry this is happening, it has to be frustrating!! I would ask about a cortisone shot maybe? I know they give it to humans with chronic pain and it may help him get around easier (although I don't know how dogs react to it, so it may not work the same way.) Do you have any heating pads he could lay on til then? It would help soothe the muscles for the time being.

I don't have any experience in a situation like this, but I'm sorry that you're having to go through this. I think it's great that you're being very proactive about the situation. Just keep monitoring it like you're doing, you know your boy best. If its needed, definitely get him an earlier vet appointment. I'm sorry that this is coming so close to after losing Faith. Keep your head up, everyone here is going to be hoping/praying for the best and just know that we as a community are here for you. I hope everything works out for you guys.

I took a speech class this summer, and my teacher lost his Jack Russell of 14 years. He made a promise to his dog Boo, that if there came a day when he couldn't get up for a walk (that was Boo's favorite thing) that it would be time to let Boo go. Unfortunately that happened this summer. I know it's the worst possible scenario, but maybe start thinking about if there is a point you and your family will come to like my teacher did with Boo. I know it's hard to think about, but sadly we can't always get what we want in times like these

I'll be praying that everything with Dakota will work out and something will be able to be done.

My lexi at 11 starting getting depressed, falling down stairs, and having a lot of discomfort. Her hind legs would shake. She also was not eating as much while always finicky it was too much with diarrhea too. This was a few months ago and all came on pretty suddenly. Ended up being liver issues. She was put on liver meds and switched to id food. Also taken off seizure meds. Today she played fetch for 30 min in addition to 30 minute walk. Still waiting on her nightly walk. I am not a vet but thought it was end of road for her a few months back. Now she is keeping up with new 4 month old pup. If you are concerned maybe try to go sooner then later. I know my seniors joint issues has been slow progression, not quick.

Does Dakota have hip/joint issues already? Maybe at the vet visit ask to screen for Lyme disease, I've heard of dogs getting Lyme and only showing joint discomfort as a symptom...idk If there is a tick problem where you live but just a thought if this is a new problem it could be related...if I missed the part where he already has issues with his legs sorry!

Apologies for my delay in responding.  Life has been crazy busy, seems like it's always the case that "when it rains, it pours" so to speak when things come up.

Anyway, as some may know, I much prefer a natural, holistic approach to dealing with issues if at all possible.  Pain meds with nasty side effects would be a last resort for me but if it came down to that I would be open to using them if absolutely necessary.

Ashley, to answer your question, no he has never had any joint problems prior to this.  Actually he's never had any health problems period ever before.

I did some research on more holistic approaches to treating arthritis and hip dysplasia and have decided to incorporate some of them into our daily routine.  

First I am cutting back ever so slightly on his food intake to drop his weight just a tad so that it puts less stress on his joints.  I'd like to keep him at between 48-50 lbs so we'll see what his weight is at the vet on Monday to determine how much we'll need to shave off.

Second, I went out and bought him a cushy new bed to better support this joints.  I wasn't able to get an orthopedic bed on such short notice,T but I will get one for him in the near future as well as a heat absorbing/reflective pad sometime before winter.

Third, I am keeping him on low impact, moderate exercise.  No more bikejoring in the immediate future, and we'll see how things go before I decide whether to stop bikejoring with him permanently or not.  For now it's low impact walks and I don't have any plans to do any hiking with him anytime soon as I'm not really in the best position for that myself anyway with the pregnancy and all.

Fourth, I am starting up a new supplement regimen aimed at regeneration/repair, pain relief and inflammation control.  While I am going to talk to our new vet, she is not a holistic vet unfortunately so I plan to give my previous holistic vet back in Florida a call to get her feedback.  

As far as daily supplements I have already started, they are as follows:
375 mg Glucosamine
300 mg Chondroitin
700 mg MSM
75 mg Yucca schidigera

He's been on the above mentioned supplements for 4 days now, along with the new bed, and moderate exercise and I've already seen marked improvement!  He's having a much easier time getting up from a laying position, he's no longer wanting to come inside right away, and he's actually started running in the yard again (albeit in short bursts and not a full on hard, zoomie type run but a moderate run nonethless) which has me absolutely thrilled!  It's like he's almost back to his normal self, but I certainly am not going to get too excited or push him in any way.

Supplements that I will be purchasing soon to include in his supplement regimen for his back legs:
- Colostrum
- Vitamin C
- Omega 3 fish oil
- Garlic
- Vitamin E
- Hawthorne berry
- Cayenne
- Alfalfa
- Possibly Nettle (still undecided)
- Possibly Hyaluronic acid (still undecided)

I am going to do a bit more research still to see if I should try anything else too before I place my order for the additional supplements that I don't have on hand yet.  I still need to see what my previous holistic vets advice is too.

Anyway, that's where we're at right now and I appreciate all the feedback thus far and I am still open to any more feedback from you and other folks.

Val,
i would up the Glucosamine, sierra and jack get dasuquin large dogs and it has 900mg in it, when sierra started to show signs like Dakota is we started using that and in a few weeks she was a new dog. i hope he starts feeling better with all the things you will be starting on him. June and July have bee rough with us and sierra as well, 3 vet trips and $$$$ later she is feeling better again.

