We now face problems with severe arthritis setting in in particular to his left leg which is very lame. Currently we have seen a specialist vet at the Ralph practice in Marlow & we are on a course of PRP ( plasma rich platelets) with the 2nd final injections happening on Monday. 

We are very interested to hear about any similar experiences and treatments undertaken by any members as trying to wade through the number of options for relieving the effects of arthritis is  quite onerous. Many thanks in advance. 

Had two Newfoundlands ...both 70kg each, one developed displasia when she was two bless her...had full hip replacement and she was like new .....giant breeds like Newfoundlands suffer bigstyle with their joints. Premium foods help not the mass produced junk, and having a superb vet is another...she had her operation in Swansea by the main Volvo garage by the hip replacement specialist in Wales...she was insured and cost a fortune but they are worth it 

Food is crucial my friend.

Best of luck 

We looked after him , with a few scares until he died at the age of 14 .....

When talking to the vet , the cost of the medicine and blood tests. Came to over 31k , but wouldn't have it any other way 

Btw the insurance wouldn't cover him because they stated that labs have hip problems so it was a known problem ....bastards

Thanks Lofty. I agree with the food part. Ours are on a raw food diet. 

Great story Oracle. Certainly a challenge for sure but I totally agree they are worth every penny. Our lad is on metacalm at the moment.

Oracle - if you don't mind me asking were the regular blood tests to check on the liver/kidney functions as he was taking metacalm for so long? 

Gareth, good luck with your springer’s treatment and recovery.

Our 13/14 yr old collie is on Metacam for his arthritis and it eases his aches so he can get round and run about without much issue. Waking up and getting up off the floor takes longer than it did though, then aren’t a lot of us like that now.

After more fobbing off with anti-inflammatories and something else, we insisted on a referral to the Cambridge Univ Vets Hospital. It saved his life from the neglect, lack of competence and disinterest of the local vets.

He was multi-symptomatic and 2 sets of 2 week stays in Cambridge gave him another 2 years of pretty good life, albeit no longer allowed meat and had daily tablets. No issues with the insurers, thankfully. Those two stays cost about 15K in total.

Hector had Hyperparathyroidism. A third of one of his two thyroids had calcified and that was removed. There was a lump on one of the hyperparathyroids that needed removing and there was something else that escapes me for the moment.

The treatment was brilliant and you got a daily phone call, even if they weren’t sure what was going on, as was the case initially. It took about 3 days to diagnose the full extent of things.

Well the answer to that 1963 would be that metacam is not the only anti inflammatory available.

Thanks EO - already had good feedback which has proven very worthwhile if only to confirm the benefits of metacam. Hector certainly went through hell by the sound of it. As a matter of interest is that vets in Cambridge anything to do with Noel Fitzpatrick of TV series fame. 

Noel is a god....I know a veterinary nurse who cannot speak more highly of him...he truly adores animals....it shows.

Thank you very much. What we have learnt from our research is that every dog's case is different. Some respond well to metacam others don't such as your little girl. Hemp oil is interesting. Brenin is on Omega 3 supplement at the moment.

What do you mean lie

What is it with you 1963????? Your profile confirms you are not a young kid who has not been around long enough to understand how to behave. Why would you call someone a liar when you are totally unaware of the facts. Seek clarification from Oracle by all mean but for goodness sake.......

He doesn't lie.

As he aged he was fine to about 8 years old and then we manage to get him to 14 ..by the end we had a harness and wheels 

The things caring folk will do for their pets - top man. 

This couple love their bow wows ...really love them.

Bit feisty but lovely… is that you or the dog ? 😂 Can he hunt down dodgy posters with his highly attuned nose ? Is he bunker friendly? ( asking for a friend 😉)

Milla's on flexi-joint plus and high strength hemp oil both have Omega oils in them. I have know idea if it's only one thing that works but she doesn't seem to have got any worse in the last 3/4yrs she has been on them. She has slowed down but she is 15 in June (fingers crossed) but continues to jump on her hind legs when food is about.

Thank you again.

On a side note , my mother is 87 and has terrible athritis, she takes yu move tablets too ...The vet says there is no reason why they can't help ...she still has bad days but she also gets good days , and my mother claims that her hair is in the best condition it has been for years 

Scarlet O'Hara - I thought of you when I was told of this latest treatment. Long term pain management is pretty key to dealing with arthritis and therefore any potential side effects are crucial. Our vet in Lampeter now uses a monthly injection called Librela which is an antibody which attaches itself to the nerve endings & fights pain accordingly. She has had excellent results and side effects are minimum. 

It’s also underlining the unintended consequences of a fans forum - spreading useful info on subjects well away from rugby.

I’m looking forward to the threads on accounting and HR, both for the beginner and up.

I can suggest someone who would be right up for giving advice on both & he has currently got some time on his hands - how about Steve Phillips, ex CEO of the WRU. 

On the subject of unintended consequences - there is a font of knowledge waiting to be tapped into on this forum & it is hugely uplifting to tap into it from extensive knowledge of wines to canine pain relief & the corruption which is the WRU. Happy days.

Thanks for that, I had asked the vets before about alternatives but was only offered variations of metacam. 

You make some sweeping generalisations I have to say. For sure many people are conned buying puppies from dodgy sources but if your comment was aimed at me I would ask you this - how do you know? We bought our field springer from a long established breeder. His grandfather & father were field champions - all facts checked by us through the kennel club.

To establish whether any dog has displasia would take an x- ray and add another £600-£700 to the bill. Good luck with trying to pass that cost on to the breeder. 

Thanks for the clarification. I cannot disagree with your comments regarding health checks on potential breeding animals. Responsible breeders should make it a huge selling point that an independent vet can supply breeder health certificates. 

To type the sire or dams name in the kennel club site and it will come up what health tests they have had. With hips you always want to be looking at dogs well below the average score. And remember just because there parents won a few things doesn’t mean they’re good well bred dogs 👏

We are going back to Marlow on Wednesday for another non invasive treatment which is hydrogel. This involves injecting into both his front elbows a fluid which helps form a pad between the bones effectively helping make up for damaged cartilage. Once this is done we are hopeful that the non invasive options will have worked and maybe we can have a spring/summer season of outdoor activity in our garden as normal - fingers crossed. 

No time for much in the way of lunch etc., I guess, in view of the distance. Do you use the M4 or M40 to get there?

Thanks EO. We use the M4 to junction 8/9. Food on the run. 7 hour round trip. 

Glad to hear he is responding to the treatment and hope he continues to improve. 

Many thanks.

Hydrogel injections done on Wednesday and after a a bit of dosy day yesterday due to anaesthetic Brenin is back to his lively, good walking self. The vet advised that he was very pleased with progress and that we should now start to introduce off the lead periods in the garden to help build back his muscle tone. We can step this up gradually & keep feeding back videos of his movement for ongoing comment. 

On the subject of pain relief he suggested taking him off after a week. Metacam will still be needed to fight the inflammation which will be ongoing as a result of the arthritis. He suggested two weeks on and two weeks off for the metacam reducing his exposure & possibilities of side effects. Oracle's advice of regular blood tests will be taken on board. 

Interesting re the Metacam 2 on 2 off regime. Our collie is 13 or so and he’s been on it solidly for a year. Will bring this up with the vets next time. Will ask our French vets next month when he has his pre-return to UK check what they reckon. We prefer our vets there to here. More experience and less turnover of staff.