Hi all!

I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions on pain management for our newly tripod, 11-year-old border collie mix, Loki, who's had some mild hip dysplasia since he was young. We're got a lot of vet support (his oncologist, our regular vet, and a canine rehabilitation specialist), and are gradually working on physical therapy and building his strength, but are struggling a bit with days when he seems sore -- especially when it rains. He's always been achier when it rains, but with his new tripod status, we're even more concerned and it seems like it impacts him more right now. He also tends to have a high pain tolerance (he had a broken back tooth a few years ago, and we never would have known except for such subtle signs!), so we both worry about him and want to get him on an appropriate regimen.

We've had him on Dasuquin for years, as well as Novox 100 mg per our vet for the past several years. It's been 3 months since his amputation surgery (rear right leg, due to a high grade mast cell tumor), and overall he's been doing amazing considering everything. We're up to about 7-10 minute walks, twice a day, mainly with him freely exploring at his own pace on a longer leash in our local parks. We also have an awesome wagon to help get him to parks, and to scoop him into when he's tired after a walk. He's still himself: bright, energetic, curious, and it is amazing to see how much stronger his remaining limbs are getting.

We're fortunate and he already sees a canine rehabilitation therapist (he's been doing swimming; it seems wonderful on his joints!), we do some massage and passive range of motion exercises, and he takes these meds in support of his mobility and pain management :

• Novox 100mg
• Gabapentin 300mg (x3 per day, since his surgery -- we tried weaning him off it per the rehab specialist since he seemed to be doing well, but then were concerned it was helping him feel better during those achy days, so we kept him on it per his oncologist and the rehab specialist)
• Fish oil (Omega 3, made from tiny fishes)
• Dasuquin
• Tumeric treats (Started giving him these a few years ago, too, in hopes it might help with inflammation?)

His oncologist said we could add in Amantadine 100mg once per day and that it'd work nicely with what else he's on, but we haven't given it a go yet. We're looking to consult local dog pain management specialists, too. But totally curious if anyone else has an active, elder, tripod who gets especially achy during rainy/humid days, and how you manage pain.

It may be that we're close to what's appropriate for him now, and on rainy days, we'll just spend extra time being cozy.

Anyway, thanks for your time! This community is a wealth of information and support.

Our guy: