12 year old lab with arthritis

Question
my 12 year old female lab has torn her ACL and has acute arthritis in her hips and hind legs. She is on Cosequin and Rhymidal but was wondering if there is anything natural for her to take. Seems like these meds do not do much for her. She can not jump, she limps and she barks when someone touches her legs. She also has a cough..

Answer
Hi Laura:  Oh, poor kid...  The torn ACL will heal in about 4 weeks without surgery.. She will get arthritis in this ACL area... That is ok and the rimadyl medications will help.  It reduces swelling and pain. She will need to stay on this medication.  If you want, down the road, you can use baby asprin 81mg rather than the other.

As far as the arthritis, the cosequin is a good product.  It won't hurt to keep her on it.  If she had been started around age 10 that would have been helpful for her legs and hips.

A good diet that is lower in calories will help to keep her weight down.  You don't want her to become overweight... Makes everything have to work harder to hold her upright.

Let me know if you want some new food suggestions... ??


A good Supplement like NuVet Plus is very helpful for the last years of her lifetime.  With good care she could have another 2-3 years with you.  Here is the link for NuVET Plus - The BEST Supplement for dogs ...
http://www.nuvet.com/81098
Start off with the 90 count bottle of NuVET - one per day - wafer treats...
About .50 cents per day for NuVET Plus


Marie of Doggie Chalet and NuVET Plus
http://www.apluspetcare.com/untitled4.html