Val sounds like you have a good plan for Dakota I hoping it helps with his let problems.

Thanks, I hope it works as well. I will try to keep this thread updated as we go along in case anyone else might benefit from it, now or in the future.

Jenn, I will probably be upping his Glucosamine and Chondroitin once I place a new supplement order. How much I increase it is still undecided at the moment. Once I make a final decision I will update.

Val, I can send you the recipe I use for Delilah if you like. I suggest adding the Boswellia for pain management - completely safe and really helps!

I don't have any advice, but I am sending warm thoughts ad prayers your way.

Thanks April.

Megan, I would love to know what recipe you use for Delilah. Does she have hip/joint problems as well?

Delilah has a slipped Disk.

Let me pull up the exact dosage.

Megan I might be interest in that recipe also Blaze seems to have a sore leg he is limping a bit and he is only 3 years.

MSM - I use the powder, 1/8 tsp a day, its very potent. Roughly 1200mg

Bone Meal - KAL, Inc Brand - 1/4 teaspoon a day

Glucosamine HCL - 1000 mg/day (giving more is completely safe)

Shark Cartilage - 1500 mg

Boswellia - a tablet of nature's way brand a day for maintenance and up to 3x a day for pain. Boswellia is a natural anti inflammatory and pain reliever, much easier on the body then conventional meds. They have a powder as well, made by NaturVet for horses.

Vitamin E - 400 I.U. Every Other Day

Salmon Oil - 1000mg Daily



It has worked wonders for me.

I saw you mentioned colostrum - my vet and I talked about that before. It does nothing unless it is from a Bitch. It will not work if it is from anything but a dog.

Thanks for the recipe I am going to look into it for Blaze.

I'm so glad that you have seen an improvement in Dakota, I hope it is continuing! I have had success in the past with Rawleighs Anti Pain Oil, I'm not sure if it would be the sort of thing you would consider but I thought I would mention it just in case. It is an all natural massage oil to improve circulation, help with inflammation and generally ease the muscle tightness that comes along with joint issues. I always figure that if something is doing no harm and there is chance it could be doing some good then it is worth shot! Plus the massage oil smells pretty good and massage is a great relaxing activity for dogs and their people  

mbarnard0429 wrote:

MSM - I use the powder, 1/8 tsp a day, its very potent. Roughly 1200mg

Bone Meal - KAL, Inc Brand - 1/4 teaspoon a day

Glucosamine HCL - 1000 mg/day (giving more is completely safe)

Shark Cartilage - 1500 mg

Boswellia - a tablet of nature's way brand a day for maintenance and up to 3x a day for pain. Boswellia is a natural anti inflammatory and pain reliever, much easier on the body then conventional meds.   They have a powder as well, made by NaturVet for horses.

Vitamin E - 400 I.U. Every Other Day

Salmon Oil - 1000mg Daily



It has worked wonders for me.

What's the resource for all of this? Is there a volume or would I have to pick through he internet? I like to learn about different ideas but sometimes I can be a bit lazy and loose interest if it takes up too much time.
My wife's pain management for the goats (when and if they need it) is to feed willow branches. Willow is suppose to be an ingredient in aspirin. I have also heard that it can be steeped in water and drunk.
Just sharing, I do not recommend any use for anyone! Believing the ramblings of an idiot can be hazardous to your health!

What do you mean by resources?

This is a cocktail prescribed to me by a holistic veterinarians specializing in herbs, homeopathy and nutrition therapy.

Megan, do you know what purpose the bone meal serves with regard to the joint issues?

I will have to do some more homework on the colostrum. All the dog specific colostrum supplements I have found are made from bovine colostrum...I imagine mass producing a product from canine colostrum would be rather difficult. Anyway, I don't want to waste my time or money on something that won't have any effect so I will try to do further digging into that subject.

I will definitely look into boswellia. I will probably substitute boswellia for the alfalfa that I was previously considering. Alfalfa is also for pain management. Would you happen to know the specific daily dosage for boswellia for a 50 lb dog? If not, I can look into that as well whenever time permits.

Between my non-stop toddler, house training my new pup, and visiting family/friends I probably won't have time to order anything until next week...hopefully. Unless by some miracle my child actually takes a nap for once.

Looked up the Nature's Way Boswellia and it says 307 mg per tab if I'm looking at the right one. I can get a generic 400 mg tab for way cheaper so I'll probably go that route. Megan, can you confirm the dosage your vet recommended for maintenance?

Also did some searching on colostrum and am finding nothing but information indicating that bovine colostrum is the only non-species specific colostrum available and loads of sources (traditional and holistic vets included) indicating that it is both good and effective for dogs. I searched and searched for something supporting the claim that canines need species specific colostrum and came up empty handed. Not that I don't trust your vet, Megan, but I think I might take my chances with the bovine colostrum since I am finding nothing but positive info on it from numerous vet publications (holistic and traditional alike) all the way down to other dog forums where it is discussed amongst forum members.

That sounds pretty awful, all that bad luck really stinks. Anyways I hope Dakota will feel better soon and wish I could offer some advice (except for the fact that long car rides will send toddlers to dreamland, but that goes without saying...) Good luck!