How to Ease Your Dog's Arthritis or Joint Pain Without Dangerous and Expensive Medications

For millions of us, our dogs are not just pets; they are beloved members of our families. And when someone in our family hurts, we hurt, too.

That's how it is for my little family and me. Our Golden Retriever, Andy, is like my child. My son calls him his "brother". When my husband left us a few years back, that dog's love and energy helped to get us through. He became, in many ways, the center of our attention, especially for my little boy. He was a playful and consistently loving diversion during an otherwise sad and confusing time.

So when Andy suddenly began to exhibit some serious pain and difficulty in moving a few years ago, we were really concerned. It started in the spring when he was eight years old but still so full of smiles and wags and energy. The first sign was a severe limp on his left front leg. The pain seemed to be in his shoulder and my son and I began to feel guilty - Had we allowed him to injure himself, jumping from the rear seat of our SUV to the hard, traction-less garage floor? When he seemed to worsen rather than improve after a few days, we took him to the veterinarian.

At first the veterinarian was uncertain. He gave Andy one of the most commonly prescribed pain medications for such canine complaints - Rimadyl. And Andy did seem better for the ten days he was on it. But the day after that, the pain was back and seemed to have spread to his other shoulder. I could not afford a full set of X-Rays which would require anesthesia, so the vet did a very limited view on his front legs/shoulders. Andy had arthritis.

We continued, at first, with the pain pills. Another exam, another round of Rimadyl and by the time the pills were gone again, Andy was having difficulty getting up, the pain having spread to his hind legs as well. This went on for four months, trying different medications and getting less and less relief each time as the pain and immobility seemed to spread to every joint and vertebrae in his body.

The difference in his demeanor was heartbreaking. I've been told that eight is getting to be quite old for some large dogs, but not for Andy! He started out a super-hyper Golden and so, at eight, he had really just settled into being a somewhat better-behaved puppy! But now, obviously hurting all over, the permanent smile was gone from his face, the whole-body wag gone with it. He was visibly depressed, unable to raise himself from the floor without significant help and even when on his feet he could barely walk. It was devastating to watch him in so much pain.

Andy's back, neck, shoulders and hips had areas that had literally become "hot" to the touch. The vet said that most likely the arthritis had also attacked his neck, spine and hips. The next step, he told me, would be to put him under and get the full set of X-Rays ($900) or, better yet, to take him up to the local orthopedic veterinary surgery center and have an MRI done - for $4,000. Then, if the arthritis was severe or if there was joint damage or even hip dysplasia, surgery to replace the deteriorating joints would be the best approach. I didn't bother to even get the price for that. Clearly, short of pulling a "John Q", this struggling single mom would not be able to do these things for our beloved dog, no matter how much I wanted to help him.

So the vet advised me that all I could really do is to keep Andy on the pain medication full time. Rimadyl, one of the most commonly prescribed pain and anti-inflammatory medications for dogs, would run me $75 a month. It was truly $75 more a month than I had. Worse yet, the vet advised me that such medicines often lose their effectiveness after a period of time or, worse yet, can cause serious side-effects or even death. The other prescription options were no better. It seemed our only option was to try to make our sweet boy as comfortable as possible until he would have to be put out of his misery. My son and I were heartbroken.

But we weren't quite ready to throw in the towel. I did all sorts of research on the internet. I talked to friends and I talked to strangers. And I called the breeder that I had gotten Andy from. She had moved away and it took some doing to find her. But it really paid off. She confirmed what I had been learning about from these other sources and, putting it all together, I found a few simple, inexpensive things I could do for Andy that completely turned his condition around!

Any dog, just like a human, is a candidate for arthritis. But the larger breeds, big dogs like Labs, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Great Danes and Golden Retrievers, like my Andy, are the most commonly effected by arthritis and joint pain as well as often being genetically predisposed to shoulder, elbow and hip dysplasia. These joint destroyers can incapacitate our best friends unless we take care to take good care of them. While every dog is different and the type and progression of every dog's joint pain is different, there are easy and inexpensive things you can do to help.

Here are the things I learned to do for Andy that have completely relieved his pain and restored him to full function and mobility. Hopefully, these things will help your best friend, too!:

1) Aspirin, either baby or buffered Aspirin, often works every bit as well to relieve joint pain and inflammation in dogs as it does in humans. You should always check with your veterinarian first, and learn the proper dose for your dog's size and weight. But a large bottle of generic Aspirin will cost you between $3 and$4 and last you for months, where one month's supply of a low dose of Rimadyl can set you back $75 or more.

