It’s been a while since I had old dogs in the house, but I’m heading there again. My two border collies, Maggie and Gene, are eight and nine years old. Gene is still in tip-top shape at nine, but Maggie has been starting to show signs of pain in the last year or two.
Maggie is one of those extreme border collies that does everything at 150% effort. She is not able to pace herself or rest when needed. Her mental commitment to working sheep is so intense that even when she’s not doing something very physically demanding- like holding sheep in a corner- she still overheats easily and gets exhausted. In fact, even talking about sheep will make all of her muscles tense up and shiver, and she can become tired-out just by this kind of teasing conversation!
I started noticing that after a “job” during the day, that night, she’d have difficulty jumping up on the couch or bed. I took her to a veterinary chiropractor, thinking perhaps her back was out. But the vet felt that it was her joints- she said they felt “crunchy.”
The last time I had old dogs, the options for arthritis-type pain were limited to mostly drugs with disappointing side effects. Now there are some interesting new options, still drugs, but clearly geared towards the holistic mindset. The first one we tried was Canine Adequan. It’s a variant of the commonly known glucosamine- polysulfated glycosaminoglycan-that helps joints stay lubricated and healthy. I read in the manufacturer’s materials somewhere that they don’t know why it works, but they know it does work. It requires intramuscular injection.
The vet I’m working with had me start it off twice weekly, then reduce the frequency of the dosages until I could see her pain increase again. I noticed an improvement right away. We have Maggie on a dose every ten days now. It’s helping, but not completely solving her pain issues when she works hard. The vet was reluctant to have her take Adequan more frequently longer-term, since it’s still a new drug.
So, now we’ve added Canine Duralactin. This is a “natural” milk protein produced from the milk of “hyerimmunized cows.” Somehow this doesn’t strike me as entirely natural, and I wonder if the same thing could be produced in a lab. But maybe consumers like it better if it comes from cows, even if abnormally raised cows. 
Duralactin is supposed to reduce the inflammatory response. I think the addition of this product is also helping. It is an oral pill which tastes good, so is easy to administer.
I like that both drugs cite only limited and mild side effects. Maggie doesn’t seem to have any issues with them. I would say at this point, her pain seems about 80% decreased. After a workout day, I still see her hesitate a bit when jumping on the couch, but she can do it now. Versus at her worst, sometimes she’d try, and simply fall. I think next, I’m going to add some acupuncture to the mix, and see how that helps her. It certainly helped my last two old dogs. They loved it, visibly looking forward to entering the clinic for their appointments, and falling into a deep, restful sleep during the treatments.
Not only is Maggie a beloved pet- perhaps our favorite of all time- I rely heavily on her to move sheep around for me. Gene is also useful, but mostly for gathering and moving, not so good for sorting and holding. I’d like them both to be able to work for several more years before I need to embrace the work of starting a new pup. Hopefully I can find solutions to keep Maggie happily and comfortably working for many more years.
February 4, 2013 at 4:37 am
I’ve never used Adequan on my old guys – it used to be so expensive when it first came out in the late 80s (and still isn’t cheap), but have used a lot of herbals/nutraceuticals, plus acupuncture. Fish oil or flax oil/ground flax can be helpful, as well as turmeric and boswelia, though the herbal approach is often contraindicated when using pharmeceuticals. I hope Maggie stays young and limber for many years yet.
February 4, 2013 at 4:40 am
We’re going through something similar. Adequan helps just enough to continue it, not enough to cut back to less than weekly injections. Acupuncture helped a bit, but nothing lasting and quite expensive to do 2x/wk for a little benefit. Hadn’t heard of duralactin, maybe a question for our next vet apptmt. Rimadyl, but I’ve been through senior kidney failure after years on Rim, so hoping to end need for it. 3 surgeries so far, 3 more ahead of us.
I hate seeing the pup in pain. He’s not a working dog per se, but he has his jobs and he won’t dream of letting us down, even if it hurts. Refuses to understand that we don’t WANT him to work right now! And so hard to stop him from playing – dogs need some joy between the owies! – but he needs down time to heal.
So glad for you that Maggie is getting better. Wish every dog could live 500 good, active years! 🙂
February 4, 2013 at 5:53 am
We tried Adequan when it was still exprimental for dogs, we had to sign special releases and such, but it worked wonderfully for our dog. We started with 2 times weekly and worked our way to 3 times a year. We used it for four years with great success. I’m not sure we could afford it now, I bet it’s really expensive now that it’s mainstream.
February 5, 2013 at 3:50 am
Yes, Adequan is expensive. Maggie is only 40-some pounds, so has a lower dose, but even still, it’s about a dollar/day to give it to her every 10 days. I may augment w/ other therapies and then see if I can cut it down. I noticed their website now says they think the substance stays in the joint for about 3 days. I wonder if it would be useful to only give on days of high workload?
February 5, 2013 at 4:00 am
harrietnw, Rimadyl was always the option offered to me before, but the compromise to the kidneys doesn’t seem worth it unless the dog is already very old and not expected to live longer than a year or two, and is in pain all the time- then it seems like a good trade-off. I feel like it’s harder with middle-aged dogs, I could certainly just not allow Maggie to work or play hard and eliminate the pain, but then that compromises quality of life (as well as robs me of a working dog). And you’re right, they don’t have good judgment on how to limit themselves.
