My 14 year old big dog has developed a limp in a hind leg. What can I do to ease her pain in her old age?

As a pyr/aussie mix she's a really elderly citizen. She's had a good long life.

FIRST... STOP giving your dog aspirin. That can harm her stomach and cause her other problems. One vet I used said it's ok to give ecotrin which is a coated aspirin, but regular aspirin is a BIG no-no !

SECOND... take her to the vet. Have him check to make sure she doesn't have a cruciate ligament injury.

...

Have the vet check her for arthritis.

Both of those are good possibilities for a dog this active and this old.

she's too old for them to recommend surgery...

but they can give her some Nsaids to relieve her discomfort.

I don't think you're close to losing her, but she does have some problems and you want to make her comfortable so she's not living in pain constantly.

Please join the Yahoo pyr group below. You can get additional help there, as this may take more than one question and a few answers and the people there are experienced pyr owners.

Also, if your vet diagnoses the dog's problem, there are other yahoo groups I can recommend to give you added helpful support. The general population at Y!A is not knowledgeable enough to help you as much as you need.

Aspirin thins the blood and can cause bleeding in a dog, and most vets tell you to not give dogs regular aspirin, so I'm amazed at the responders to told you they've been giving their dogs aspirin with vet approval and for several years.

I googled aspirin, dogs and found some educational websites, including some vet sites. You should do the same and read some of the websites out there. I'll post one of them below. apparently some vets DO use aspirin, but there are risks, and you should have your dog seen by your vet in any case. -!-

*You might want to try some sort of pain reliever. Your vet can give it to you for as long as she is going to keep hanging on. Animal aspirin is specifically designed for animals and it has a much stronger dosage and can be prescribed specifically for a certain animal. It is pretty inexpensive as well, not much at all (if any) more money than a human aspirin.

While at the vet, you might want to consider getting an x-ray done, just to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong in there besides her old age, because Great Pyreneeses are VERY prone to hip dysplasia.

Please allow me to commend you right now because you must have taken AMAZING care of her. As I am sure you know, big dogs (especially the Great Pyrenees only living to be about 10 years) do not live very long (for example, a good life span for a bernese mountain dog is app. 7 years, however a pomeranian can very easily live to their late teens, if not longer). So, for her to live to be 14 is incredible. Here is my advice:

If she doesn't look like she is suffering, leave her be and all I would suggest is the pain reliever.

Is she still enjoying her walks or does she seem to be in pain? If she is still happy doing the things she normally does, I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much.

However, if she seems to be suffering, it might be time to consider letting her go. You don't want to leave her, but, you don't want to be selfish making her stay when she is ready to go. Trust me, I know how hard it is to say goodbye, but it is more fair to her if she is suffering to put her down.

I hope I helped you out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great day. :-D

And good luck with your little girl (she sounds beautiful if she is a mix between two such beautiful breeds). It sounds as if she has had a wonderful life with you. Good job. You are a great pet owner.

The dosage for Aspirin looks correct (for a dog her size). Glucosamine and Chondroitin DO NOT replace cartilage. It helps reduce the degeneration of cartilage, but nothing other than a joint replacement surgery can "replace" the cartilage.

Here's what you can do to help her. Avoid having her go up/down any steps. Even if there are only 2 steps. Avoid it. Build a ramp for her. To help prevent further degeneration, follow this simple formula. Try to make the ramp 1 foot long, for every inch high. If she has to enter the house and it's 2 steps going up 9 inches, ideally, she'll need a 9 foot ramp. I'm sure you can cut that down to 6 or 7 feet. However long you make it, it'll help her reduce the "Joint Reaction Force" in her hips.

Also, have her swim at least a couple of times a week. The buoyancy if water will help her exercise without straining her hip joints.

I have the same age dog. A lab. I too use the aspirin, recommended by my vet. But the thing i have done that helped the most was her diet. I started feeding her less and she is now on the thin side. But she is like a different dog. Just loosing a few pounds made her walk improve 200%. I don't know why people are saying dogs can't have aspirin. My dog has been on aspirin for two years and it was recommended by my vet.

She needs to have that leg xrayed.

Being a larger breed at her age a vet has to rule out osteosarcoma.

Once that is ruled out the ve will likely want a 4dx test run with a full cbc/chemistry.

4dx helps rule out lyme and other tick borne infections (also tests for heartworm).

CBC/chemistry will check organ function and will illustrate to vet what type of pain management should be used.

NSAIDs are non steroidal anti inflammatories which can be used to treat discomfort.

It is important to recheck blood work in 2 weeks to ensure the dog is able to tolerate the drug.

Tramadol can be used in conjunction with an nsaid if pain is severe.

Watch your dogs elimination habits.

Have your pets blood checked to ensure toxicity is not ocurring from the asprin.

Older dogs may have compromised organ function so be very careful administering asprin.

Asprin must be buffered to decrease the trauma to the GI tract.

You dog needs to be examined and her pain must be treated.

It's not a good idea to give your pet aspirin, you should talk to you vet about it.

She is a large breed and she may be developing arthritis in her hips which is very common. Your vet can give you a prescription for an anti-inflammatory called "RIMADYL" that works excellently for senior dogs .

Yes there are medicines out there that can make her more comfortable, Please make sure the aspirin is buffered as to not upset her stomach. Also glucosomine can actually help the joints. Raise the feeding bowl up to make access less straining on her muscles and joints. A Vet can advise and help with proper treatment. Keep her Warm and as comfortable as you possibly can. Pamper her she deserves it.

She may have a bit of arthritis in her hip. Take her to the vet for a check-up. If it is, they can suggest pain management medication. Some vets suggest glucosamine tablets may help.

The asprin was a good choice. That is what we did when my 19 year old small dog had arthritis. Also you might want to look into somekind of drink that people use for arthritis, somethin with glucosamine and conjointin. We always used joint juice, it has carrot juice in it, we got it at Sams Club. Just put it in her water bowl, she should take it without a problem. They also sell a daily supplement for dogs at walmart that helps with arthritis and problems due to old age. I hope that everything turns out okay with her. Good Luck.

my little lady is a 15 years young diabetic, gets insulin 2xday and tested 2 to 3 times a day, she has also gone blind from her diabeties. she started having back problems after she flipped from couch to her mattress, doing her 'food dance' 2 times a day she hops, jump with all 4's off the ground, runs from one room to another then back to living room when it is time for her breakfast, and supper. when i take her to her doctor all she sees of her is a shaking little frail lady just making it thru the day and hour at the time. so i carried a video of her 'regular pokkie walk' then she was blown away at her 'food dance'....my vet really thought it was a great idea to being in movie clips, helps her see them in their comfort zone.......WOW i got way off the answer i was going to tell you about. i make her a heating pad from sock and rice. heat it in micro for 1 minute, stays warm for hours. the first time i put it on her, she just moaned and sighed with such comfort. first several nites i had her sleep with it she took such deep sigh as if she couldn't tell me how '''really good'''' it felt. she has gotten an enorumous amount of help and comfort from her own heating pad. i hope you will try it, maybe your baby will enjoy it too. i'm sending a prayer for her to get some releaif. i also have started taking her to a chiropractor, that has helped too.

good luck with your baby.

also go to this site for possible help for your best friend.

http://www.informativepost.com/2008/01/09/How-to-T...