cycas Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 Mollydog (ex-racing greyhound) has been in for her checkup and vaccs, and vet thinks it is time to start her on longterm pain relief. Her bad leg won't even bend as far as a right angle any more and has been officially declared 'knackered'. Vet suggested that the safest thing for long term pain relief would be Previcox, but that has to be taken every day as it builds up efficiency over about 3 days. Other option would be metacam, which is effective more quickly, so she could potentially come off it in dry weather (she limps most in cold wet conditions), but that would be more likely to be damaging long-term. I note that Previcox is a new drug, so I'm not sure if it's genuinely safer for longterm use, or if there is some possibility that it hasn't been fully tested in long term use yet... She is already on glucosamine & chondroitin supplements, also has another herbal supplement, and a magnetic collar. She also has a small corn on one toe on that foot, caused, we think, by walking oddly to favour the dodgy leg, and she has thuja cream on that. It's her 8th birthday on Sunday. Vet feels that longterm pain relief may have some impact on her lifespan, but that it's worth it for the improved quality of life. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACKYSIAN Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 So sorry. Has your vet suggested Cartrophen injections? I know they don't work for everyone but for Cooper they've been amazing! He has a course of once a week for 4 weeks then every 3 months. If I feel he's starting to struggle again he has another 4 week course just to boost it up. She maybe too far gone for it because I think it's something they use in the initial stages but might be worth asking? I for one always will go for quality over quantity anyday. Hope you find some relief for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melp Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 Never used Previcox and am wary of new drugs. Metacam long term isn't great but as you say, she can come off it in good weather. I had Cisco on it long term and also use it for Foodogs arthritis but only when she's having a bad flare up. I agree with your vet, a shorter but pain free life is preferable to an old dog in constant pain. Cisco lived to be 12.5 and foodog is probably about 14 now [tho she's a staffyx] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernie Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 (edited) I have never tried Previcox with Scampi, he has spondylosis and has been taking Metacam which is in suspension form intermittently for the past 3 years at least. At Easter he actually slipped a disc and was on steroids for a few weeks, once those were discontinued he started back on the Metacam after a couple of days which he at the moment is taking daily. I will stop the daily dose as soon as I feel enough improvement is maintained, but at the end of the day quality of life is the most important. Like Mel, I'm wary of new drugs though and only a 90 day trial appears to have been done with Previcox. Edited September 3, 2007 by Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted September 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 No, she didn't mention cartrophen. I'll ask about that. Having looked it up, I am wondering why it was never recommended to us before, it sounds like something she should have tried a couple of years back! The stuff I am finding on Previcox looks quite good - there are stories of adverse reactions, but nothing I can find in greyhounds, and a lot of them seem to be cases where giving it overlapped with something else like Rimadyl, which you aren't supposed to do. Some sites are recommending blood tests before starting previcox, but I'm not sure what they are supposed to be looking for so I shall ask about that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fee Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 Sorry you're having to make this decision for Molly at such a relatively young age. My Molly has been taking Metacam daily for three years now with no problems so far, but of course at your Molly's age you really are looking at much longer term use. I think in the end you have to go for quality of life, but it's not an easy decision to take. I'd agree it's worth asking about Cartrophen injections, some dogs seem to get a lot of benefit from them and there are supposedly no long term side effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACKYSIAN Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 No, she didn't mention cartrophen. I'll ask about that. Having looked it up, I am wondering why it was never recommended to us before, it sounds like something she should have tried a couple of years back! In their defence my vet did tell me that only 20% of dogs have a positive reaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 What about Zubrin ? Louie was on this for years with no side effects, I think it is gentler on the vital organs than some others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mop Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 Gracie has been on Metacam for about 18 months now with no bad effects. When I went to pick Ellie up earlier the owner suggested that I take Gracie in for a check-up because there are new drugs out now and they have an aqua treadmill which may help her muscles, she doesn't have much muscle on her back legs. It will be interesting to see what these new drugs are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted September 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 (edited) I'll ask about Zubrin as well. The whole quality of life thing is really hard. Vet only sees dog limping in the surgery. This evening I took them out for their evening walk, and she danced and sang because she was so happy to be going out. Then she raced with Az a bit, then she pootled and sniffed for a bit and then she saw a collie and a human audience, and decided that they needed a demonstration of how proper Fast Dogs run and did mad zoomies all over the place. Then she jumped into the car. Now she's having a nice doze. Yes, she's limping and that's not good, but she's not depressed, she's enjoying life and she's a happy, happy dog. # Maybe she'd enjoy it more on pain relief, but it doesn't seem quite like it's a totally clearcut decision yet. :wacko: knackered leg won't bend any further than this: Proper working leg bends much further: Edited September 3, 2007 by cycas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 Google came up with this http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Merial_Ani...ets/-38638.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnasher Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 Not sure if you have anywhere around that might offer it but Gnasher has been treated for the last three years with acupuncture for his back pain - we have to go every 4-6 weeks but it does keep him pretty pain free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebob Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 Oh wow, well if Molly dog is up to it - I'd go with either of these. I've used Metacam for years and someone then recommended Previcox but my vet advised there wasn't really much difference in terms of the effects on the dogs' stomachs from reseach studies. I didn't have any problems with long term use of Metacam with Holly (my rough collie bitch) and she was on it from the age of 6 until she died at 12 (I had her pts because her arthritis was so bad she couldn't stand up to wee). To the best of my knowledge she hadn't had any particular ill effects from the metacam even after 6 years on it. Every dog is different so I can't guarantee Mollydog would be the same - Previcox could be similar. Previcox is being advertised as being kinder on the dog's stomachs but I'm not sure it's true and apparently it's not yet proven via research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 Another vote here for accupuncture. Hydrotherapy also helps a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytgirl Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 What about Zubrin ? Louie was on this for years with no side effects, I think it is gentler on the vital organs than some others Tasha has severe arthritis and is on Zubrin, after initially being put on Rimadyl (I stopped it after 1 day!) she has been brilliant on this stuff and had not one side affect hope its sorted soon for you all.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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