The Duralactin is cheaper than Adequan as well. I realized I can get it cheaper on the web (vs. Duralactin seems to be price-fixed everywhere…), though I figured out too-late that there is a cheaper option- the white tabs which don’t have anything else in them, and then there are “chews” which also have some supps. The chews are 46 cents/day for Maggie’s size, and I have to go back and figure out how cheap I can get the tabs.
February 5, 2013 at 4:04 am
Texomamorganlady- that’s intriguing that you cut back to such an infrequent dose with good effects. The manufacturer has confusing advice, as for one, they imply use only as a short-term measure (though my vet is applying its use for long-term). I assume that their clinical trial data maybe limits them to that, at this point. But surely they want to sell a lot of it, so it wouldn’t be a good business model if we only needed it 3x/year! 🙂
I have also been feeding a human Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM supp, and wonder how much better Adequan works than just that. Or whether it can just be a “boost” that isn’t needed regularly if you are feeding a supplement.
February 7, 2013 at 2:31 am
When I look back, it is odd that it worked that well. That particular dog had really bad hips, according to the x-rays, he had a bad limp when I brought him in, and the Adequan put him right after the 3rd injection. One would have to wonder if he may have adjusted to the pain somewhat? He was a Chow and they can be quite stoic. We lost him 4 years later from an unrelated medical problem. I have heard from others that Adequan had little to no effect on some dogs.
February 7, 2013 at 3:19 am
I don’t mean to disparage Rimadyl, our previous dog took it for years before her kidneys failed – and she was really old then. So likely didn’t shorten her life. But I do still sigh with relief when our pup’s liver/kidney values come back good. And I’ll be honest – after the cost of bum knees, I cringe at the possibility of a later illness resulting from treatment.
He’s now switching from Adequan to Cartrophen (similar Canadian drug that our vet says sometimes works better for some dogs). And from Rim to Metacam. He takes practically every supplement. He’s lucky he’s cute (and loyal and devoted and entertaining…).
Stoic – that’s a good word for dogs. They’ll limp their way to the door just to tell you how hello. A lot of them say “ow” by getting lazy, never a peep of complaint until it hurts like the dickens.
February 7, 2013 at 5:55 am
texomamorganlady, that’s interesting. I guess since they don’t really know the mechanism of the drug, and people probably use it to try to treat a lot of things, I could see its limited effectiveness in some cases. Even the vet I consulted recommended “just trying it” versus spending money trying to diagnose the problem first. But who knows, maybe in your dog it triggered something that was more healing and longer-acting?
February 7, 2013 at 5:59 am
harrietnw, stoic indeed, it can be hard to spot because dogs just kind of accept it, work around it, and move on. I think, too, some border collies get so obsessed with their work that they are completely body-unaware.
February 10, 2013 at 12:53 am
In addition to the joint supplements, I would take her over to Janet at Pilchuck for massage therapy. If she has arthritis then she is most likely compensating with other parts of her body and massage will help get her muscles and fascia working properly and give her body better balance. I also give my two older dogs a hyaluronic acid supplement along with their regular joint supplement, plus I’ve added Cetyl M for everyone. I can’t tell you if it really does any good but they are all moving pretty well, even my 13 year old corgi with a bad back and arthritis still runs around and wrestles with the border collies. Good luck with Maggie!
February 10, 2013 at 5:53 pm
Jo, I hadn’t heard of the hyaluronic acid before, but when I read about it, it has kinda scary descriptions of its contribution to cancer metastasis? Have you run across any reassurances that the risks outweigh the benefits? I always feel paranoid about cancer since it’s so common in dogs. I’ll have to check out the Cetyl M, too. I may try massage as well. I have this funny psychological hangup about it, because though I love getting massages myself, I hate paying for them. So then I get hung up thinking “why is the dog getting one when I deny them to myself?” It’s something I have to work out in my own mind, LOL.
February 11, 2013 at 4:47 am
I’d have to research any assurances. I’ve had friends take HA and they have told me how much it has helped them. After having massage treatment for my plantar fasciitis, it was incredibly painful massage, but it was the only thing that helped, so I no longer think of massage as “relaxing”. 🙂 If massage doesn’t make me a bit sore and work out some issues with muscles and fascia, then I think it isn’t worth it, I think of massage more in terms of treatment now. But I understand what you mean, now my dogs get more massage than I do! Another mode of therapy for arthritis is laser therapy. I haven’t tried that on my dogs but I’ve hear good things about it.
April 11, 2013 at 4:07 am
I sure have been thinking about this blog post lately. With our recent cancer diagnosis, I threw out that hyaluronic acid as fast as I could! 🙂
April 11, 2013 at 5:38 am
Oh my goodness, Jo, I forgot about that topic as it relates to your recent bad news! I did get some and am trying it both on Maggie, as well as we two humans are having some joint pain that made me want to try it. I don’t think I’ve seen a difference in her pain though. She has some benign tumors, so I’m inclined to discontinue it with her. It is frustrating weighing the pro’s and con’s of everything- it seems like sometimes just trading one risk for another.
April 11, 2013 at 7:01 pm
Logically, I’m pretty sure the HA had nothing to do with their cancers but emotionally you start wondering what you did wrong. I hope you find something that helps Maggie.
April 11, 2013 at 7:54 pm
Indeed, such a huge percentage of them get cancer by late middle age, it’s probably a combination of causes and no one thing. But I do that too, racking my brain wondering if it was something I did or chose to do that was a wrong course. Maggie’s pain seems to be getting worse, or more easily triggered. At the last visit, we had discussed x-raying her hips, but the vet wanted to try a few more things before considering surgery.