How do you tell if an old dog is in pain?

December 5, 2015 12:29 AM

I have an old dog. She does not appear to be in any obvious pain, but I wonder if I should keep her on a maintenance med just because of her age.

My 65-pound Rhodi-ridgeback-mix rescue is about 15 years old now. She seems to have a slight occasional limp, but other than that nothing that indicates chronic pain. She is increasingly reluctant to come outside with me every time I go, and she takes longer getting to her feet in non-emergency situations, but I am 52 myself and I like my Aleves when I need them, so I wonder if maybe at her age I should put her on a maintenance dose of something? I hate to think that she might be always suffering from some random pain that could easily be relieved.

posted by Camofrog to Pets & Animals (16 answers total)

A supplement for joint health can be pretty effective for a lot of dogs, and it isn't a pain med. If she's a good weight for her proportions and is still playful once she gets going, slowing down is just normal. That limp is concerning, though. Now is the time to form a good working relationship with a vet if you don't already have one who has gotten to know your dog. They're going to be who can give you the best feedback on why that limp is happening - if it's referred pain from somewhere else or if you can work on building muscle she might have lost due to inactivity or what.
posted by Mizu at 1:56 AM on December 5, 2015 [4 favorites]

I know this isn't massively helpful but you'll get much more meaningful advice from your vet. Take your dog in for an appointment and they'll be able to give you the best advice tailored to her history and physical exam findings.

That being said, yes, some dogs benefit from ongoing maintenance doses of pain meds (usually NSAIDs). You don't always know how much a dog will benefit until you actually try them. Some dogs that you might think aren't actually in a lot of pain will start acting like puppies again. Some dogs that are clearly in pain show no obvious improvement.
posted by peanut butter milkshake at 2:45 AM on December 5, 2015 [2 favorites]

Also glucosamine and chondroitan (sp?) work exceptionally well on my 15 year old dog. DO NOT USE Aleve or ibuprofen for a dog--it is deadly (or so my vet said).
posted by prk60091 at 5:41 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My 13-year-old Boston terrier was favoring one of his front legs. He most likely has arthritis or some kind of tendonitis. My vet suggested half a tab (12.5 mg) daily of a dog NSAID (Deramaxx) as maintenance. I gave that to him for about three weeks and then I forgot for a few days, and even after my forgetting, he was walking normally, so I stopped giving it to him. Occasioanlly he'll re-aggravate it, in which case 1-3 days of meds will fix it. (As a side note, I am a runner and I have my own maintenance NSAID for a recurring tendonitis problem, he.)

He has also slowed down a LOT, and he's very, very stoic, so it's hard to know if he's in pain unless it's something really bad. Mainly I just trust him to let me know when he needs my help. I have never had a dog live to old age before so this is new and scary territory for me, but for sure having the NSAID on hand helps.
posted by Brittanie at 6:34 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Talk to your vet, and consider getting a copy of Good Old Dog, a handbook for people with older dogs. It has a lot of advice about handling situations like this.

Apparently this is the seventh time I've recommended it on MeFi. I'm not a shill, seriously.
posted by zamboni at 7:28 AM on December 5, 2015 [2 favorites]

Maintenance pain relievers for arthritis in dogs like Rimadyl are common. It would be a great thing to discuss with your vet. I'm sure keeping your dog happy and comfortable are goals you two share.
posted by cecic at 7:28 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My dog, at 14, had identical symptoms to your dog's. The dietary supplements, when I tried them a year or so ago, did not have any noticeable effect. For an unrelated reason, she had to be X-rayed a few months ago, and one of the things they saw was spinal arthritis. Rimadyl was suggested, and I tried it, and she is like a different dog now. Even people I see on our daily walks have commented on it.

It's not cheap, but there are generics (carprofen). Novox is about half the price of Rimadyl. I consider it money well spent.
posted by bricoleur at 7:43 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Our 15 year old beagle / dachshund pretty much only wants to get up to eat. We have to drag her out of the house to do her business, otherwise she'll hold it to the point we have 5 seconds to get her out or it's too late. We have her on a daily glucosamine supplement and it does seem to make a difference. I think if the dog were in pain you would know, as she'd react when you prodded her to go out. I think you are probably just dealing with a cranky older dog, but a vet visit to rule out chronic pain would be in order if she hasn't been recently.
posted by COD at 7:44 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Also, has the vet looked at her eyes? Dogs lose vision as they get older, just like people, but we don't have glasses for dogs. Not seeing well can also lead to reluctance to go out, especially if she seems more reluctant at night.
posted by COD at 7:46 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Shivering is one sign of a dog in pain. Our elder dog also tucked her back end similar to the way a GSD's back end is but she was a lhasa-poo whose back was straight until she got very old. The vet said that was a sign of pain also. Our 10 yr old Sheltie has a torn ACL with arthritis in her hip; she takes rimadryl, tramadol and glucosamine (Phycox is the brand, it's an Rx item and has other stuff in it) and we are amazed at how well she is doing now. She can't put a lot of weight on that leg but uses it as a support peg and hobbles along happily.

The supplements and meds are slightly expensive but the relief she gets is worth it. We figure we can pay for her to have less pain for the last couple yrs of her life. If cost is an issue, do ask your vet to send your Rx's to a local Costco if there's one near you, you don't have to be a member for Rx and they are by far the best Rx prices anywhere.

Also, they make straps that you can slip under the dog to help them up, just to get her on her feet-we just lift our girl but she's 37 lbs so not too heavy. She also takes her walkies in a stroller now and after the 1st day when she tried jumping out, she now LOVES her stroller.
posted by RichardHenryYarbo at 8:36 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Senior bedding may also help if she has difficulty moving after sleeping. It will take pressure off joints. You can try it out and see if there is a difference. If so, yes, she has been dealing with at least stiffness/soreness.

(Gentle massages are wonderful as well.)
posted by Vaike at 8:47 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Our now-late elderly arthritic dog did so well on the joint supplement Myristol that we've put the middle aged dog on it as a prophylactic. It seemed more effective for our old guy than the glucosamine chondroitin supplements we'd had him on previously. His pain was pretty obvious. He was cranky and would get really mad if anything touched his hips, and would sometimes pant when it got really bad; but after being on the supplements for a week or so, he seemed much more comfortable and even started chasing the big dog around the house.

(It was recommended to me by a woman who runs a bunny shelter who gives it to all the elderly bunnies and takes it herself for her arthritis.)

Talk to your vet, though, too, to see if they have recommendations. Definitely don't put your dog on any pain medication before talking about it with your vet.
posted by ernielundquist at 10:48 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Our 13 year old beagle has definitely slowed down for getting up, and has always had sore hips. Our beagle can't have NSAID's (last time her platelets dropped dangerously low). At age 11, she was started on Dasuquin (glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate) which had a noticeable beneficial effect on her ability to take stairs (we live in a side split, so there's four critical stairs).

Along with the dasuquin she's had gabapentin added to her regime about a year ago. She was quite slow to get up (1-2 minutes after waking her for her to stretch, motivate herself, and get up), and she was generally less interested in being outdoors, or doing anything beyond eating. Now on the gabapentin, she's less slow to get up (10-20 seconds), but she seems significantly happier and interested in going out once she is up.

I've also been regularly massaging her back near the spine around where her ribs end, and she seems to really enjoy that (this was recommended by our vet, he said it's a general great thing for older dogs).
posted by nobeagle at 11:57 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

At 15, you don't really need to worry about long term liver damage. It probably couldn't hurt to try it. Talk it over with your vet. You'll probably be able to see an increase in mobility, it was pretty clear with my old guy that he felt looser. If it doesn't seem to make a change, then stop. One thing that did help my old guy enjoy his last years was a vest with a helper handle that allowed me to give him a hand up the stairs and into the car.
posted by Foam Pants at 5:24 PM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Just nth-ing what has already been said, but I'd be surprised if a 15-year-old dog of that size didn't have any joint pain, and reluctance to go out and slowing down can definitely be the only major signs of arthritis. Vets often see signs of chronic pain that owners can't, in part because it develops so gradually, so please do get her evaluated specifically for that. (My own senior dog got a lot of relief on a maintenance dose of Metacam.) If you're uncomfortable with the risks of NSAIDs, there are plenty of other options like physical therapy and supplements, but it sounds to me like your old girl could use some extra help.
posted by thetortoise at 10:21 PM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you everybody!

I've built ramps and stairs for most of the situations that she used to be able to handle by jumping. The rest I spot her on. So there's not much chronic strain on her joints anymore.

We are off to the vet, knowing what to talk about.
posted by Camofrog at 11:01 PM on December 5, 2015 [2 favorites]