I know you received some good responses Pete but lets keep this open for late bloomers.

Sounds good to me Vince. I may hear something else significant. I'm still wondering if anyone has cleared up a condition like this with Linatone.

Pete, there are other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories out there besides carprofen (Rimadyl). Etodolac (EtoGesic) is one. Also if you have some concerns about the (very few) reports of liver toxicity associated with carprofen, I would say that prolonged use in your dog WOULD be a concern. But, every report up to now on carprofen has shown problems with measurable toxicity occuring only after four years of regular use. Not a concern with a geriatric dog that has very few years of quality life remaining. Now, one very relevent problem with all NSAIDs is gastric irritation in some dogs. Did you make sure to feed Fido when you gave him the Rimadyl? That makes a difference in the severity of irritation which can lead to more digestive problems.

Have you looked into Adequan? It inhibits the action of some enzymes that destroy cartilage layers in arthritic joints (like chondriotin). It is more natural. (made from cow cartilage) I have two OLD guys here at my place and both have responded well to Adequan and Rimadyl.

Anyway, I threw this junk out there because I am pretty sure that the licking problem is due to arthritis. I have had two GSDs that did this as they got older. The vet said it is a natural response to discomfort due to joint pain. Most often seen when dogs are licking their paws 24/7.

The two little doo-doo heads never did stop the licking.

Pete,

I would attack that digestion problem on as many fronts as I could. I think it is likely to be the cause of this as well as other problems you would want to avoid in the future.

Jason--how would you go about doing this? Since he has a bad case of pancreatitis, it would appear that my options are limited. He has to be fed foods that he can digest; as much as he likes meat on occasion, he can't seem to handle the fat. My number one concern is keeping his weight on (so far, so good), but this has required several changes in diet over the years as he seems to "reject" most commercial dog foods after awhile.

Pete Felknor

Pete,

I would go directly to a fast. If you do this already then I would go longer (2-3 days instead of one or two). The longer he goes, the deeper the healing effect will be. I know I sound like a broken record but you would be truely AMAZED at all of the things that this can cure or at least get a handle on. He will lose a little weight but he will gain it back and you may find that afterwards MANY problems that you are trying to fight, are just gone (I am dead serious too)). I would lay off all medications while you are trying this if you decide that your going to give it a go. Sooner or later the meds lose their effectiveness and this type of solution may be all you have to turn to anyway. This is unfortunatley how people usually discover fasting and all that it can do.

I really like what Richard said about stress being a factor.

Jason,

Do you think that maybe their can be a nutritional risk with fasting a dog this age for that long(2-3 days)? A dog that has a sound nutritional diet to begin with will benefit greatly from a fast. Older dogs sometimes have more specialized nutritional needs. Plus, Pete did mention that one concern he has is keeping the weight on. Just food for thought.

Chuck,

If the system is really messed up such as obesity, or other obviously chronic problems (such as in this case)- and the dog had not been fasting in the past, then I would start with a one or two day only. The reason for this is that with "chronic" type cases, the toxin level in the blood will get too high when the system triggers this healing mechanism (toxins in the bloodstream will be several times their normal level as the body disposes of them). Once I had fasted the "chronic" dog for a day or two, I would give him a break for a week or two paying special attention to his diet. If I thought that there was more internal healing to do then I would go longer the next time, up to 3 days or so. I would not hesitate to do this. Fasting can reach down into every cell in the body and repair it.

Jason fasting a dog for 3 days wouldn't you give it something to replace the loss of electrolytes.

milt