Question:
I have a 2 1/2 year old Airedale named Maddie. Maddie is about 60 lbs. and has severe hip dysplasia and basically bad genes. She has been mostly healthy and extremely happy, active and loving. We had her on Rimadyl for over a year for the hips and she did well on it along with glucosamine. A couple weeks ago she began panting a lot and drooling excessively. The vet said she had infected gums and needed her teeth cleaned. During the cleaning, I had him take a look in her nose (since one of the other pups in the litter had died of nasal cancer at less than 1 1/2 years old and I'm paranoid.) He said the nose looked fine but she had 2 broken teeth that needed removed. That was done and she was put on antibiotics. The drooling stopped, but the panting did not. I also noticed that she was drinking excessively, but she had always been a heavy drinker (of water that is) I then found Cushing's Disease on the internet and asked my vet about it. He said her blood test (done 4 days before the cleaning because she was on Rimadyl) was "fine" and did not indicate Cushing's. I waited 4 more days watching her every breath and stressing out before taking her back to the vet. After telling him how worried I was about her, he did a chest X-ray and urinalysis. The chest X-ray showed some bronchitis, but he said the urinalysis was also "fine". He told me to give her Benadryl, but didn't tell me exactly how much and acted so vague about it that I haven't given her much. (I didn't get the feeling he was really trying to find out the problem or taking my concerns seriously, but maybe I'm just overreacting.)

While all this was going on, I found out how dangerous Rimadyl is and stopped giving her that, (although my vet said it was fine). I think her hips are hurting her more now, but I DON'T think that is why she is panting since the panting started before I took her off the pain meds.

At this point, I just started using giving her a strong liquid glucosamine product to help with the pain. My big concern, however, is the panting. She pants all the time, except when she is really mellow or sleeping. Water intake doesn't seem to be as excessive and she has no other symptoms that I can think of right now. I'm worried sick and my husband thinks I'm crazy. Does anyone have any ideas what could be wrong or what I should ask my vet? I would really love a vet's opinion and possibly a new vet in my area.

Answer:
Well you're smart for stopping the Rimadyl but you shouldn't do it without another pain medication.

Talk to your vet about Metacam, it's safer then Rimadyl.

I think you're wise for giving the glucosamine thats one really great thing you're doing for sure. To boost her immune system and assist with joing mobility there are some other supplements you should consider looking into.
Shark cartilidge, vitamin e and fish oils.

Sharks you see are facinating as they are immune to every disease known to man. Giving shark cartilidge will boost the immune system and help her fight off disease.

Is she overweight by chance? Decreasing weight on the joints will help as well.

What you may want to consider, since you're interested in alternative therapies is consulting with a holistic vet and maybe even a doggie chiropractor for pain management or even accupuncture. There are so many ways to relieve pain for our lovely dogs. One place close to Toronto has a water therapy program that helps in rehabilitation and muscle strengthening while it decreases 'pounding' that you would get that aggrivate joints.

Not to worry, there are alternatives to helping your dog.

I love the breed, do you have some pictures of her that you can share with us? Welcome to the board.

Answer:
Hi Luba,

Thanks for the reply. I'm using Liquid Health, Liquid 5000. It has shark cartilage and all those other things. This will be the 3rd day. I hope it helps. In my research on pain meds I found Metacam to be in the same class as Rimadyl and have the potential for the same side effects. I would love to get her out of pain now, but I'm not willing to risk the side effects.

Maddie is not overweight. She is just under 60lbs.

I am particularly concerned with the panting. Do you have any opinions on the possible bronchitis and benadryl? Or any other reasons for excessive panting other than Cushings?

As for vets, we are in Orange County, California. If anyone has a good vet out here, let me know. Of course, we are having financial issues to top it off, so good and reasonable would be great.
Thanks!

Answer:
One more thing... has anyone heard of Kaprex for pain. It is an herbal replacement for NSAIDS made by Megagenics. I found it on another message board and it sounds great. If anyone has used it, I would love to hear your opinion.

Answer:
Hi Maddies mom

Metacam is much safer then Rimadyl I give you my word on that. I used it for three of my dogs and there were no side effects, but you can never be too safe.

The supplements may take a couple weeks for you to even notice a difference. Keep your spirits up

Answer:
Just wondering - teeth probs are often caused by kidney dysfunction - has that been checked? I believe Rimadyl can cause kidney damage, but am not 100% sure.

Answer:
The vet did do blood work 2 weeks ago and he said kidney and liver function looked fine. He doesn't get very specific and insists the Rimadyl is not adversely affecting her, but I'm not so sure. I think I might ask for another blood test next week. I feel like I'm grasping at straws and he's not being very proactive.

Answer:
He told me to give her Benadryl, but didn't tell me exactly how much and acted so vague about it
OK, it sounds like you need to get a second opinion - fast. This vet doesn't sound too helpful. If you don't think your dog is doing so well you know your dog better than he does.

Answer:
Maddies mom,maybe you thought the ca in here stood for california,but it stands for Canada.Not that it matters,we have some really experienced,great dog-owners here from all over the place
I too wanted to add,if you do not feel your vet is taking Maddies problem seriously,go to another vet.It's a feeling we pet-owners get and we are usually right,I know when something is not right with my cats..

Answer:
There are other California member here too, but I'm not familiar with your area.

Answer:
I agree that I might need another vet, but it's just so hard to pick one without knowing anything about them. Also, I imagine I should have all the lab results and x-rays to take to a new vet and I'm not sure how to get them without stepping on any toes. The last issue, of course, is cost. I've spent $750 on my 2 dogs in the past 2 weeks and am already struggling financially. I know I will ultimately spend what needs to be spent, but it adds more stress to an already stressful situation. Ughhh...

I am aware that here is in Canada but figured pets have the same problems everywhere and I could get some honest advice here.

Anyone familiar with Kaprex?????

Answer: