We have 3 basset hounds. The oldest is 11 1/2 years old now.  He has horrible pain in his hips from age/arthritis. He sleeps with us at night (leave the objections to this in the appropriate thread) and lately (several months) has been having alot of trouble jumping up into the bed. I started him on 81 mg of aspirin a day and this seemed to help for a time. It doesn't seem to be working anymore though. He sits at the foot of the bed and whines in a very high pitch until one of us gets up and lifts him into the bed. (one of us being the hubby as I can't lift him) Can I give him more aspirin then I have been? Would the vet have something that would work better? Cost isn't that much of a factor, he has been alpha in this house (behind humans of course) his entire life and we want him to be comfortable.

Quoted: We have 3 basset hounds. The oldest is 11 1/2 years old now.  He has horrible pain in his hips from age/arthritis. He sleeps with us at night (leave the objections to this in the appropriate thread) and lately (several months) has been having alot of trouble jumping up into the bed. I started him on 81 mg of aspirin a day and this seemed to help for a time. It doesn't seem to be working anymore though. He sits at the foot of the bed and whines in a very high pitch until one of us gets up and lifts him into the bed. (one of us being the hubby as I can't lift him) Can I give him more aspirin then I have been? Would the vet have something that would work better? Cost isn't that much of a factor, he has been alpha in this house (behind humans of course) his entire life and we want him to be comfortable.

It sounds to me like you might be coming to a sad conclusion. More aspirin is just likely to cause stomach problems. You might want to look into DMSO. It is a topical medicine that is often good for arthritis in humans.

Sadly wolfman I must concur, his time is drawing near and that is why it is so important to me to keep him as comfortable as I can. I'll look into the DMSO when I go to the pharmacy tonight.

We have a corgi mix with bad hips. Our vet [my fil] has recomended that we have the hips removed. Idon't know if this would help arthritic joints or not. Might be worth a call to your vet. I don't think its cheap though, but we supposedly get a discount.

Quoted: We have a corgi mix with bad hips. Our vet [my fil] has recomended that we have the hips removed. Idon't know if this would help arthritic joints or not. Might be worth a call to your vet. I don't think its cheap though, but we supposedly get a discount.

If I knew he would last alot longer, I would look into this. Seeing as how a bassets lifespan is 10-12 years though, at 11 1/2 he's closer to deaths door then I care to think about.

Quoted: Quoted: We have a corgi mix with bad hips. Our vet [my fil] has recomended that we have the hips removed. Idon't know if this would help arthritic joints or not. Might be worth a call to your vet. I don't think its cheap though, but we supposedly get a discount.

If I knew he would last alot longer, I would look into this. Seeing as how a bassets lifespan is 10-12 years though, at 11 1/2 he's closer to deaths door then I care to think about.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Reading comprehension is not working today, didn't catch the age of the dog. probably best to make as comfortable as you can. Ramp to get in the bed?              

Um, I m not a vet but are you sure tylonal is okay for dogs?

Have ever happens I hope his suffering subsides soon.

Quoted: Um, I m not a vet but are you sure tylonal is okay for dogs? Have ever happens I hope his suffering subsides soon.

tylenol is not good for dogs.
aspirin, which I am giving him is safe for dogs. I have done this with other dogs in the past with a vets ok.

there are various NSAIDs (non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs) that you  can move up to to manage pain.    the most common one is Rimadyl, which also has a chance of producing kidney? (maybe liver) failure.    it is a risk but most people accept it for end of life situations.   I wouldn't recommend it for younger dogs.

sorry your hound is doing poorly.

www.happyhop.com/

This is the 1st one that came up when I Googled. There are other sizes/brands

Glucosamine and Chondrotin (sp?) have done wonders for my 12 year old lab's arthritis.

Good luck

Ed

There are numerous arthritis/dysplasia solutions for easing pain but none can be obtained without visiting your vet. The one I have had most success with is called Rimadyl. There are some downsides to this product which are well documented but keep in mind that this is from a relative few cases as compared to the huge good it's done overall. I administered it to my dog when she had osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and it worked well right up to the end days when the pain was just to great. Research Rimadyl first because there has been some problems then discuss it and other solutions with your vet.

Here's a link to the official site: www.rimadyl.com/display.asp?country=US&lang=EN&drug=RC&species=CN&sec=000


Here's a link to some side effects: www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadylfr.html


Hope this helps and good luck

Quoted: www.happyhop.com/ This is the 1st one that came up when I Googled. There are other sizes/brands

that looks promising. thank you

danonly thank you for the info on NSAIDs. I want him to be pain free, but I don't want to push him faster to deaths door. It's really a toss up on that med, one I am not at liberty to make as Winston is the hubbies dog, they just let me move into their house.

I recently dealt with a similar situation with one of my four dogs. I gave my dog Rimadyl (prescribed by my vet) and built steps for my dog to get on to the bed. The Rimadyl made my dog more comfortable (or at least less uncomfortable) and the steps returned some of his self-sufficiency. He seemed happier and that meant the world to me.

I empathize with you. Good luck.

ac

MrsGungho
As you 11.5 is pretty well up there for a basset. 13yo is the oldest Basset I knew, he had horrible back and hip problems that resulted in too much pain for him to lead a happy life so the owners put him down.

In the last few years a few drugs have come on the market to help with joint pain for animals, your vet should be able to steer you to those.

How is his weight ? I bet he is a spoiled dog so he could lose a few pounds ? If you can get him to drop just a few pounds it could make a world of difference.
Good luck