I’ve been going through this for awhile. Talk with your vet, mine is awesome, and explain what is going on and that you want to develop a plan for your pup as he ages.
My older GSD is 13 years old, is a lean 100lbs, and is towards the end, here is his regiment. Take this in to your doc, none of these meds are overly expensive, which makes it an easy choice.
Carprofen- 75mg every 12 hrs. It provides day-to-day treatment for pain and inflammation from various kinds of joint pain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carprofen
Gabapentin- 300mg every 12hrs. It is recommended as one of a number of first line medications for the treatment of neuropathic pain. If the hips and back are super bad, he is probably at the point of nerve pain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin
Tramadol- 1-2 30mg tablets every 12hrs. Tramadol is a synethic opioid. Tramadol is used primarily to treat mild–severe pain, both acute and chronic. Tramadol is considered similar to morphine, and is probably not something you are going to be using all the time with your pup until he is near the end. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramadol
Thanks very much, Stick, I really appreciate the advice.
I have no idea how old he is. He was abandoned and left to die in a backyard after the homeowners were evicted. I found him and nursed him back to health. He’s a big silly goofball, and incredibly loyal.
The OTC stuff we started with is not strong enough anymore, and this Rx regime should be very helpful.
You are very welcome. A GOOD dog is a serious part of the team, and it isn’t easy as they get towards the end of their life. The Gabapentin and Carprofen should be pretty noticeable. The Tramadol was noticeable, but in general it has been a slow painful downward spiral. He is still happy and alert, though not the same as he used to be. Much of the time is spent on the leather couch now or on thick carpeting. Its hard for him to get up, and at times his hips give out.
Mrs Stick and I both agree that while he has a decent quality of life, he won’t get put down. When the pain becomes a higher counter balance to his QOL, (on a regular basis) it will be time.
In talking with our vet, this is functionally, and realistically the last of what can be done. I don’t have money to spend just for the sake of spending it, but the above has not only been low cost, but it has been highly effective. I told the vet I would like to see if we could get an extra 3 or 4 months with him, and we have happily exceeded that. The difference is large.
We did OTC, but having an actual pain management program made all the difference in the world. Please keep me posted!
This is Cheyenne. She is a rescue, and she was about 1 1/2 y/o when we got her. We’re not sure of her breeding, but she is one hell of a dog! She is smart, loyal, loving, and protective of our family. She is 8 y/o now, but still plays like a puppy.
This is my buddy Elmer. He’s some kind of a mutt mix of terrier/beagle that I got for free. He loves having his picture taken; when he sees a camera he will stop and pose. He has no special talents other than offering unconditional love and loyalty, and he makes me laugh…
“One thing to remember is to talk to the animals. If you do, they will talk back to you. But if you don’t talk to the animals, they won’t talk back to you, then you won’t understand, and when you don’t understand you will fear, and when you fear you will destroy the animals, and if you destroy the animals, you will destroy yourself."
– Chief Dan George
This is our mut, Hera. She’s an Irish Retriever (Golden Retriever and Irish Setter). She’ll be turning 9 next month, and still acts like a puppy most days. She loves her daily 2 mile walk, and tries to hunt squirrels with the best of them. I snapped these today testing out a new lens.
And here’s one from when she was two years old playing in the Montana snow
If you don’t mind my asking, what rescue did you go through? We have one too, and he loves my girls. He doesn’t have a pedigree, but he’s excessively smart, and an amazing watch/guard dog for the girls. I’ll post pics in the morning when I get home.
The rescue agency was me. I was walking my Black Lab years ago, and heard a barely audible whimper on the other side of a back yard fence. I thought it was a child who had been injured playing in the yard of an abandoned home. Instead it was my new best friend, Bubba.
He was down to 44 pounds, and had apparently survived on bugs, rodents and rainwater. The doctors at the vet hospital wanted to put him down, saying there was no way he would recover.
I took a week off from work, giving him IV fluids for three days. After four days he could stand, and after a week he could walk. That was about three and a half years ago.
He’s back up to 92 pounds, and is inseparable. He’s my best friend.
He either sleeps at the foot of my bed every night, or in doorway to the guest room when my granddaughter is in my home.
Like all of us, past injuries and medical history is catching up with him. He’s not as spry as he used to be. But still inseparable.
Doing some aggressor / wrap training with the pup. At 70lbs, she is able to knock my nephew into the air if he doesn’t brace right. In this picture, she also hit him in the groin, which seemed to bother my nephew more than it bothered her…
I could never get my boy interested in bite work which is interesting given his lineage. He’s a little too sensitive I guess. My girl doesn’t have his obedience levels but will agitate easily. She’s a little bit too much of a free spirit.
Awesome! If you’re ever interested, I can get you some contact info for a rescue that specialized in GSD (and mixed) rescues. I used to work with the guy, and they are good people.
