A Doggy Dilemma - your thoughts please.

Ravenwood

Ravenwood

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This may end up long - might be best if you make a cup of tea first!


As most you know I have two dogs, Flyn the spaniel and Toby the labrador.

Flyn is super fit and active, for every mile I ride, he covers five! But, Toby's joints are really starting to trouble him now. He is only capable of a pootle round the block and then he only trots along behind me and I have to stop and wait for him (not condusive for keeping horses fit!!). Toby is only five, so in his mind he not ready for his pipe and slippers just yet
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My dilemma is :- Flyn must have vast amounts of exercise and Toby must start to take life easier. But I can hardly bear to leave Toby behind when I am out with the horses and even worse will come the day when Toby can't come shooting, leaving him behind is so upsetting for him and me. But I can't leave Flyn behind to keep him company because he needs to be out as much as possible and I think he misses having someone to run with him, he's not quite the same on his own. Most of my dogs daily exercise is riding with me out of the shooting season, what with work, horses, dogs etc I have to kill as many birds with one stone - there's just not enough daylight hours in a day!!

The only solution I could think of is to get a small dog ie Border Terrier to stay with Toby and another spaniel for Flyn and me to work (I need at least two working dogs anyway).

But then I will have four dogs - do I really want four dogs? I've got enough animals as it is and just put my mare to stud!

I don't know what to think, keep mulling the situation over which is only going to get worse over the next year or so
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Anyway - warned you it would get long!! But its helped me to write it down
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If you were in my shoes - what would you do?

PS: Off to the vets now to start another course of Cartrophen for Toby - it really helps him not that he realises a trip to the vets is beneficial!!
 
Hi there, sounds like a tricky situation!

Just a thought but your lab, being 5, seems very young to be suffering with joint problems etc (I know labs are renowned for it but it seems so sad for him!!)

Have you tried any treatments or supplements for his joints?Your vets may poo-poo the idea but holistic treatments could completely rejuvinate him and any horsey person knows about the benefits of oils in a diet
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http://www.back-in-balance.co.uk/dogs.htm
 
I have the same problem. One dog is older and can only go for shorter walks and one who wants more exercise. Getting more dogs will only make the problem worse. You just have to make allowances for the older dog. Sometimes you have make the young dog have a short walk and other times leave the older dog at home/yard and let the young dog have a longer walk. Old dogs soon settle down if they have somewhere warm to sleep.

I would also recommend taking the dog to a canine physio. My friend had amazing success with her westie. The vets had x-rayed her and given her all sorts of drugs, without success. A physio gave my friend some exercises to do and they took the dog for a course of swimming and it really is right as rain now.
 
Agree re: have you tried supplements (although it sounds like it), are you going out on roads in which case it probably isn't doing him any good with joints etc.
What about getting an older dog to keep him company? A terrier might still be very active and overstrain him?
I would possibly do that and then see if over time your other one is happy on his own out on hacks, it may just take some getting used to?
 
I would agree with getting a Chiropractor or similar for Toby - my parent's border collie was diagnosed with end stage arthritis by the vet (who knows how as they didn't x-ray her!). They tried a chiropractor and the difference is amazing! She still has arthritis - but she is 50% more mobile and happier since treatment. Also - my parents got the fiorst year of treatment on their insurance.

As for your dilemma... is very hard
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when I look after my parents dog I usually take her with mine on a 30-40 min walk - half way around she has a little break while I throw things in the water for my lab to retrieve and she watches. I then take the lab out for more exercise later - much longer - which the collie stays home and sleeps. She got used to it quickly and is happy
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I think maybe trying more therapies would be a good idea,

but on the idea of holistics, just be careful as the "drug" in the holistic can interfere, strengthen (i.e. overdose) or minimise the effect of the vet's drugs!
Chiropractor (sp?!) might be a good idea! with like hydrotherapy or something to help him? does he like water? if so, maybe go for walks with more canals/rivers for him to swim along and in to exercise rather than relying soley on hard ground?

Cod liver oil, and all the other oils and arthritis tablets, all do some good, but in the right proportions, so if these havnt been tried, just try adding some to his food! Although it can taste nasty so he might need some persuasion! (although being a lab...... doubtable!
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SOrry for your conundrum!
 
My Lab is 10 now and starting to show signs of stiffness.
I recently bought her a magnetic collar (not sure if I can name it on here, but will do if Ok).
It has made a world of difference to her.
I was sceptical myself, but others have noticed a difference.
Might be worth a try? There are about £25 off the internet.m She also has been having a joint supplement for a few months now.
 
