joint problem????

[rogue]

Hi everyone,
My 4 year old german sheppard cross is acting funny. Recently she has developed a problem with stairs. It seems that after she has been lying down or sleeping for awhile upstairs she is very hesitant to come back down and will pace at the top of the stairs and whine a bit before she decides to give it a go. If she is up and active she does it fine. I have noticed that she seems to be spending more time on the main floor now. She is 75 lbs, according to the vet she is at the upper limit of her weight. Any suggestions ?

[Karin]

It's time to visit the vet again

[mona_b]

Sounds to me she is definately having problems with her hips.Which is common in the GSD breed.

You may want to have them x-ray her hips to check for Hip Dysplasia.

You can give her Glucosimine and Shark Cartlige.

[rogue]

Thanks you guys. I've switched her food to one that contains glucosamine and chondroitin which should also help. Got a vet appointment after her regular vet gets back from vacation.

[Karin]

Originally Posted by rogue

Thanks you guys. I've switched her food to one that contains glucosamine and chondroitin which should also help. Got a vet appointment after her regular vet gets back from vacation.

There is hardly enough glucosamine & chondroitin's in these foods to help..only trace amounts. This is a selling point for the manufacturers. Please do not trust in these products to give your pet comfort.

[skating]

Hey!

Talk to the vet. We put our shepherd on the food as you said. As well, she got glucosamine tablets every morning after she had gone outside. As she got older, we had to add to the number of pills she got. As well, our vet recommended using aspirin as this is an anti-inflammatory and may help. As long as she had her pills, she raced around like a 2 year old, even when she was 12. As well, do you bring her for walks a lot? If her legs are really bad, start out short and slow, otherwise, the exercise does her good. If she can run around somewhere, rather than just being on a leash, this may help as well. The exercise builds up the muscles around her hip joints and helps to stabilize the bones even when the bone structure doesn't.

[rogue]

Thanks skating,
I'll ask the vet about aspirin. I take her to a leash free area every weekend and she has no problems. Vet said to try reducing her weight a little and watch her progress. Said the food was a good choice. What tablets do you give your dog? Do you but the at the pet store? She can go up and down the stairs fine when I'm in the kitchen and she's upstairs!!! Vet says doesn't feel or look like any inflammation.
Rogue

[amyp123]

this type of problem is normal in german shepherds, try cod liver oil!

[Luba]

Supplements that work well are: Glucosamine, Shark Cartilidge, Fish oil, Vitamin E.

Taking these supplements will see a difference in about three to four weeks.