My fellow dog owners...Would you?

[maff]

I have a seven year old border collie bitch, her pic is on here somewhere doing her jedi impression. She has always been a bouncy little thing and still is but after years of of long walks and manic sessions over the park with a mini football she has arthritis in her front legs. She has been a flyball and agility dog so her limbs and joints have had plenty of use.

I give her 1000mg of glucasamine sulphate tablets a day which helps but the recent snow and ice has played havoc with her legs. Come the evenings after a walk she is limping worse than after a run over the park so i was thinking dog boots

Now i know some people will read this and ffs its just a dog and the pads on the paws should be protection enough against whatever they come against but think about it, would you go for a walk in the snow/rain or hot pavemants in the summer, or go snuffling through woodlands in your bare feet? And the answers no...

So i was thinking that maybe boots would give her added padded protection for a bit more comfort, protect against the cold because i dont think that that could be doing her limbs any good at the mo. She and other dogs must be able to feel the discomfort in the upper part of the limbs after a half hour walk in these current conditions

So would you? Would you fork out the money for a pair of funky rugged boots for your precious little pooch if you thought it would help or am i on the verge of starting to dress her up in abercrombie and finch tops like the mad dog women you see with six yapping chiwawas scuttling at their feet

Opinions

[dizzyblonde]

I wouldn't cause both of mine would eat them in five minutes flat/

[Owenski]

those people who race sled dogs always protect thier dogs feet. The cold weather makes their feet numb and if they get a cut/sore they'll keep running on it. The shoes aid protection, I'd do it for Miya tbh Miyas just turned 18month an we considered getting them anyway.

But as Dizzy hinted, would the dog want them on? lol

[maff]

Dizzys dogs could possibly end up chewing their paws off by the sounds of it but from what ive read most dogs seem to get used to the boot pretty quick. I did buy some ankle wraps to protect the my dogs dew claws when over the park. She had ripped one off after using her front legs as brakes, didnt bother her one bit having them on

[Luckypants]

If she has arthritis, then IMO boots wont help but make it worse due to the extra weight she has swinging on end of her legs. My old dog had arthritis in his left shoulder and could barely walk some days, but he was prescribed metacam and it made a new dog of him. Maybe a trip to the vet to discuss symptoms and how to manage them? Ask about metacam.

[dizzyblonde]

Nah, they wouldn't chew their paws off lol !Honeys over ten yrs old now and doesn't like the cold too much these days, but if I put boots or something on her feet, she'd wonder what the hell it was and try pulling it off.

its the same thing as you thinking, would you like walking barefoot, but if you were used to it what would it feel with something alien on the end of you leg.

[maff]

If she has arthritis, then IMO boots wont help but make it worse due to the extra weight she has swinging on end of her legs.

I dont think they weigh much, they only go up to just above the dew claw. They are like a little neoprene sock with a rubber sole. She isnt that bad usually because we have a few different routes that we go for walks to minimise impact on her legs but the snow and ice is making it worse. If you met her you wouldnt think anything was wrong with her, still acts like a bouncy pup

As for metecam, she has had two prescriptions of it and it did work wonders, took the initial swelling down but the vet just said to carry on with the glucasamine

[Von Teese]

Bless you for trying to do the best thing for your dog.

It's always hard to prescribe the best thing over the internet, so I would recommend taking her to your vet for a checkup, maybe he or she can up her Metacam or prescribe something else?
Booties could exacerbate the situation if they interfere with joint movement in joints which are already sore.... just depends on the boot/dog/condition.

[missyburd]

Chris's labrador suffers the same, although it's the salt on the road that also seems to bother him. Once he's back inside though he's back to normal, and if he's partucularly suffered then we'll give him a half a Rimadyl tablet (anti-inflammatories) and he seems ok. How long are your collie's walks? Have you thought about shortening them while there's snow and ice about?