Do be careful - Do NOT give your dog Tylenol (Acetaminophen) or Motrin (Ibuprofen). Be sure to learn the proper dose for your dog. Be sure to give with food, not on an empty stomach as it may cause stomach upset. At about 72 pounds, I started Andy on half an aspirin in the morning and half at night, then went to a full aspirin in the morning and another at night because of the severity of his pain. But I was able, in a short time, to reduce and then completely stop giving him aspirin as he got better. Be careful to use as little as possible and for as short a time as possible. It is not without risks and may also lose effectiveness if used for a long time, so, again, keep your veterinarian in the loop and use only as needed.

2) Glucosamine truly IS the miracle joint lubricant they say it is! Or at least it has been for my Golden. There is no way of telling if your pet will respond to glucosamine as well as Andy did, but there is absolutely no harm in trying. Glucosamine, often combined with Chondroitin, helps to lubricate the joints, so they move more freely, and without the rubbing, sticking and scraping that leads to scar tissue, spurs and arthritic deterioration. You can get Glucosamine in various formulations from your pet store, sometimes even in their food, but your dog can also share a big bottle of inexpensive Glucosamine tablets from Costco with you! Yeap, give her a big pill in a little spoon of peanut butter each morning (or whatever way you can get her to take it) and help keep her joints sliding along painlessly. After a short time on this, I was able to stop giving Andy any aspirin at all. But he and I continue to take our Glucosamine daily.

Even if your buddy isn't showing signs of arthritis yet, you might still consider starting him on Glucosamine to help prevent or delay joint problems in the future. This is especially important for the big breeds.

3) Dogs can benefit from physical therapy like ice packs and massage, too! Just like people, when your dog's neck hurts or there is inflammation in his joints, he can experience great relief from a little direct physical therapy. Get a few of those human ice packs out of your freezer - or a bag of frozen peas if you don't have the other! - and set or hold them on the inflamed or painful areas on your pet's anatomy. Generally their coat will protect them from it feeling overly cold. Then give them a nice, deep massage, from their neck down their back, just like you would like it yourself. It will help to relax their muscles and make them feel generally better while increasing circulation to the affected areas.

4) Exercise your dog! Yes, even if they are already experiencing some pain from arthritis (and do check with your vet and make sure that's what it is before getting started), daily walks are vital. They increase circulation and blood flow, help keep the joints limber and mobile and the increased muscle mass will help to stabilize and protect them. Do use common sense. If your dog has been inactive for a long time, start slowly and build up to longer walks just as you would with yourself. Don't overdo the exercise - You don't want to have him running and jumping and climbing. Walking is the best possible exercise for your pet. But this is another thing that you can and should be doing for your dog even if there are no signs of arthritis. It is preventative as well as healing and strengthening and will do as much for you as it does for him - if not more!

5) Keep your dog at a healthy weight. Of course, walking him will get you headed in the right direction. But also be conscious of overfeeding and, especially, feeding him human foods. Proper quantities of the foods prepared for dogs are really all they need and are truly best for their long term health and well-being. Human foods add unnecessary calories to their diet and some, such as sweets and dairy, may directly exacerbate arthritis.

6) Protect your dog's joints from unnecessary trauma. Great as it feels to see our big, strong friends gleefully jumping in an out of the back of our vehicle, etc., such motions put major stress on their joints and can cause muscle and ligament tears or even hairline fractures. While they may not like it either, it is far better for your furry friend for you to provide a ramp or stairway for them or help lift them in and out gently. This is especially important as they get older ... as well as when they are young and their bones and joints are still developing! Do your best to prevent your energetic puppy from jumping too much or too high and pounding on his newly forming joints and you will go a long way to preventing or delaying joint problems down the road.

You may notice that, with the exception of #1 and #3, these steps are preventative as well as therapeutic. Had I known and implemented them sooner, Andy may never have needed to suffer as he did for those four months in 2008. But we have been practicing them ever since - Walking, taking glucosamine, keeping his weight and diet healthy, etc., and he is completely pain free and energetic again! Certainly not all arthritis or joint problems can be so miraculously reversed nor can they necessarily be prevented forever, but these steps will benefit your dog, whether to help ease current pain or to help prevent problems or delay their onset for as long as possible. I hope what I learned through Andy's experience will help you and your beloved dog, too, and you will have many happy, healthy years together.