[Muttmomma]

My 7 month old baby was limping on different legs a few weeks ago. Vet gave her 7 days worth of Rimadyl. It worked wonders!! We notice a difference that night and the next day, she was running around like normal. Now she is having problems again and I can't afford the $100 vet bill plus the xrays that he wants to do to "make sure" she doesn't have hip displasia. I know that it isn't this. I have been around dogs with it and she isn't having the signs.
This is the problem. She is very hyper and loves to run, jump and attack the other dogs. She loves to wrestle. She was doing so well until yesterday when she went running and rammed her momma to wrestle, and hit her front let too hard.
Does anyone know of a good anti-inflammatory that is non prescription? I have fax through a pet med site that they are going to send to the vet for me to try and get him to do a prescription because he refused it.

[Northern gal]

It may not be a hip problem, but there are so many others things it could be. I know it is expensive, but if you don't find out the root of your puppy's problem, your dog could end up with a life of pain and could lead to other problems. I don't know about using other anti-inflamatories, b/c most of them are for humans not dogs. I have heard that a Glucosamine Complex with Chondroitin would help if it is a joint problem, but you don't know what it is, so I wouldn't recommend it. I really feel you should have your pup xrayed to find out what it is exactly.
Good luck
Northern gal

[Celeste]

I agree with NG; unless you carry out these much needed xrays you can never be too sure. Perhaps you could reach an agreement with your vet in which you can pay off the costs associated with xrays, etc in due course or by making weekly or monthly repayments. I'm also a big fan of GLUCOSAMINE for both dogs and humans alike. I have been using Glucosamine for 2 years and I couldn't be happier. Life would be so much more difficult for me due to knee problems if not for this wonderful product; I have found the same applies to dogs; I used Glucosamine on my elderly rough collie for the last 2 years of his life and they made a noticeable difference.

What breed is your puppy? some small breeds can be prone to luxating patellas or otherwise known as slipping kneecaps and in this case they tend to lift the lef off the ground when they're running about....

Please be wary of using Rimadyl - it is known to cause liver and kidney failure; I wonder if your vet alerted you to these risks? I have included a link that you will find informative as to the risks of using Rimadyl. Give Glucosamine a shot and you may be pleasantly surprised. All the best of luck.


http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadyl.html