Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I have a 5 year old lab. Left Rear amputated due to STS 11/2017. Recently diagnosed with OA. Have him on Fishoil, Glucosomine supplement, and Canine Canna. Doing Acupuncture every two weeks and acupuncture vet will be starting him on some additional supplements. Has a drug sensitivity so he can't take Rimadyl or Meloxicam. Just got his first Adequan injection which caused vominting and diarrhea. While the vet thinks this could be coincidental I suspect its the Adequan. Cerenia stopped the vomiting. Would really like to continue the adequan to see if helps. Have a call in to the vet (having trouble getting a response- whole other issue) so wanted to get opinions here. The vet prescribed once weekly injections for four weeks then every other. Every thing I've read says twice weekly initially. If we can continue with the Adequan (perhaps with cerenia) should we even consider it? Is once a week enough? I know I need to hear from the vet just really need some moral support here. Thanks in advance!
Hi Barley and family, welcome. Your future posts won't need approval so post away. Barley is such a lucky pup to have you looking out for him!
Yes, it is true that the general guideline for an Adequan loading dose is 2x weekly for 4 weeks, then 1x a month thereafter. We went through the process last year with our Wyatt Ray .
Being that your pup has a sensitive system, I'm sure the loading dose your vet prescribed was a cautionary approach. I haven't heard anyone here mention that Adequan caused diarrhea in their dog but that's not to say it doesn't happen. I'm glad the Cerenia helped with that issue and am wondering if your vets can give some insight on the possible connection?
For now it's best to sit tight and wait for your vet to get back to you. I'm sorry you are having a hard time getting in touch. Covid has made everything crazy in vet practices, and Mondays were already crazy enough before the pandemic so I'm sure you'll hear from them soon.
Adequan can be super helpful for dogs with OA but not everyone reports success. If it is going to continue making Barley's belly upset then perhaps his body is just saying "Um not for me guys." There are lots of other vet-approved OA remedies available that may be just as beneficial, like Galiprant (a NSAID alternative), Antinol, UC-II and Welactin that you might want to look into. Also, vets tell us that keeping a dog slimmer than similar breed types is the #1 thing you can do for OA and it's free 🙂
Let us know what your vet says OK? Thanks for posting.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Love Barkey's avatar picture. 😊
Jist wondering of there was any variation of the fish oil pt cannabis arou d the same time as the adequan? Just out of curiosity, was the injection in the muscle or subq?
Hoping is tummy settle down.
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Thank you for the warm welcome!
Talked to the vet. She would like to continue the Adequan but wants to wait 10 days before the next dose and administer cerenia prior to the injection. I asked if she wanted to try without any cerenia to see if his reaction was coincidence but she wasn't willing to risk it. His vominting and diarrhea while not normal is not unheard of. (It was the ER vet this weekend that hadn't heard of the reaction to the Adequan).If that goes well we can do weekly injections and then taper from there. Interetestingly she said they have done studies which showed there was very little difference in efficacy between twice weekly and weekly on the initial load for the first four weeks. We'll also do some pumpkin prior to help with the diarrhea (rather than add another med).
And yes weight is key for him- I keep him quite lean- much to his disappointment. He's been on fish oil and cannabis for several years. I credit the canna (and neuroplex) for bing able to wean him off of his seizure meds. Poor guy has had a lot in his short life so far.
The injection was SQ. And thanks for the compliment on Barley's pic- he is a handsome guy!
He may have had a lot of "challenges" so far, but he's also gotten a whole lot of love and a wonderful advocate in you!!
Sou ds like your Vet is on top of things. Thanks for sharing the info with us. We learn so much from each other.
Interesting about the ince weekly load up. I "thonk" my Vet ,mentioned that also. Obviously the injections are not cheap. If once a week works, that makes it easier to afford for some.
Keep is informed and thanks again
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Hi and welcome.
What a handsome boy!
My quad-Pug Tani had terrible arthritis, she was initially diagnosed at age 6 and eventually had it in all four legs and her spine. We slowly ramped up supplements and then prescription anti-inflammatory meds and then pain meds. She was on so many meds and supplements I had to get a pill box for her!
Anyway, when Tani was round 12 or so we had pretty much maxed out everything (CBD wasn't available then) and I was beginning to think about having to make a quality of life decision for her. My vet suggested Adequan, I think we did the twice a week loading for 4 weeks, but it could have been once a week- it was a while ago. It was like magic for Tani! By the end of the loading period she was a new dog... very spry for a 12 year old. We did a monthly injection and then after a year or a year and a half we went to injections every two weeks. She passed at almost 15 years old because of recurring strokes.
Tani was also epileptic but hers was caused by a brain injury diagnosed when she was two. She also had IBD but never had an issue with Adequan. I'm thinking about starting my 14 year old Pug boy on Adequan soon so I've been reading up on it again. I don't remember vomiting or diarrhea being known side effects back when Tani was using it but the reading I've done lately does list those as possible.
After the loading dose I learned how to do the injections and did them myself at home. I gave the shots inter-muscular which the manufacturer recommends. I've seen some vets doing sub-q injections- I don't know if it makes a difference.