I'm not sure about the boots but I'm sure they're worth a try just to see if things improve. I know long haired dogs are prone to snow clumping round their pads which I'd imagine gets painful so if the limping is down to that then yes the boots may help. However don't forget a dog's claws offer tremendous grip in the snow, she may end up flailing about in the boots and doing more damage...

[Speedy Claire]

I thought that metcam was something that an animal would be on permanently? if they worked well for your dog could you suggest the vet puts her on a maintenance dose?

[maff]

Theres these

http://www.caninespirit.co.uk/tags/senior-dogs

or these

http://www.dogbootsactive.com/

no interferance with joint movement. The top link sells for mountain rescue dogs so i wouldnt have thought they would sell anything that would prohibit a dogs natural movement

[maff]

Its been a while since the vet had a look at her and she hasnt got any worse since. They xrayed her legs at the time and the front left is the worst and suggested metacam "come back in two weeks" which we did and another dose of metacam. Lissa mentioned the glucasamine which is working fine.

The walks are about 30-50 mins long depending which route i take but living on a hill the downward part makes her walk as if you trip and catch up with your normal walking pace, hard to explain that bit but whichever way we go we have to go downhill at some point. Cut them down to 15-20 due to the snow at the moment

Shes a short haired collie so no problem with the snow clumping on her hair. Last nite the roads and pavements were sheets of ice and she sliped a couple of times but not as many times as me :rolleyes:

[Shellywoozle]

I would never have thought about boots until I took my dog to play in the snow on the field.

After 30 mins he stood there with his paw in the air ... I looked and found a snow ball clump frozen to his pads and his fur. Poor little thing needed defrosting.

Go seek advice from your vets, they will advise what is best in this situation but good on you for thinking of what is best ..... :)

[Kilted Ginger]

Frankly mate who cares what anyone else thinks, if you feel it would help then give it a go, nothing ventured nothing gained.

If you put them on and imediately leave the house and remove them as soon as you return then theoretically she should be more interested in walking than chewing, good luck.

[urbane1]

We bought Muttluks for our last dog and he would wear them whenever the temperature dropped below -20, along with a fleece coat if it went below -30. The trouble is then, it doesn't matter how cold it gets they still want to go out!

I would recommend buying some just for the laugh you get when you first fit them and they prance round the house in them!

http://www.muttluks.com/muttimonials/index.php

[Luckypants]

As for metecam, she has had two prescriptions of it and it did work wonders, took the initial swelling down but the vet just said to carry on with the glucasamine

Just to give you my experience of Metacam, given that you know it to work for her. Rowan could only manage a half mile walk at best and limped badly from an arthritic shoulder (exacerbated by an injury). We put him on it after recommendation from a friend and he was able to take 3 hour walks again! The vet told us to just reduce his daily dose until he started limping again and then up it 1 unit. He lived happily like that for four years until the cancer took him.

[_Stretchie_]

Nope, they would come off instantly and end up as a tongue warmer with our lot. But if it helps here is a pic of Darth Stig (or Stig Mawl might be more appropriate if he doesn't know you)

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j11/Stretchie_/Stuff%20for%20posting/PICT1050.jpg

[PoRk ChOp]

Yes I would mate.

2 of my dogs have coats for when it's cold and one doesnt, people think I'm mean on the one that doesnt have a coat, I'm not, he just doesnt need one. You have to do what you think is best with each one.

Here is a link to some dog boots http://www.agilitywarehouse.com/product_detail.cfm?id=1767

HTH

[Milky Bar Kid]

Stretchie, Stig is the coolest dog in the world (not including any of our 7 in that).

As a total random bit of info - I love the smell of liquid metacam.

As for the boots, if the dude will keep them on and not eat them, give it a go!

[maff]

This is the dude in question,shes never been a chewy dog. hopefully the boots will be here tomorrow

[MattCollins]

Maff, how's her weight. Seven years really is two young for arthritis regardless of how active she has been. Diet (ie anything out of the pet food section at the supermarket) can also be a major contributor to the early onset of arthritis, organ problems, immune disorders...
Glucosamine is in the right track. My old cattle dog was on the stuff (a blend which included shark cartilage) from age 12 to 16 when she died. It helped a lot, as did diet and exercise, but not so much to be counter productive.

