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Chow Chow arthritis

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 3:35 am
by BlackChow
Hi all

My 8 1/2 year old chow chow Thomas has recently and very suddenly developed quite severe arthritis in his front right wrist. It is obviously really bothering him and he is having trouble walking. We are at the vet weekly trying to get some pain relief for him - I really don't want him to be on pain killers long term, but as the glucosamine/chondroitin and fish oil supplements we are giving him don't seem to be having any effect yet we need to manage his pain. Nothing seems to be working though - we have tried Metacam, Gabapentin and now he is on Rimadyl. If anything the pain seems to be getting worse.
Does anyone have experience of managing arthritis in Chows, and what pain relief can you recommend? I am going to take him for physiotherapy as soon as possible and am also considering acupuncture, although I'm not sure he is suitable for this as he gets very nervous at the vet practice. I hate seeing him in pain so any tips would be very much appreciated!
Thank you :(

Re: Chow Chow arthritis

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:45 am
by wokman
Chow Chows are prone to front leg knee problems. There have been many articles on this Forum about this, I think the abbreviation for it is ACL. I mention this since you said the pain came on suddenly. Rymadil as you know has side effects that may cause the Animal to discontinue its use and in some cases does nothing to help the symptoms or has a decreasing effect. Another product is Duranax with milder side effects. Changing from one to another requires a gradual decrease in the current medication then a week of no medication to detoxify the Animal before the new medication is given. Both Humans and Animals wish there was a one pill solution to this debilitating disease.

Re: Chow Chow arthritis

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:59 am
by BlackChow
Thank you wokman, I'll mention this to the vet next time we are there - he's only been taking Rymadil for a few days so hopefully the side effects won't be too bad just yet?

Re: Chow Chow arthritis

Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 2:19 pm
by Laura
ACL is a knee injury. I would take him to an orthopedic specialist if I were you. They charge a little more to walk in the door but this what they do all day everyday and I truly believe it is the best place to get accurate answers, correct diagnosis, and treatment options. To me a vet is like our MD's and they don't know everything about everything. My Chloe has severe bilateral hip dysplasia and also tore her ACL a while back. I went to the best ortho doc in the area. They are surgeons and tell it like it is. I hope you find relief for your fella!

Re: Chow Chow arthritis

Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:20 am
by BlackChow
Thanks Laura!

Re: Chow Chow arthritis

Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 2:13 pm
by chowpups
black chow do you live in an area where Lymes is around? we have had several neighbors dogs come down suddenly with lameness and when they did the blood test and checked the titers, they had Lymes? my golden was just tested and she's okay, she slide on a wet drive way ( which I didnt know until my son came home that night and told me),but sudden lameness the vet said they like to check for Lymes ( I live in a hot bed area for Lymes so I understand the reasoning )! Just a thought if the meds aren't helping? Good luck and hope your chow is doing better!

Re: Chow Chow arthritis

Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 1:06 am
by BlackChow
Thanks Chowpups - I don't think we get Lymes round here - I had thought of that but might mention it to the vet when we go back just in case. He is really struggling at the moment, the vet has suggested next step is a CT scan. He is also off his food at the moment, which makes giving him his meds quite hard. I am getting quite worried.
Thanks for thinking of him!

Re: Chow Chow arthritis

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2014 11:02 pm
by JammyJoy
Good nutrition is necessary in the prevention of joint pain in your dog.