My dog is a golden doodle, and I got him when I was 7. I don’t support backyard breeding; I got him way before I knew it was bad, so please don’t attack me for that. He is 10 and has begun limping due to arthritis in both his front left and back left legs. He’s my best friend and so full of life, but I don’t want him to be in pain. What can I do? I really don’t want to say goodbye yet.
Arthritis foods/supplements will help. There are chewable tablets that some dogs like the taste of, but you might need to put peanut butter (xylitol free) on it to encourage him to eat it.
Some doggy glucosamine joint supplements might be useful. When our dog started limping from arthritis, the vet also put her on some anti-inflammatories, and it helped her a lot. She was like a whole new dog afterwards, and the meds were not expensive.
Ask the veterinarian about management. Depending on the severity, the vet could recommend supplements to support the joints (probably glucosamine-based) or prescribe medication to manage pain (I’ve heard success with Solensia injections or prednisone).
Solensia was a lifesaver for my cat.
I switched to Sam’s Club chicken/brown rice for my pup with arthritis, and she doesn’t limp anymore. It has glucosamine—so a supplement may help if you haven’t tried it yet.
I’ll totally look into that, but do they have anything else? My boy’s allergic to chicken.
He needs prednisone—a steroid. From the vet.
A lot of cheap dog food has fillers (like corn) that can aggravate arthritis. Switch off cheap dog food to fresh food or healthier kibble.
I give my 8-year-old pittie 2 Cosequin tablets every day. She gets a Librela injection once a month. She’s like a puppy again. It’s a bit pricey, but totally worth her quality of life. I would definitely invest in supplements at the least.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin don’t have to be specifically for pets, but chewables do help. It can get expensive, though. I just checked on Amazon, and it’s gone down in price.
Look for an orthopedic bed or a warming pad for him to lay on. Keeping his joints warm will help with arthritis, and an orthopedic bed relieves pressure on his joints. Covering my senior dog with a blanket on cold nights really seemed to help her.