As to putting boots on dogs... Working dogs have been wearing them for centuries.

[shonadoll]

The vets is the best option- a course of cartrophen(4 weekly)injections can often make a huge difference,the cold does exacerbate arthritis as you know. Metacam is also a great drug, but she's a young dog so the vet would probably not go for that straight away as it's liver toxic, and she'd need blood tests every so often to check how her liver is coping.

Well worth seeing the vet though-we charge about £15 per injection, but many dogs just have them once a year in winter, and glucosamine tabs the rest of the time, and manage really well on that combo. You are doing exactly the right thing having her on glucosamine already though, good stuff, and worth keeping up even if symptoms improve.

Edited to add, also the vet can work out if it is the srthritis, or she could have injured a ligament, or paw, etc.

[maff]

Maff, how's her weight. Seven years really is two young for arthritis regardless of how active she has been. Diet (ie anything out of the pet food section at the supermarket) can also be a major contributor to the early onset of arthritis, organ problems, immune disorders...
Glucosamine is in the right track. My old cattle dog was on the stuff (a blend which included shark cartilage) from age 12 to 16 when she died. It helped a lot, as did diet and exercise, but not so much to be counter productive.

As to putting boots on dogs... Working dogs have been wearing them for centuries.

Shes just under 21kg at the moment and her diet is a mix of beta purina dry food for senior dogs with a tesco mixer and a lil bit of meat with gravy to make it go down a bit easier, she has that twice a day

[MattCollins]

She a big dog for the breed or just a bit tubby?

My old bitch was on a mix of fresh uncooked meat and at least three veg. The veg would go through the juicer and get reconstituted in a bucket to be mixed with meat at meal time. The best veg is that which is past its best - it digests a whole lot better in a dog as it starts to turn. There are some to watch out for such as broccoli and onion - both can be toxic to a dog. She got ~400g of meat and ~300g of veg each day. Dry food was nothing more than a treat - no more than a half dozen pieces from my hand each morning. She never got the likes of gravy and weighed 19kg with just a hint of lower rib showing for her entire adult life.

BTW, for anyone who thinks that dogs don't eat veg... The first thing that disappears from a kill in the wild is the gut. They need it to survive.

PS. Don't be fooled by the fancy marketing on the dog food packet. If you saw what goes into it you'd never feed it to your dog... at least not in raw form. It is truly disgusting.

[Sir Trev]

Our Goldie has worked out how to eat around glucosamine tablets no matter what we wrap them/hide them in. So she now has the Joint Care sticks instead - bit more expensive but she loves them.

Katie is now 12 and a half, spot on for weight, and gets a half hour walk a day tops. Anything more and her back end doesn't work for the rest of the day and even then she limps on her front left due to the arthritis. She started slowing down badly at just over ten years old and the vet said anything more than what we're doing is not going to help. So, it depends on the dog.

I really miss the long walks in the woods, and having to lie about not being in the pub in said woods when called by my wife to find out where the heck we'd got to...

[metalangel]

Dogs in Canada regularly wear boots, both to keep their feet warm and to stop the chunks of salt getting stuck between their toes and cutting them.

[PoRk ChOp]

Shes just under 21kg at the moment and her diet is a mix of beta

Beta has 2 additives in it that are banned in human food!!!

[maff]

Beta has 2 additives in it that are banned in human food!!!


based on that statement and a bit of research, i think a change of food is in order

[PoRk ChOp]

based on that statement and a bit of research, i think a change of food is in order

look up 'Burns pet nutrition' I will not feed my dogs on anything but Burns now. It's pretty expensive but it's worth it, sounds stupid but you will be better off in the long run as you actually feed much less food because it's all nutritional (sp) and you will have a healthy dog.

And before anyone asks, no I don't work for them.