Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 8/12/2009

Question
my german shepherd is losing use of her back legs due to arthritis. she weighs 80lbs and i cant figure out which med is the least harmful. she is 14 but vet says her heart and lungs are strong and her stool and blood workups were fine.  can you help me cut through the jargon and give me a straight answer? i have read about 6 different ones.  she is also on chondroiten, glucosamine, msm, glucosamine and fish oil.  she is still sharp and clear eyed.  it's just that her legs are stiff at the hip socket. thank you ever so much. rick.

Answer
Glucosamine and chondroitin have been scientifically proven not to be very useful in arthritis.  There are 2 drugs that I use routinely with pretty food success.  PREVICOX is a non-steroidal anti inflammatory drug that has virtually no side effects.  It is probably the most potent of this class of drugs (selective COX-2 inhibitors).  The other drug is called ADEQUAN CANINE.  It is an injection that actually helps the cartilage in all of the joints of the body become more spongy.  It also causes more viscous synovial fluid.  It is given twice a week for 2-3 weeks, then monthly. Adequan prevent the rubbing of bone on bone, which causes most of the pain of arthritis.  Talk to your vet or look these things up on the internet to read more.