Arthritis and pain relief

[sallyg84]

Hi all,
Looking for some advice from you lovely knowledgable lot. Ollie has started to feel his age somewhat (due to be 14 at some point in 2021) and last year we went to the vets and he has been diagnosed with arthritis and a possible sub luxation of one of his hips. He’s now on Onsior and Gabapentin as the Onsior alone didn’t seem to improving the grumbles and he did have back pain due to potential altered movement. He is definitely better with the meds but the Gabapentin does make him sleepy which he doesn’t really need help with anyway. 😴 He has mostly retired himself from most organised exercise 😂 but we do try gentle walks (and he chases squirrels out of the garden regularly) and I feel the Gabapentin isn’t necessarily helping his lack of get up and go. I’m quite happy for him to lay about forever but do know that keeping moving helps him also. We are booked in for a first vet physio appointment next week and am hoping some exercises to do at home as well as treatment might help both with the hip and hopefully his desire for exercise! What are your experiences of arthritis and Gabapentin in particular and any suggestions for helping encourage him to exercise a little more? TIA Sally and Ollie

[greybeard]

All 3 of our greys either had or have arthritis - most retired racers do.Our bridge boy was on Metacam for a long time,then our then vet prescribed Gabapentin.I knew it was good for neuropathic pain,but our poor lad was totally zonked on it - to the extent you had to wake him up for meals,and he loved his food!(Also had the same effect on husband when he was prescribed it.)Tramadol was effective for a long time,so was massage - he loved that.We tried several joint supplements - the 1 that really made a difference was Riaflex Canine joint +,our remaining 2 still have it,plus Riaflex now do a Green lipped Mussel supplement which you can add on,so they have that as well.Our boy,so far has not needed pain relief.Our girl is on regular Metacam and paracetamol,but she has a chronic pain problem.Don't know if this is helpful,but hope you find something that works for your lad - Cath.