Sheltie has polyarthritis, collapsed back feet

[edgar]

Several weeks ago, Bailey our 9 yr. old Sheltie came up lame in one of her back feet. We kept her off play, but a week later the other foot went lame as well. X-rays showed a long term arthritic condition, we hadn't been aware of, that promoted a collapse of the tarsal bones in both feet. We have been told that surgery (bone grafts) is an option, but there is no guarantee there won't be further deterioration in the near future. We tried legs splints from OrthoVet, but they seem to be too heavy and bulky for Bailey to cope with. I've investigated the Hock Brace from HandicappedPets. Does anyone have experience with this problem with Shelties or other small dogs?

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

edgar, I have no experience with old dogs... My dogs never had that luxury of living long, but I have lived long
Has doc rec'd vitamin supplements to encourage strength and relief?
Braces would seem the way to go, and on a small dog, you are right, they would have to be very lightweight and flexible. I guess you have checked the products page up top...
There are folks who have arthritic pups here who should be along shortly...
WELCOME!

[critters]

Maybe Bailey just needs time to adapt and to build up strength for the splints? FWIW, MANY people have used Orthovets with good results.

[tina]

Hi Edgar,
I doubt that our dogs have the same problem, but here is our story and what we did.
Our Cocker Spaniel, Petey woke up lame one morning. It seemed the lameness went from one rear leg to the other, then even his front legs became involved. At his worst, Petey was pretty much carried anywhere he needed to go, and his health was deteriorating rapidly. We had every test imaginable, with very little information coming back on any of them. His kidneys became involved also. He went on Baytril, an antibiotic, which would help somewhat with the kidney infections, (the kidney infections were recurring about every 4-6 weeks, even with the Baytril) and also on Deramaxx for pain. Our vet suggested another vet who suggested a rehab center where they found both front paws had broken (he now walks on his wrists in front) and his back cruciate ligaments were very weak. The prognosis seemed very poor. The splints and braces did not work for him. I began doing energy therapy on him, and we found a holistic vet who does acupuncture with vitmin B12 injections instead of dry needles. She suggested 10 sessions. We felt we had nothing to lose but more money, and at this point we had spent so much, we had to give it a try. We could notice Petey's health improving by about the second or third session. After the ten sessions, Petey now sees the acupuncturist when we feel he may be feeling a little low or especially sore. Along with the acupuncture we also give Petey supplements by Standard Process (you have to get them through a vet) He gets Canine Whole Body Support and Ligaplex II. We also give him Cosequin, and he does take Deramaxx for pain. All in all, Petey is a healthy dog again. He has his personality back and is a very happy guy again. I would be more than happy to do energy therapy long distance for Bailey--but I won't feel bad if you think it's too weird. Just let me know. But do try to find some alternative treatment for her if you are not getting the answers you need. (We never did get a diagnosis, but the disease process seems to have stopped)

[edgar]

Thanks for the feedback from both you and other respondants. We are actively investigating alternative rehab and therapy options, in addition to vitamins and supplements. We would still be interested in feedback from anybody with smaller dogs, who has used Orthovet splints for a period of time.

Edgar