I will add that I know a couple people for who Adequan did not help their dogs at all. I think you have to at least get through the loading phase to know if you will see a benefit.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thank you all for the replies and support. Tani's story is very encouraging. We are going to do our best to get through the loading phase. Our vet said the manufacturer does recommend IM injection but they showed us how to do it SQ so we could do it ourselves. She said there was very little difference between the two but if IM is better I'd do it that way. I'll look into that. Is it hard to do them IM yourself? Even the SQ is scary to me- its going to be hubbys job to do it. We've had a lot of dogs with lots of issues but never had to give one an injection.
I also have alot of faith in my acupuncture/holistic vet. She worked miracles on our other lab who had neuropathy (from laryngeal paralysis) in his hind legs. We gained over two years with her treatments and lost him last month at the age of 13 to something else.
I'll keep you posted.
Margie
Our orthopedic vet from Colorado State said she prefers SQ with 1" 22g needles. She says this is because IM is a lot more painful (think: tetanus or flu shot in the arm). On an already arthritic dog, why introduce more pain, she says, and adds that SQ is equally effective and easier to give..
I had to learn to give Wyatt Ray SQ injections when we started the SQ and I was scared too, so I can relate. You get used to it though. Have your vet show you, or watch a few YouTube videos. You can also practice on an orange.
Your acupuncture vet sounds great!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
There are lots of different protocols for Adequan; I personally load it twice weekly then give it every 2 to 4 weeks for maintenance. Some vets use it for 6 months then stop and re-load as needed. The label directions are for twice weekly injections for 4 weeks only. I find this to be a very safe drug and use it often off-label in cats since they don't tolerate NSAIDS well. I have not seen vomit or diarrhea but it is noted on the label. Perhaps he had an allergic reaction to it so if it happens again I would have Benadryl handy.
For my dog Julian I do not give the full dose of 1 ml per 50 #; he seems to do well at 2.5 mls every 2 weeks. I do give it IM just in case it works better that way but many of my clients see results with SQ injections. I typically give it in the lumbar muscles right next to the spine. This sounds terrible but many dogs tolerate IM injections here better than the leg muscles but it does take a little training to do it right.
I have mentioned this elsewhere but ask your vet about an Assissi Loop; Julian has terrible arthritis in both of his hocks and he really responded well to it and it is safe and easy to do. I started with treatments 3 times daily but now he usually gets 1 to 2 daily. The loop costs about $300 including shipping but lasts about 3 months depending on how many treatments you do. I also use meloxicam, gabapentin, Welactin fish oil, Dasuquin, and Chroniquin (CBD).
Pam
Dr. Pam thank you for your awesome insight!
I had no idea that Adequan could be given more than 1x a month. I'm going to ask Wyatt's vet about bumping it up for him. He's getting 1.5 ml every 4 weeks and while it's helped a little, it hasn't been as spectacular as we were hoping. Thank you for putting that idea into my head! I'm reaching out to her now.
Yes the Assisi Loop! That's right, another great tool.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks again for all this great information. We did get trained on SQ injections so I think we will continue with that method for now. I will definitely look into the Assisi Loop- never heard of it. We also have an appointment with Colorado State University next week to see if they have any further insight or help. This site is amazing!
Margie
Wonnnnderful! Let us know who you talk to at CSU, I'm so excited you're consulting with them!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Even the SQ is scary to me- its going to be hubbys job to do it. We’ve had a lot of dogs with lots of issues but never had to give one an injection.
I can relate to this too! When I got Maggie from my uncle he did all his own puppy injections so he showed me how and gave me all the stuff. I was sure I could handle it and do the injections without a problem....but when it came time to do one I just couldn't stick a needle in my little puppy!
Fast forward to when Maggie was around 10.5 years old and developed renal failure. She needed sub-q fluids every other day and she really didn't like the vet so I learned how to do it for her. And that sub-q needle was pretty big! But I got to where I could do it by myself and Maggie would sit calmly on my lap- it took around 20 minutes I think.
When I was giving Tani her Adequan IM injections they didn't phase her at all and I didn't find them hard to do. I usually had someone help me but every now and then I did it by myself and she never flinched. If either way gives the same result I say do which ever is easier on you and the dog. I'm not looking forward to trying it with Obie- he was abused before I got him and he is super sensitive to being touched... it takes two of us to brush him!
One thing I did with both Maggie and Tani for their injections was to distract with food. It was harder with Maggie becasue the fluids took so long but I used Pub Cheese, a sort of whipped cheddar. I would smear some on a plate and she would lick at it while I was inserting the needle, then every now and then I would put some on my finger and let her lick it off. You have to set it up so the dog doesn't move around too much. For Tani, whoever was with me would feed her treats slowly to keep her occupied while I gave the injection, again keeping her pretty still.
And Jerry- definitely talk to your vet about 2x a month, as I said above we did that with Tani for at least a year.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
One trick I learned while doing Physical therapy on our dog with neuropathy was using frozen baby food in a jar. He would lick it for along as we needed to do therapy ( holding one/two leg up for 2 minute each- total 8 to 10 minutes and the jar lasted for several days.) Out PT taught us this trick and worked like a charm. Of course as soon as the jar was empty all bets were off! May find another use for the baby food now.....
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