Osteoarthritis

Question
My 7yo boxer/lab mix male suddenly started loosing strength in his rear legs. I've always known he would have issues with his hips due to his boxer side and that fact that he is tall due to the lab mix. I took him to the ER vet this am and he diagnosed him with osteoarthritis in his knees. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and a pain med and will see him in a week. My worry is that this is the beginning of the end. Can he live a pain free life for years to come with the right treatment?

Answer
The hip problems is hip dysplasia and comes from the Lab side-- not the Boxer side.

Boxers live an average 10 years, and can live as long as 13-14 if fed a natural, healthy diet: a dog food that does not contain corn and corn glutens.

The anti-inflammatory med will help with swelling which is painful and stiffens his knees.

Be cautious with the pain meds and watch him closely.  He can have side effects and even be life-threatening. This would include vomiting, stumbling and imbalance, excess sleeping, and the like. Watch his bowel movements. Examine them after he does his job and be sure they are not too hard or that he has constipation as pain meds can cause this.

I would research arthritic dog foods or ask your vet. There are great dog foods out there for older dogs with arthritis for healthy bone and joint health.

There are also supplement for this. Talk to your vet about those or research and select one that you feel is the best.

Consider a high-quality bed for him.  There are dog beds that are specially made for older arthritic dogs. This helps in not only providing him with a more comfortable and quality sleep, but also aides in bone and joint reduced inflammation caused by pressure and being stationary for hours.

If he appears to be in more pain, showing signs of difficulty in walking or moving, don't give him any additional pain meds, but use a heating pad or hot bottle warmer. The old-fashioned kind they use to use for "headaches." Heat will reduce swelling an pain.

It will obviously take a little time to see how the anti-inflammatory and pain medications will work for him as each dog (as in people) it's different. Then with the better arthritic-designed bedding, heat therapy, special dog food and bone and joint supplement, he should be as pain free and mobile as possible.

The task now is to help him be the best he can be and live out a better quality life.

And love helps even more.