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Dog Arthritis?

Okay This is a very in dept question: My dog 6 months ago was told that this she is starting to show arthritis (she is 13 years old) and I know that this is part of growing old and I have taken all the necessary steps for this (she's currently on anti-inflamatory mediciation, she gets regular blood test, and x-ray check ups throughout the year, as well as having a diet and nutrition that caters to her senior adult life). However I feel that @ a point and time it may be inhuman to keep her in pain years from now and I was wondering if anyone has experience in this matter (actual experience or in depth knowledge with dog arthritis and if you haven't please don't respond). I am doing all I can to keep her comfortable. Has anyone been put in a position of having to put their dog to sleep because the arthritis? If so how far along was the arthritis? Yeah you didn't say anything NEW or DIFFERENT than what I already know that VETS told me. Did you even read my post because you just repeated basically everything I said in the post. She's on anti-inflammatory which they give dogs for arthritis.

Public Comments

If you think she's in severe pain all the time, then you may want to consider putting her down. I have a 12 year old dog who just hurts if she's been laying down for a while. If you notice that your dog's quality of life has become worse, you may have to put her down. Is she playing with you still, or does she just lay around b/c it hurts too much to move? Follow your heart. Take care and good luck. Hope this helps.
Heres a good http://geobay.com/184025 article i found on this, hope it helps.
arthritis for older dogs is normal if they are over weight and older, your dog is 13 and if you only started seeing signs 6 months ago she'll be around for a good bit, It is very painfull however, try giving the dog pain pills,
one of the best new treatments is an old one, acupuncture. This has shown excellent results, the only downside is that it needs frequent repetition and is a bit expensive, but it is a non-surgical alternative and can prolong quality of life almost indefinitely. Having lost 2 shepherds to spinal degeneration, I can say that this method works, as it extended both of them for 2 years...hope this helps, that and a lot of love...keep the dog as active as you can...
My father had one of his retired hunting dogs put down for arthritis. He had it medicated for pain for a couple of years. It did well for a while. Eventually, however, it reached the point at which it did not want to eat and had difficulty doing anyting without signs of great pain and showed little interest in taking walks or going outside or any of the other activities it previously enjoyed. The vet increased the pain meds, but they didn't seem to work anymore. At this point my father had him put to sleep.

My take on it is that when the dog shows you that it is no longer enjoying it's life and medications and any other treatments have failed to make an improvement it's more humane to euthanize it.

One of my retired show dogs had arthritis in his back from when he broke a couple of vertebrae sliding down the stairs. He was pretty old then, but he had a few good years after that with pain medications and some other things. One of the things I found that really helped him a lot was a heated bed. It seemed to really ease his pain to have the additional warmth. I also got him a raised food and water bowl combo which helped him eat with greater comfort.

He didn't die of arthritis related problems but from cancer, but had he gotten to the point where he was obviously no longer enjoying his life due to the arthritis I would have put him to sleep for that. He was put to sleep when his cancer advanced to the stage that he couldn't be successfully kept out of pain.

Pain is pain, whatever the cause. You're best able to judge when your pet has come to the point that it's not controlled enough for her to have a good quality of life. In the meantime, it sounds like you're doing all of the right things.
I GIVE MY GOD A TABLET OF GLUCOSAMINE CHONDROINTIN FOR HIS HIP DYSPLASIA AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORLING HE CAN WALK WITHOUT LIMPING NOW
My cockapoo has arthiritis I have been giving here Mangosteen Juice in her food, I was skeptical about the effects but though tit was worth a try (makes me feel better). I was amazed at how much it has help she doesn't seem to dragg her back leg anymore or seem as stiff. It took about a week but I definately notice a diffrence. Check it it out.

www.mangosteenexperiences.com

http://www.mymangosteen.com/distributors...

Here is a Testimony from a mongosteen website besides my own: Our dog is a Lab/Dalmatian mix.

She is sixteen years old (that's OLDfor a lab). She is very arthritic. We give her 1-2 ounces of Mangosteen juice every morning and she becomes quite frisky... even trotting down the street. Without the juice, she can't even get up. With it, she is full of energy, is mobile and her coat is shinny. The vet is amazed at how well she does for her age and breed. Hope this helps.

I know that was not really your question but I just wanted to share. I thought it might help.
My Beardie lived with arthritis for approx. 7 years. He was on glucosamine and Rimadyl and his pain was totally controlled - he still played like a puppy until he got sick with something else. So I believe your dog can still have a few years left - when her quality of life is gone, you'll know without any doubt, and that's the time to make the hard decision. Someone else suggested acupuncture and that might be worth a try. I had laser acupuncture done on 1 of my greyhounds (not for arthritis). He was in a lot of pain and the 3 acupunture treatments he had totally took it away. He's been pain free for going on 2 years now. It might be worth looking into.
I think it comes down to quality of life. My very elderly Great Dane had been on anti-inflamatories for several years. We did all the things you are doing too. It gradually got to the point where the dosage had to be increased so much to keep her comfortable, that there was danger of liver damage. She was unable to get up at all without the medication, and in severe pain.

Having a 150 lb dog down is no joke. We had to support her with a large towel under her belly, with one of us holding the end on each side of her, to get her outside to pee. At that point, I decided to let her go, while she could still do so with the dignity she had shown all her life. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, and I held her dear head in my arms, and told her how much I loved her, as the vet made the injection.

Only you can make that decision. I felt I made the right one for her.