Big Paws Only Dog Forums
Kuvasz => Kuvasz Discussions => : kuvaszlily May 14, 2005, 09:31:21 PM
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Our 2 year old Kuvasz began limping so we took her to our vet thinking maybe she had a sprain. After two weeks of no improvement we had our vet x-ray her to find out she has early arthritis, OCD in her front right leg. We don't know much about it, other than she may need surgery. We have her on a very low activity regimin for 6 weeks to see if she gets any better. Does anyone have any personal experience with OCD. Does anyone know if it's genetic? Thanks!
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Do you have her on any supplements or vitamns? What kind of activities does she do regularly? I'm just asking because we had a problem with Bear a while back and were told he HAD elbow dysplasia and needed surgery & for us to prepare for a downhill battle. Fortunately, we didn't listen to the vet and took our breeder's advice and fellow big dog owner's support and have had only a few incidents with limping in the past year. It's rare now and we are so thankful we went the supplement/love route!
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What supplements do you use? Sugar Bear my 10 month old Great Pyrenees has so trouble with a limp and stiffness from time to time from Paino. I am told that it should go away in a few more months. It just kills me to see him in pain.
Lisa
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I know exactly what you mean. Seeing them in pain and knowing that you can't fix it quickly is an awful feeling. We have given Bear a daily doses of Consiquin DS, Ester C, Omega 3 for joints/bones 2x a day & Garlic for fleas and Bendaryl for allergies 1x a day. The 1st three work miracles! His kibble also has joint supps. in it. My breeder swears by it and the results we have gotten worked so quickly that I couldn't believe it. When he does get pain and limps a bit (after super crazy-full out play dates or 4 hour hikes in the mountains) we give him one Remadyl and ice the leg. Within a few hours he's back to normal! Good luck with the limp and know that yes, with age and proper lubrication inside the body, Sugar Bear should be good as new in no time...just like my Bear Cub.
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Also know that many vets will tell you that your giant doggy has bad bones because they grow so quickly and do seem out of place with the rate at which they grow. If you have a choice, don't x-ray them until they are at least 2 so their bones can solidify more and won't seem so out of whack. We're going to have Bear done officially for OFA certs. in the fall when he turns 3. I know of too many people who have had surgeries (legs/neutering/spaying) performed on their dogs due to what a vet said when in actuality they were just growing so fast they appeared unstable when they were not. One more bit of info, if you have your dog run in the sand it really helps to build up the leg muscles. Swimming is excellent therapy too!
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We have had Lily on Rimadyl pretty regularly. The vet said it was okay to decrease the inflamation and pain. The x-ray was also read by a veterinary radiologist who also had the same opinion about it being and OCD lesion. Our vet was very encouraging regarding her not needing surgery, saying that very few dogs truly "need" the surgery. That made me feel better knowing he wasn't one of those vets that views surgery as a quick fix only option. I would be very interested in hearing more in detail about your supplemental regimin. I have heard something about glucosomine for dogs - is there a such thing? I wonder if it might help. I know my grandma had a lot of success with it for her arthritis...
I really want her to be back to her old self. She is so playful and loves to run our property (only 2 acres, but she just loves having a job and running the fence lines). I hate feeling self helpless, and I wish I could just explain to her why she has to be taken out on a leash now without freedom. It is just heartbreaking!
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Consiquin DS is the dog version of glucosomine/chondroitin but is easier to give since its made for them specifically and you don't have to guess what dosage you should give them. Many people I know swear by it...including me!
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I have never had that trouble, but I will contact a friend of mine who has bred Kuvasz for 30+ years and ask about it. I do know that I was told NOT to use Rimadyl long term due to the potential harsh effects on the kidneys. It is similar to long term use of Ibuprophen in humans. Which damages the kidneys. Unfortunately nobody knows how much Ibuprophen or what length of use causes the damage. It is highly individual. One person can take it in excess for years with no ill effects and another can take it short term and end up on dialysis, or worse with hardly any kidney function. I see both ends of the spectrum in my patients. Let me talk to my friend about it and I will email you by Tuesday with the info she provides. If your personal email is not ont his site can you give it to me? Otherwise I can posti t her if you want?
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where do you get the consaquin? My 12 year old golden retriever mix has had arthritis in his back legs for years. Most of the time he did real well, but when the weather changed he'd start limping around.
A few years ago, his hip popped out of the socket and the arthritis was too bad to pop it back in so he had the ball from his hip joint removed. After about 3 mos. he was running around like normal again, but lately he rarely uses that leg and I can tell the other one is bothering him, too.
I would give him Rimadyl when his joints acted up before, but it didn't work this time so I asked my vet to give him the steroid shot. She tried to warn me against it because of long-term side effects, etc, but - let's face it - at 12 years old he doesn't have much long term life left in him. The shot worked great - for 2 days. He's back to limping around now and I can't give him another shot for 3 months. I had a brainstorm yesterday and gave him one of my husband's glucosamine/chondroitin pills and all day yesterday and this morning he seems like he feels MUCH better. I wish I would have thought of that before.
Anyway, I'd like to give him the Consaquin, but don't know where to buy it. Can I order it somewhere?
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My horse had ocd, that was NO FUN< she had surgury and is ridden everyday! It was fron poor diet(she was a rescue) or a rapid diet change. It caused bones not to fully harden and gave her bone chips in her knees. I have the internal pics from the surgury! I better, it wasnt cheap!
Laurie
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Consequin DS can be found via their website or through your vet. Make sure you get the DS version though because the other isn't strong enough for large/giant breeds.
IMO, I have seen through personal experience that Remadyl given over time doesn't have side effects. We have a few people who have to give it twice a day with their Newfs and have done so for at least 7-8 years and they have had no problems. I guess it just depends on your views and the dog's system as to whether they can handle it or not...that's just my opinion though.
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jaime, what are the dosages for all of the supplements you give mr bear? lol, i trust you more than i trust my own friggin vet....althoug h i just switched, and the new doc seems VERY nice and knowledgeable. she actually takes nutrition courses on a yearly basis, which i have NEVER had a vet do. she does all kinds of other cool stuff too....BUT, i still want to know what you give your baby! dasage wise anyway....
thanx
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Nicki,
Bear Cub gets one pill twice a day of Consequin DS, Ester C and Omega 3. In addition he gets one pill each morning of Garlic and Benadryll. IMO, he is healthy and pain free because of the meds he gets which are soo good for him!
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My bad, Lily is currently taking Metacam (it's supposed to help with pain and a little bit of an anti-inflamatory) - she took Rimadyl some time back. I asked my vet about the Glucosamine and he said it wouldn't hurt her to take it, but that it won't "fix" the problem either.
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Cosequin DS is available through www.petvetdire ct.com and their prices are as good as any place domestically. You can also get it through www.canadaphar macy.com which has all the pet (and people) meds at the cheapest I've seen them. It's just a bit more of a hassle for prescription drugs.
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My cairn is 8 and he was having trouble climbing steps and jumping on our lap. The vet said he probably has some degenerative disc disease in his back. He started him on Synovi soft chews. It is a glucosamine supplement that also has omega acids and other things. It turned Max into a pup again!! He takes one a day and he thinks it's a treat!!! He got his spring back just in time to welcome Rocky into our home!!! We buy ours from the vet but my husband found them on line also. The price really wasn't that much better. You would have to give more than one for a big dog but being in the medical field, I was more comfortable w/ this than having him on anti-inflam's or steroids. It may come to that eventually but for now, the chews are working great.