Arthritis medication

Question
Hi,
My name is Shirley and I have a 6 year old, 105 pound German Shephard.  The vet has previously told me he has arthritis in his left hip due to an injury suffered as a pup.  He had told me to give him baby asprin for the pain.  This worked for awhile but the pain got worse.
My daughter told me that her vet told her to give her dog 400 mg. ibuprophen for her dog.  So, not having any more money for the vet again, I tried it.  It did work, for awhile.
I live in Glendale Arizona where it is generally hot and dry which works well for arthritis sufferers like me and my dog.  It is monsoons now so the pain is worse.  During the rest of the year he does pretty good, but lately he just lays and howls from the pain in this joint on some days.  
I don't have the money to take him to a vet.  I don't want to put him down for arthritis when it is only real bad for a few months out of the year.  I have tried agencies for low income and disabled people but they won't help either because the procedure he needs would be too costly or because he is not nutered.
When he is in a lot of pain, he like the heating pad laying on top of him and snuggled in a blanket.  I also give him 400 mg. ibuprophen every 8 hours.
Do you have any other suggestions or do you think that I am doing something wrong?  My doctor tells me not to lay down for 30 min. after I take ibuprophen and he is stuck in a laying position when I give it to him.  What about that?  Is there any other over the counter medications that I should be giving him? Or a different one?
I am getting desperate here and my friend needs help.  I have called other vets on the phone and they won't give an opinion without seeing him first.  I really have no where else to turn.
Please help him,
Thank you,
Shirley

Answer
I NEVER recommend ibuprofen for dogs--there is a very fine line between what a safe dose is and the dose that will cause stomach ulcers and kidney and liver problems.  Therefore, I would recommend that you discontinue it.

Some of the approved pain medications for arthritis in dogs are Rimadyl (Novoxx is the generic), Etogesic (Etodolac is the generic), Metacam and Deramaxx.  I would highly suggest that he be placed on one of these medications as they have been studied to be safe and are less likely to cause side effects.

You can try him on some joint supplements....MSM at a dose of 2000 mg twice a day, Glucosamine 1500 mg twice a day and Ester C 1000 mg twice a day.   There are other natural joint products also available.