alternatives to long-term metacam

loz9

loz9

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hi hoping someone will be able to offer some friendly advice. we have a golden retriever who is supposed to be on long term metacam for an arthritic back/neck, however after he had been on it for about a year he developed digestive/sickness issues so had to come off it. We have tried him back on it at much lower levels (vet recommendation) as he really needs some form of anti-inflam as he stiffens up really quickly without it, esp after walks. However, he has since started to react to even the lower levels of metacam so we really need to find an alternative. Are there any 'kind to the stomach' alternatives to metacam? Thanks
 
hes 9.5yrs so gettin on a bit, but stil very active. swimming could be an option but the main problem area is between his shoulder blades so not sure if the raised head above the water will cause addition strain (will chat to the vet) he is also a complete wuss of a dog, you say boo & he jumps a mile! so even tho he loves water not sure how he would take to swimmin in a new environment, altho he loves paddling in our pond! lol! our main aim is to completely eliminate the metacam. when hes on it hes fine in his back but a few days later the sickness begins, so we are only giving it to him when hes exceptionally bad & only for 2-3days til he seems more comfortable. Its just not nice seeing him trying to hav a stretch after getting up & not being able to. otherwise tho he is perfectly happy & healthy.
 
Have you tried Cartrophen injections? My dog has them for his joint problems but its not arthritis (yet!) but I am sure they are recommended for it. He has a course of three and then top ups as and when needed.

I also give him Devil's Claw on hard days to help him and a Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplement daily.
 
I always recommend acupuncture! And I've found one of the last times I wrote about it, so I've copied what I wrote then.

"This far acupuncture has helped 3 of my late dogs and my still going strong 15 year old moggy.

First dog, needed it due to hip dysplasia + with age one of her vertebra had developed a thorn and later on when she anyway was needing to have acupuncture, she also got two ear needles due to old age deafness, 1 x 6 times of acupuncture per year since she was about 8 years old and she didn't need any painkillers for the hips or vertebra.
About the hearing, before acupuncture she wasn't able to hear that someone was coming up behind her if her ears wasn't turned in the "right" direction and even if they were in in the right direction, if you where 5 to 10 meters away from her, you had to shout for her to hear you. After acupuncture she could hear us coming up behind her even with the ears in the wrong direction and she could hear us without that we needed to shout at her from about 15 meters distance.

Second dog had a hind leg that grew askew when she was young and from when she was maybe 7 years old she got acupuncture 1 x 6 times per year, when she also got old age deafness we did as with the first dog and added ear needles. She didn't need painkillers for her leg and she also began hearing as "well" as the first dog did after having needles at the ear base.

Third dog had some vertebras that grew together when she was old, she only got acupuncture 1 x 5 times once, because the year after, just as we had planned to begin a new acupuncture period, she had to be euthanized due to cancer at 12 years of age. She hadn't needed any painkillers during her last year.



Also my oldest cat soon almost 4 years ago was diagnosed with three grown together vertebras and we tried Metacam, after some days she got better but my vets thinks Metacam should only be given to cats for two weeks in a row and then they have to have 2 weeks off. So after a while on and off Metacam, in one off period we decided to try acupuncture instead. First we had to persuade the person doing the acupuncture and after some hm and hrm's, she said that since our dogs was so easy to do, she agreed to give it a try.
Now Selma has only needed to have 1 x 4 times per year the first two years off Metacam but this year when it had been a year since the last treatment period she was still jumping up to her cat food (bowl stands on a place out of the dogs reach), still being able to bend enough to clean her bottom when she wants it and she scratches our cat trees, so more than 1,5 year later we haven't re-done it yet. (Actually I just saw her scratch a cat tree as I type this.) All I know is that the three vertebras that was causing her problem, is still grown together but she still doesn't need any Metacam.



This far I have used two different acupuncturist and both have said the following, dogs needs 5 to 10 times with from 1 week to 1 month between (I have this far chosen to go with 1 to 2 weeks between). The needles should sit at least 25 minutes and should be twisted at least once (preferably more) meanwhile they're in and it should not just be right before they're removed. After the acupuncture it is good if you can take the dog for an about 10 to 20 minutes walk. (The walking was not an option with my cat.)

The dogs have responded differently fast on it but in general it has been like this, after the first time they sleep in much more relaxed sleeping positions but it usually only lasts some days (that is why in the beginning I always prefer going once a week), after the second time they've slept more relaxed all the time up to it was time for next weeks visit and sometimes there has also been other changes to the better but sometimes the other changes hasn't came until after the third visit, usually after the third visit things really begins to improve.

None of my dogs though, have responded as fast as the cat, after the first time she came home and in less than 5 minutes she had already cleaned her bottom thoroughly two times (we had thought that she maybe had stopped doing it because she was going senile). After the third time she didn't really think she needed any more acupuncture but because she knows it is easier to just endure my ideas when I have them, she still reluctantly accepted a fourth treatment. The second year she thought she was cured after the second visit and the next two visits she couldn't resist to sometimes sort of try to crawl off the table."

So maybe it could be worth a try, good luck whatever you choose do.
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