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[keepcalmcarryon]

Lately- as the weather gets colder- Steve has been limping a lot more. I haven't really been able to tell if he only limps with one leg or if he alternates (I think he's alternating) and I'm getting worried about him. Earlier in the year when I took him to the vet, she told me he had "slippy" kneecaps and that it might become a problem as he got

Comments

[platinumpinup]

Human glucosamine/MSM combo vitamins works wonders! Just a half a pill 1-2x a day helps their joints. Also, if you think he's in pain look for doggy made aspirin in pet stores. Of course keep his weight down, any extra weight is harder on their little joints. I've have my guy on this routine, and he's fine. The surgery digs deeper grooves in their socket for the kneecap. Later in life, it will give them bad arthritis. So, the key is to manage what he has now, it's better than the alternative. Good luck!

[keepcalmcarryon]

I will look for those vitamins- that's a great idea! And he's very skinny- in fact, he's a little too skinny. He eats a lot but he is so freakishly active he just can't keep any fat on his huge bones, haha.

[xianghua]

A joint supplement combo is definitely a good idea, but painkillers are NOT, especially with a young dog who is likely to overdo.

PLEASE get him into the vet as soon as you can, though- with a diagnosis, you can get your options in order and start figuring out what you're going to do. Even if money is too tight now, you can learn ways to keep him as pain free as possible while you save for surgery.

I'd also suggest hydrotherapy if you've got a place locally to do it- with a lot of Poms, you can also work on it in the bath tub (you need warm water) but it depend son how long their legs are and how deep your tub is. :P

[keepcalmcarryon]

Yeah I was thinking either vitamins or joint medication, but not pain killers unless he does something again like flailing out of my arms and landing hard. That was awful!

I bet he'd love hydrotherapy- it is impossible to keep him out of water! He actually does a lot of swimming (swim fetching) in the Summer, and tried to get me to do it today at the dog park but all the lakes were frozen and I made him get out of the river (it wasn't deep or moving fast but it was too cold!)