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Severe arthritis. Not sure if I should get a cart or not. | Ask A Vet
 

 


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Severe arthritis.

Species: Dog
Breed: welsh pembroke corgi
Age: 11-15 years
Hi Dr. Marie,

My sweet Murphys is displaying weakness in hind legs, (they occasionally give out)(degenerative discs on x-ray), and also has elbow dysplasia. He's on rimadyl and tramadol. My question is, if it gets bad enough, because of his age I'm thinking he is not a good candidate for surgery, and because of his elbow dysplasia, not a good candidate for a cart (he does face plants sometimes when his elbow gives out). Do you agree, and/or have any suggestions for keeping him as comfortable as possible? Thank you so much! Kisses from Murphys :).


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Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I am sorry to hear that Murphys is having these problems. It's so hard to see a dog have serious arthritis problems.

I would agree that a cart would not be fair for him if he has pain in his elbows as well.

There are a number of drugs that I use to treat dogs with arthritis. I usually use an anti-inflammatory such as Metacam, Rimadyl, Deramaxx or Previcox. Then, if this is not working I will add injections of a joint protectant either called Adequan or Cartrophen.

For really serious cases I will sometimes add a medication called Tramadol or possibly Gabapentin.

I have seen dogs do extremely well with chiropractic adjustments as well. If you do this, be sure you find a veterinary chiropractor and not a human one who also works on dogs. The anatomy is quite different.

I hope this helps and I hope Murphys is feeling better soon.

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---



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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

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