QR: Thanks for your replies everyone.

Just a little more info on Toby - He has OCD in both elbows and was diagnosed at about 6 months old, so his condition is nothing new and has been closely monitored with boosts of cartrophen when he gets particularly stiff like now. We have seen three vets and a specialists, one told me that he wouldn't make five anyway - so we are doing extremely well and he's certainly got a few more years in him yet
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UPDATE: Just got back from vets who thinks that the joints in his back legs are also giving him trouble - basically all his joints are crap
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(God, now I am crying). He's had a Cartrophen booster and he can have another next week if no improvement, after that we will look at starting him on Metacam (more bloody expense!!).

She tells me that I must keep him exercised to keep up his muscle tone and obviously this helps keep his weight down (no mean feat!).

I hardly ever go on the roads we are lucky enough to be able to ride straight out onto the moors and he loves swimming which he does regularly.

I haven't looked into any holistic remedies - can anyone point me in the right direction please? Would this be something as simple as adding Cod Liver Oil to his diet?
 
Have you tried Hydrotherapy? Exercise without the stress on him? It was the first thing i was told to do by my vet, i wish i'd known about it for my other dogs before. But my girl who has a spine problem, who woulnd't make a few months time has passed a year so far and will make many more. Espechially as you say he loves swimming.

Everything is worth a go. Have you tried things like Cortaflex, etc? And Oils are good too.
 
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Why not do some fostering for a charity like Hope Rescue - the new dog wouldn't be a permanent fixture but you would have company for the older dog?????????

[/ QUOTE ]

An idea that I hadn't thought of!

I certainly really appreciate everyone's advice on supplements etc and its given me lots of food for thought and plenty of researching to do! But at the end of the day, in the not too distant future, Toby will be slowing down and I still have the dilemma of leaving him behind everyday which is just about the cruellest thing I could do to him, he lives for shooting and going for a ride - it wouldn't be so bad if he was old, as he would be mentally ready to take life easy, but as it it he is still a fit dog, in his prime and this is such an awful situation, I feel so sorry for him
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I'm another who would recommend you try a magnetic collar too; Bioflow is the most well known.
Like humans, it doesn't suit every dog but the ones it does help have amazing turnaround stories like an old collie (14) hardly able to move after a life of herding the cows in and out for milking in spite of many treatments from vets; was due to be put down but someone produced a collar for her. Within days she was back to fetching the cows and only fully retired three years later.
Also, I'm another who wouldn't suggest another dog unless you brought in another working puppy which could keep Toby company while you did long rides with Flynn and then have a short exercise later.
Very difficult and it doesn't help that Lab's have very appealing faces!
 
Oh no
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Poor Toby. I am gutted for you.

We gave Windsor Devil's Claw when he started getting stiff and the difference was amazing. At 12 years old we were still able to take him out to do a few retrieves.
 
My Mum's 12 year old cocker is on Nupafeed Flex GLM for Dogs.
Last August my Mum didn't think he would make it through the month, let alone do any work. He couldn't get out of bed and would walk around stiff on all 4 legs with an arched back.
Then he went onto Nupafeed and the difference is amazing, he actually worked a few days last season, and you know how Spaniels work!!!
She took him off it for a month to see if it had made a difference, and although it wasn't as bad as before, he did stiffen up again.
It has actually turned him into a nightmare, as it allows him to be as busy as he was as a young dog, but he is going deaf nowadays, so it is rather hard to control him!!

Hope Toby's injections help.
 
I do use Devil's Claw at times but not too often as I don't want to mask the pain and make him do too much if you know what I mean.

Thanks again for everyone's replies and suggestion - so many to look into!

Lovely to hear the cocker has a new lease of life Hen
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I would get another springer, and not get a 4th. Two can stay at home whilst you exercise one. alternate days so the two lively dogs get a good run but so the lab always has company.

I dont know anything about vetinary treatment... sorry.

But as opposed to a pup I would look into rescue.
 
Poor Toby!!
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Have at look at Global Herbs - they do supplements for dogs which have worked brilliantly for my friends old collie. You can also speak to their vet to make sure the supplements don't conflict with anything from your vet. Look on their website for details. Would also second giving a magnetic collar a try - again has worked very well for a boxer, Irish Setter and collie with various different joint problems.

Hope you find something that helps.
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