Kryten has Elbow Dysplasia

[Smokeycat]

There are several types of anti inflammatory pills available on the market nowadays. My vet recommends Onsior, which seems to be easier on the stomach. Something natural and with less side effects is Nutriflex RX but you would need a lot of them for his size and it could get pretty expensive.

His problems with pain killers tend to be behavioral side effects (he gets agressive) when given at therapeutic levels. Although they do tend to eliminate his appetite as well.

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[Smokeycat]

Well the only things to come from today's appointment was a conformation that the lump on his side is his microchip that has migrated from between his shoulders and being told that he still has to lose the 10 lbs he gained since his second birthday. That vet refuses to accept that he has grown since his second birthday. I think that 10 lbs is a small gain given he has almost doubled in appearance. The one thing that did concern me is that she made the comment that he is not a candidate for amputation although it was in a haphazard way when mentioning why he needed to lose weight.
He does go back on Thursday for x-rays as they had an emergency today that messed up the schedule. So I did get an anti-inflammatory to see if he can get some relief.

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[Smokeycat]

Forgot to update after his x-rays. To put it bluntly his elbows are ugly. The radiologist that the x-rays were sent to responded that he had a non union fracture and required immediate surgery. The surgeon disagreed saying it looks like a fibrous union. Both agreed there was significant degenerative disease (arthritis). The goal is to manage his pain.
He did have GI issues with the last medication so today we start him on Deramaxx for a week and then as needed. They are also ordering Cartrophen, an injectable that is supposed to help joints. The vet prefers this for large dogs over adequan.
On the negative side it turns out that the lump on his side that the tech confirmed as his microchip a month ago, isn't his microchip. The vet was checking it and thought it felt too shallow to be his chip so she rescaned him and his chip is still between his shoulder blades. No idea why it beeped near the lump last time. Since I felt it move from his shoulders down to where it is located and the fact it hasn't changed in several months she's not sure what it is (but isn't too concerned) so I will likely have it tested in the next couple of months.

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[Smokeycat]

Forgot to include his pictures.

His tongue is huge!

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[teodora]

Sorry to hear that... does he show any signs of pain, poor guy?

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[cdj1]

Take him off deramaxx. It can do bad stuff to his liver. Our last mastiff was on tramadol for 3years w/o adverse affects. She had a blown elbow and showed no pain on that drug. Not to mention it only cost @ $30 a month when she took 6 pills a day. Canine specific meds are stupid expensive

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[Smokeycat]

Take him off deramaxx. It can do bad stuff to his liver. Our last mastiff was on tramadol for 3years w/o adverse affects. She had a blown elbow and showed no pain on that drug. Not to mention it only cost @ $30 a month when she took 6 pills a day. Canine specific meds are stupid expensive

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Tramadol causes aggression in him. All NSAIDs can damage the liver and digestive tract. If it turns out to be more than an occasional need we will definitely be doing regular blood work and looking at other options. Cost isn't really a concern as insurance pays 90%.

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[Iulicris88]

Poor Kryten! It breaks my heart to hear he's in pain, I hope you find to right medication to manage his condition, without significant side effects. I recommend you add a liver supplement, if he's going to be on pain medication, something like milk thistle, or a combination of herbs.

 

[Smokeycat]

After 3 days on Deramaxx his energy level has gone through the roof. And his walk to the bakery (about 1.5 miles round trip) tired him out completely, he actually got poked an hour later to make sure he was still alive (jokingly) because he hadn't moved or even snored after he layed down but he didn't limp when he eventually got up. He also gets his first of 4 Cartrophen injections tomorrow. Things are starting to look positive.

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[Iulicris88]

It's good to hear he's doing better.

 

[Smokeycat]

I might of spoke too soon. He threw up overnight. His appointment is before he would get his next dose so I'll see what the vet has to say but I'm not as happy as I was yesterday.

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[Nik]

Smokeycat - hopefully the vet has some more ideas and you will nail down the right course of action for Kryten. Finding the right meds for Anything medical can be a challenge :-(


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[Smokeycat]

Smokeycat - hopefully the vet has some more ideas and you will nail down the right course of action for Kryten. Finding the right meds for Anything medical can be a challenge :-(


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Right now we've decided to use the Deramaxx on an as needed basis for 3-4 days at a time as she thinks it might be the daily use that irritates his stomach. So his last dose was Friday. His first Cartrophen injection was on Saturday. Today he got to go for an off leash walk with Jiggers and I had to stop him rather than coax him on at the end. He also isn't limping now so something is working. It really is nice seeing the goofy boy back.


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[Nik]

So glad he is getting relief from the pain!!


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[Smokeycat]

The crazy boy is certainly feeling better. Tonight he was barking like an idiot at Jiggers because he wasn't playing. Normally Jiggers is the one frustrated when Kryten refuses to play. So since Jiggers was no fun I became the target which was OK except he lead with his slimy slobbery face so now I'm covered in extremely itchy hives and he's decided it's nap time. I guess your have to take the negatives with the positives.

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[Hector]

Glad he's doing better.