Cramps

Question
My 8 year old cross bread (collie/beagle I think!) has started to suffer lower back cramps.  This occurs when he has been sleeping for a while and gets up. He is in obvious pain and I can see his back muscles are tensed up.. hence why I think its cramps... he still loves his hourly walks every day but sometimes slows up... which is unusual for a dog this young.. any ideas?

Answer
Hi Karen,

At 8 years old your dog is getting up in years. He is no longer considered to be a young dog. Depending on his weight and size he would be around 51 years old in human years. Your dog may have a little arthritis,  or possibly hip dysplasia. Both are very common in mature dogs, a vet exam is needed to diagnose your dog to see which condition he has.

It is safe to give your dog a buffered Aspirin, or chewable baby Aspirin to relieve his pain. Do not give your dog Tylenol,  Ibuprofen, or regular Aspirin. Enteric coated, or "safety" aspirin is not recommended in dogs because about half the time the coating isn't digested and the aspirin is excreted whole in the stool.

The dose depends on your dog's weight:

A 16 lb dog should get 1 baby aspirin (80mg)
32 lb dog should get 1/2 adult buffered Aspirin or 2 baby (160 mg)
48 lb dog should get 3/4 adult buffered Aspirin or 3 baby (240 mg)
64 lb dog should get 1 adult buffered Aspirin or 4 baby (320 mg)
80lb dog should get 1 1/4 adult buffered Aspirin or 5 baby (400 mg)

It is better to start off small and work your way up to the maximum. If your dog gets relief with a smaller dosage, that is great.

It's best to give a dog Aspirin with food. Aspirin can cause gastrointestinal upsets and ulcers in dogs, just as it can in humans. You should pay attention to your dog's eating habits when you have been giving it aspirin to watch for signs of an upset stomach. If your dog suddenly doesn't want to eat, stop giving the aspirin.

Make your your dog is a healthy weight, and not over weight. This is very important when a dog has joint disease.

Adding a teaspoon of Flax Seed Oil on his food once per day (1 teaspoon per 10 lbs. of body weight) can help with joint disease. It's a good form of Omega Fatty Acids. But Flax Seed Oil  doesn't control pain. You'd still need some form of pain relief medication.

A Glucosamine / Chondroitin supplement  is another thing you can try, if your dog has hip dysplasia, a Glucosamine supplement will not improve his condition.   
It would take at least a month of daily supplements before you might see improvement in your dog. During this time your dog would continue to need pain relief medication. You can read more about
Glucosamine and Chondroitin use in dogs here:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1662&aid=670

If your dog doesn't get relief from the aspirin, you should have him examined by your veterinarian. There's no reason for your dog to live in pain! There are other medications available to help relieve pain, and restore mobility.
Aspirin is a good place to start, though, assuming he tolerates it.

Best of luck,
Patti