oscarsmum Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Oscar has been on the Metacam for 6 days now. The vet said to give it a week to see any improvement; there has been absolutely no improvement as far as I can tell, and if anything he seems abit worse I'm gutted as I was sort of pinning my hopes on Metacam being some kind of miracle cure (silly me) (He's been wearing a magnetic collar since Tuesday too). I'm also putting him back on the Rhus Tox as I thought there was a slight improvement when he was on this... The vet has indicated that the next step would be to switch to Rimadyl. I bought some Synflex, but haven't started him on this yet as didn't want to start giving him too many different things at the same time, and therefore be unsure which (if any) were having an effect. So, would you try the Synflex before the Rimadyl, or just go straight for the Rimadyl? I'm really confused and just want to do the best for him. Could I perhaps just try Metacam (or Rimadyl) and Synflex together - would there be any harm to him in this (although again, the only reluctance would be the possibility of not knowing what's working and what's not...) Oscar is happy in himself, still got his normal personality, but is just very unstable on his legs, the only way I can describe is that he walks really gingerly and his gait seems out of sinc (eg two small steps with a front leg, then the rest normal, then two steps and a stumble with a back leg ) Its awful to see him like this and breaks my heart, but despite that, he does seem to enjoy his walks if that makes sense, he's still got a keen interest in sniffing and other dogs, its just all done at a much slower and wobblier pace. We still have playtimes, where he pounces at me, then wanders around the lounge with lots of barking and sneezing He really doesn't seem "in pain" but obviously things are far from right. Oscar is (allegedly ) 16 and a bit years old. Apart from his legs, in every other way he has a clean bill of health from the vet. Hydrotherapy has been mentioned a couple of times, my only worry about that is whether it would stress him out. Since we've had him, he's only been in the sea once (up to his knees) and had two baths (in the garden with watering cans and sponges). I'm worried that the experience would be really stressful for him (although the benefits may outweigh this...?) I'm really confused, and probably thinking about it all too much, going round in circles with it. I'm sorry for waffling. I know I keep putting up threads like this, but I really could do with some of your opinions. I know its our decision at the end of the day, but would appreciate it if you could please put yourself in the situation and tell me what you'd do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fee Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 It's worth going back to the vet, I've known dogs not get much benefit from Metacam but do very well on Rimadyl and vice versa. The glucosamine can take about six weeks to kick in so that's early days yet. I can sympathise, Musky's mobility is gradually getting worse and it is very distressing to see. He's also got a Bioflow collar and has been on joint supplements for some time. We haven't started any anti-inflamatories yet, but the vet said something like metacam will be the next step. Sadly at the end of the day you can't ward off old age forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pboae Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Sully is on Rimadyl and Nutradyl. Nutradyl is the 'companion product' to Rimadyl with green lipped mussel and glucosamine. My vet prescribes them together and the insurance pays for them both. My gut feeling would be to wait and speak to your vet before you start changing things. As you say, it will be hard to know what's helping and what isn't, and another day or two isn't going to make much difference. You could also ask your vet about cartrophen* injections, which were a miracle cure for my dog for a while, but not all dogs respond to it. *not to be confused with carprofen which is Rimadyl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonny Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Griffin has spondylosis and it took at least 6 weeks for the Metacam to have any real effect.We were considering PTS as he was in so much pain.This was 18 months ago and he is doing really well now.I tried a magnetic collar with no effect at all,do not like the thought of being on Metacam all the time but am loath to change it because it is now working.BTW he only has a tiny amount each day nowie. the dose for a toy dog not a fat Beagle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Milly is on Synflex and I give her Metacam occasionally when she's overdone it. If you wanted to try the Synflex, it should work within ten days or so as it's liquid form so works quicker. Having said that it's your decision and would advise you speak to the vet about your proposed course of action Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Poor Oscar I don't think there would be any conflict between the rimadyl and synflex though check with the vet - as you say, if you did both at once, you might not know which worked. But I suppose that if something helps, that's got to be a good thing. Don't know about hydrotherapy - is he scared of water? Something else to consider might be acupuncture. I tried that for Molls and it was hard to tell if it was making a real difference or if she was just having a few good days, but I have heard really good things about it for some dogs. If you do that, be aware it might make it worse for a few days before showing an improvement. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtychicken Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Flora has had bouts of being on both Synflex (which she's on permanently) and metacam with no problems and this course of action was prescribed by her specialist. She also has acupuncture and hydrotherapy regularly, which have worked beautifully for her. Bear has been on and off metacam for various ailments, but in a recent discussion with the vet he did say that it is generally the first painkiller type thing to be prescribed as it works well for *most* dogs. He did also say though that it doesn't work for some dogs - much like ibuprofen works for some people but not others - and that there are other options if it isn't working for a particular dog. Bear has also had hydro, which he loved, but we've now had to stop it and he is still receiving regular acupuncture which he thoroughly enjoys I would definitely speak to your vet about alternatives though if you aren't happy with how things are currently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 My vet uses Zubrin for older animals. It was more effective than Metacam for my bitch. Unfortunately, I think it is expensive. Mine was covered by insurance, so I don't know the actual cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doggy.lover Posted February 16, 2008 Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 (edited) Scruffy has tried metacam and rimadyl for pain relief from her hip dysplasia and she had rimadyl first but soon became immune to that and went on to metacam again becoming immune to it due to the length of time she was medicated but I did find that at first metacam was more effective than rimadyl so rimadyl may be a backwards step ion oscars treatment. Scruffy is currently on PLT (predno-leucotropin) which is steroidal but has been by far the most effective for her in pain relief. Due to oscars age they may not be an option but it may be worth asking ? Hope the old boy is soon back to his lovely old self. Edited February 16, 2008 by doggy.lover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsmum Posted February 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2008 Thanks so much for all your feedback It really helps. I had a long talk with the vet this morning and we've decided to stick with the Metacam for another week and start adding the Synflex (vet had me read out the ingredients and mgs and said it would be fine and that it had a good high doseage of glucosamine compared to some alternatives on the market). I'm going by the bottle and double dosing for the first ten days. If by this time next week there's still no improvement, then the vet said he thinks we should switch to Rimadyl. Before definitely going down this road, I will also talk to him about the Zubrin and Cartrophen to see whether these might be options for us. I'm still really hoping that the Metacam might start working soon, though the vet said that you do see some improvement in "most" dogs within 7 days. Re the hydrotherapy; I've heard really good reports about this, and although I'm concerned about possibly stressing Oscar, I can't say I know that he's actually scared of water, perhaps more just that he's had very limited exposure to it.... only one way to find out I suppose!! Thanks again fugees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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