It has been a very lonely year out on the lease due to the fact that my best friend is sitting out 3-4 days after a single hunt now just to recover. There's been evenings after the hunt where I have to carry her down the stairs to the front door so she can limp across the street to use the restroom.

My vet prescribed Rimadyl and it seemed to work but now I'm out and need to get more. I am just curious if there any long term side affects to the use of this drug? Can I use it during hunting season then stop for the rest of the year or do y'all use year round? Where is the best place to purchase it, 1800PetMeds, Vet? Are there other products I'm not aware of?

Sadie has always hunted deeper water and so she would always swim but now the constant running on the hard ground has caused her some pain and discomfort so much that I choose not to bring her the next day. I started noticing this last year after we started hunting the fields.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry to hear this. It's hard leaving the dog home on a hunt. Don't know anything about the meds good luck.

Ask your vet about adequin, I been using it on my9 yr old dog and it really helps alot I also give her glucosomine daily. Adequin is a shot, in the begining she got it weekly for a month then byweekly for 2 months now its once a month. Same deal I noticed it last year and this year it has made a difference. Check it out.

Yes, long term use of the NSAIDs (Rimadyl, Dermaxx, etc) can cause problems. Your vet needs to follow her labs closely. Adequan can definitely help. Although there is very little good scientific data to support their use, most vets also recommend glucosamine, MSM, green lip mussel and fish oil as supplements. Accupuncture can also be very helpful as can laser treatments. If it is just one joint then intra-articular steroid injections can really help.

If there is a good sports medicine vet in your area, it may be worth a trip.

I'm dealing with the same thing in my 10 yo retired field trial dog. We are getting ready to go on a hunting trip to the Eagle Lake area, which will probably be his last big trip. It's tough when they really start slowing down.

Good luck,
Buck

Very sorry too hear . It's tough watching them hurt when they still have the desire too work . That's why I'll get a pup when they hit 8 . The young dog gets the hard work and the old is left with the easy ones . The others have giving good advise on the meds , the only thing too add is just make it as easy as you can . At least here in florida , the weather doesn't get as cold on the old dogs .

I had a couple of my old dogs on glucosamine. I am in it for arthritis symptoms too and am a believer. Google deramaxx/glucosamine canine deaths and see what you think. My uncle and I have both had dogs that were on a glucosamine/ chondroitin regimen die within days of starting deramaxx.
Both dogs were old so take that into consideration. I think there are too many reports of this to discount. If you decide to use rimadyl and deramaxx-I recommend you watch the dosage very carefully.

The NSAIDs are safe , they are just better used for short periods of time, not on a continuous basis. I always start the Dermaxx a day or two before a hunt then continue it for a day or two after. When Camo was still running trials I would start it on Thursday and continue it through Monday.
Tramadol is another drug that can be helpful. It is an analgesic, but is safe to use long term.
There are a lot of things you can do to help dogs that are arthritic. You need to find a vet that has experience taking care of working dogs, not just pets. My local vet actually came to watch a field trial so she would know what we were asking of the dogs. My sports medicine vet actually runs hunt tests and field trials and is active in search and rescue.

Buck