Sugar (baby), 14yrs old, she's family and I would could and will do all I can to help her out.

By the end of last summer, I began to wonder if Sugar would make it to the end of the year. She'd lost weight due to loss of appetite, was blowing her coat (at the wrong time of year), exhibited prolonged inappropriate panting and suffered severe mobility issues. Sugar is one of two dogs that sleep with me. I had placed my mattress and box springs directly onto the floor so Sugar could more easily jump into bed at night, but even so, she struggled and I often had to lift her into bed. I had to do something to turn things around ... or prepare to soon let Sugar go.

Sugar never has done well with prescription meds of any kind. They always seemed to mess with her digestion and some I could tell, affected her mentally and emotionally to a degree.

With that in mind, my vet suggested that we try giving Sugar Galliprant (Elanco) 60mg, one tablet a day. Sugar weighs 55lbs and 60mg is appropriate. The Galliprant tablets are scored and I give Sugar half a tablet in the morning and half a tablet at night. Sugar's anti-parasite monthly med is Trifexis and the vet assured me Galliprant and Trifexis would play nice.

Galliprant is a nonsteroidal Osteoarthritis anti-inflammatory and pain NSAID. The vet initially gave me a free 2wk sample of Galliprant to try. Sugar does wonderful with the Galliprant. It doesn't "mess" with her and research proves that Galliprant is easier on the system than other more common canine NSAIDS. Sugar tolerated the Galliprant REALLY well.

In addition to the Galliprant, I also started giving Sugar a 2-a-day "Multivitamin" from PetHonesty.

It took over a month to begin to see notable improvement in Sugar, but notably improved she has. I'd say Sugar acts more like she did 3,4-5yrs ago.

Hasn't been nor is it cheap. The Galliprant after taxes, costs me $100 for a month supply from the vet. The PetHonesty multivitamin costs over $30 on Amazon for about a month and a half supply but much better prices can be found directly from PetHonesty. Sugar is happier. MUCH happier and has better mobility. It's been well worth it.

Sugar's diet includes a rotation of various premium kibble brands and often even a taste of human goods. I have a dehydrator and from time to time, will make some chicken jerky or sweet potato treats. From Tractor Supply Co, I pick up Pedigree Dentastix and Retriever Dog Biscuits.

Sugar's quality of life has greatly improved but realistically I see the writing on the wall, she's as good now as she will ever be again and I'm prepared to let her go rather than endlessly suffer when it comes time. For now we just enjoy each day as a blessing ... and as you can see from the first pic, Sugar keeps an eye on me too LOL. Today, grass is starting to green up in Lower Alabama and Sugar is walking on sunshine

My 12 yo Llewellin is on the same meds, half dose. It seems to help her a lot as well. It does cost a bit, but well worth it...

Love it. Bless you for doing your best for Sugar. She appreciates and loves you for it!

Actually, the first vet I took Sugar to last year, had her on TRAMADOL HCL 50mg. Yes, Tramadol !!! And yep, it helped her ... but no way I was going to have a dog hooked on Opioids for life. So back to our original vet we went. Sugar still has mobility issues as she has had to one degree or another all her life, but the Galliprant helps her manage it best.

Thank you for sharing this information.

Claire, our 70 lb. Black Lab is 14 this month and is really starting to show mobility issues.

... the Tramadol is certainly cheaper than the Galliprant. $20 for 90 Tramadol tablets vs $100 for 30 Galliprant tablets. But, while I'm not medically qualified to judge and just based on my gut and internet reading, I feel like in the big scheme of things that the Galliprant is best for Sugar.

That (pictured) was the last of four (4) refills for the Tramadol. I have a stock pile of over 300 Tramadol tablets for MY occasional aches and pains. D'OH

Thanks for sharing!!!

PetHonesty has various dog products. This particular one I'm giving Sugar (and my other dog, Mason) is 1) "for seniors" and 2) by my comparison with other PetHonesty products, has the most and broadest vitamin and mobility potential benefits.

Thing is though, this particular "Smoked Duck Flavor" has Duck Digest listed as the first ingredient. What the actually heck even ?!?!?! ... I'm giving my dogs duck poop ?!?!?! Whatever, it's their favorite "treat" LOL and seems to be doing them some good. It does have a strong odor though not particularly of poop LOL and is a soft treat. I kind of feel dirty when I pick out a duck poop treat from the jar for them twice a day HA

The Amazon reviews are mostly all glowing too. But I'd recommend getting directly from PetHonesty if continuing to use. Much better price point.

quote:

. It does have a strong odor though not particularly of poop LOL and is a soft treat. I kind of feel dirty when I pick out a duck poop treat from the jar for them twice a day HA

Lol. Duck digest is not poop. It's a hydrolyzed animal protein (muscle or other soft tissue). Digest refers to the manufacturing process of hydrolysis that mimics digestion of the protein.

quote:

Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:

quote:

. It does have a strong odor though not particularly of poop LOL and is a soft treat. I kind of feel dirty when I pick out a duck poop treat from the jar for them twice a day HA

Lol. Duck digest is not poop. It's a hydrolyzed animal protein (muscle or other soft tissue). Digest refers to the manufacturing process of hydrolysis that mimics digestion of the protein.

THANKS ChicagoSigMan !!! I tried to find more information, short of emailing PetHonesty, and just couldn't find anything about "Duck digest". You've put my mind at ease LOL.

Glad to hear it's working well for her! We use a lot of Galliprant in our practice, and while it isn't cheap it is more liver sparing vs other NSAIDs. Be sure you give it on an empty stomach, doesn't work as well with food.

My little tidbit to add would be that after she's been on a once daily dose for about 3 months, the manufacturer says you can often start giving it every other day with little to no noticeable difference in effect (think: save $$!).

Tramadol is a great drug (for it's stated purpose and timeline) in people, but studies have found that it doesn't work so well in dogs. In people, the liver converts it to a morphine derivative, but in dogs it really doesn't work that way. They DO get some benefits from it, but nothing like in people.

Gabapentin, on the other hand, works pretty well (though not super strong) because it blocks calcium channels in the nerve conduction circuit. So while it isn't opiate level strong, it does help mitigate pain, especially acute pain. In dogs who are starting to get further down the road to end-stage arthritis, it's worth doing a trial run with gabapentin to see if it can help.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your comments slabsides45. Exactly the kind of considerations us older dog owners are often faced with and information we need to have. Thank you !!!

For a man who's willing to move his mattress to the floor to make life easier on his dog? Anything.

HA !!!