Hi Olly,

I’m so sorry that your dog is feeling like this at such a young age. You seem to have been through all of the diagnostics that I thought I might need to mention when I opened the question up.

One of our vets will hopefully be able to come and give some more advice here, but personally I think seeing a physiotherapist/massage therapist may be beneficial to you here. I know Hannah has seen some cases during her Myotherapy visits where she has been able to find an issue with tissue manipulation and assessment within the home.

With regards to golden paste, some people rate it and some don’t. You will find lots of anecdotal evidence but not much scientific back-up. Many supplements and natural remedies have a large caregiver placebo effect, but if you wanted to trial it you could. We always say to give it a 12 week trial period and to make sure you have chronic pain and improvement indicators that are specific to your dog before you decide whether it is working or not. Although you are reluctant to use rimadyl long term, we would recommend talking to your vet before stopping any medications, as if he continues to be in pain he should be receiving pain relief that is working for him.

I’ll see if one of the vets can pop in to give you some further advice.

Best wishes,
Lynsey

Hi Olly,

I’m sorry also to hear how he is struggling at such a young age. I understand how this must bring up many emotions for you.

I second everything that Lynsey has said, and I am wondering if he has ever shown any signs of being unwell, eg. lethargic, off food, vomiting, diarrhoea etc.? He may need further investigation from an internal medicine perspective to rule out other potential systemic issues.

Also, do you know what type of MRI he had (was it static or dynamic/functional)? Has the pain in his hind limb been localised to a particular joint or myofascial area?

It may be that the area identified in his hip warrants further investigation, or at least monitoring.

I would recommend that he attends a pain clinic to fully assess his pain. I believe pain clinics are held at both Edinburgh and Glasgow vet schools.

In terms of his pain management we may need to address this for a while without a definitive diagnosis. Have you been told that he has signs of neurogenic (nerve) pain?

There are a variety of options for his pain management in addition to those you are already pursuing and it is often a question of trial and error to find what works for him. Attending a pain clinic will help in making a multimodal plan for him. Have a good look also through the CAM website if you have not already done so, and do feel free to return here if you have any further questions https://www.caninearthritis.co.uk/managing-arthritis/.

Please also update us on how you are both getting on.

Warm wishes,
Shona

Hi again Olly,

I think Shona’s suggestion of a pain clinic would be a great next step if you are able to get him to one. Your vet will be able to refer you. They will then be able to help you with which direction with regards to complementary therapies etc you can take, and will be able to adjust pain meds as appropriate.

Best of luck and please let us know how you get on.

Lynsey

Hi Olly,

Ok, but if he sits in his basket all day do you think the pain is being managed effectively? Just playing devils advocate and making sure you are satisfied that it is…. Have a look at our downloads on the website and consider starting a good day/bad day diary, choosing pain indicators specific to him. This will help you to decide whether any new supplements/pain relief/therapies are helping or not.

With regards to the supplements, I’ll see if someone else can answer your question about dosing. Perhaps think about introducing just one at a time though, and give it around 12 weeks before you decide whether it is doing anything for your dog or not using pain and improvement indicators. CAM conversations has an excellent chat about supplements, and our blogs have recently been talking about CBD oil which may interest you.

I’d just like to know that you are happy with his current pain relief, which is why I think a pain clinic may be of help to you. They usually offer complementary therapies alongside evidence based medicines.

Hi Olly,

Whereabouts are you based?

Have you tried a pain specialist yet, or been to see a physiotherapist/massage therapist?

Just trying to work out your next best route

Not sure how far you are able to travel:

https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/vet/sah/services/painclinic/

Have a read of that page, I think something like this may help you.

Hi Olly,

some great answers on here but I would repeat that the most sensible next step would be to get a referral to a pain clinic that has a physiotherapist as well as a pain vet. In my experience a good physiotherapist can pick up on things that are not so easily found by orthopaedic and neurology investigation though it was important to rule out the most likely causes of your dog’s signs. Myofascial problems don’t show up on any diagnostic imaging except perhaps ultrasound in the hands of someone with a sports medicine/myofascial background. Furthermore, the veterinary world (and to be honest the human healthcare profession also) is only slowly coming to realise that muscles and fascia are important organs to consider in painful patients.

A specialist pain vet will be able to prescribe some different medications to what you have already tried – if they feel they are indicated. I’m sorry this does of course cost more money but they will do their best to keep costs to a minimum and make sure you get the most out of the visits. You will learn a lot about how to manage your dog in the long term through a course of physiotherapy. Be prepared for some homework – home exercise programs!

Good luck
Gwen