Hi All:

My one year old female has been diagnosed with FCP in her front left elbow and a slight case of OCD in her front left shoulder. My vet has recommended surgery on both. I've read on this site about Cartrophen (and read about Adequan on other sitest) as a treatment/cure for the OCD. Anybody have any expereince with either of these drugs for FCP? Or can you provide any other alternatives I may try other than surgery? Our dog has been on Flexicose/Syn-Flex steadily and continuously since she was 4 months old. Thanks in advance.

EEK. Poor dog. IMO, Adequan can't hurt. I've seen some pretty amazing xrays of "before and after" w/Adequan, and if it were my dog, I'd give it a shot before putting her under the knife. However, I'd give a time limit for any course of action I took. She's still young, and if surgery is a guaranteed fix(well, nothing is guaranteed...)then I wouldn't put it off too long. She's got a better shot of recovering when she's young and strong. If it's slight, as you say, some less or non-invasive things may just do the trick. I have a friend w/a lab who had OCD,and was told the dog needed surgery. They didn't have the money, and were putting it off for a few months. They tried Adequan coupled w/chiropractic (maybe acupressure/puncture???Can't remember exactly) in the meantime, and she's fine today, 2 yrs later <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. Their dog was not in terrible pain, or having problems yet; it showed on an xray for another injury. If you're dog is uncomfortable, don't waste too much time trying to avoid surgery. FWIW. Good luck!

Thanks Jenni:

The vet initially prescribed Rimadyl for pain relief and after reading about it on this site, I did not give it to her. I gave her ascriptin which seems to help with the pain. She's a happy and active dog, just exhibits a limp frequently. I'm worried about long term arthritic effects on her.

My shepherd has been on Adequan for about 18 months. At first I was not sure it was helping, but after about 2 months I could definately see the difference. Since she is almost 10 yrs. I am doubtful that I will ever stop it. She has severe arthritis in her hips, and the injections along with proper diet are what keeps her going. She still likes to play ball, but tires quickly. But it is good to see her much more mobile than before adequan.

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My shepherd has been on Adequan for about 18 months. At first I was not sure it was helping, but after about 2 months I could definately see the difference......

A slight tangent:

I almost assumed that all regular readers of this board would automatically be giving their dogs Omega 3 EFAs in the form of salmon oil (plus Vitamin E), but then I realized that of course not everyone reads every single forum here. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />


The first line, after weight management -- whether or not you give meds, and in addition to meds -- is (IMO) Omega 3s from marine products*, a supplement with no known negative side effects and many known benefits, not least of which is enhanced joint health.

*Dogs don't get the long-chain Omega 3 benefits from plant sources of Omega 3s (flax, canola, etc.) that humans do, according to 2006 Tufts research.

Hi Connie:

She receives daily Omega-3 from cold wather fish supplements, along with Ester-C vitamins. I couldn't agree with you more about these supplements.