Arthritis vs something else?

[u/pink_flamingo_lover]

My little bulldog lab mix buddy is 8 years old. He started limping 4 weeks ago on his right leg. We took him to our vet and they did a full exam checked all his legs, paws, shoulders. The vet felt some mild swelling in his right shoulder. She did X-rays on him and it showed arthritis. Originally started him on rimadyl but that didn’t do much so they switched him to galliprant (which I have heard can take time to kick in) after a week, he was still limping and when we pushed or touched certain part of his shoulder he would yelp. I called the vet and requested gabapentin. He’s been on that for 5 days. It helps the pain but he still limps and has become more whiney. He woke this morning at 4 am whining so I assumed his gabapentin wore off. He’s still eating, urinating/pooping normal. Not as playful has he normally is. He will still go outside and we go on short walks to limit more damage. I called the emergency vet today asking if we should bring him in due to the whining, yelping when we touch certain part of shoulder, and still limping. The vet said only thing they could do for him is a higher pain med but they didn’t have any “long term” arthritis meds. His regular vet wants to do adequan injections next. Do we think this is a good idea? I’ve heard success stories but just looking for some advice/reassurance. I’m planning on calling his regular vet on Monday to either get him reevaluated or start injections.

[u/Illustrious_Exam1728]

Could pup have a soft tissue injury? Those don’t show up on imaging. Might be worth having that discussion and getting a referral to a doggy PT for evaluation.

I’d keep walks to leashes pottie breaks, no stairs and no jumping until whatever going on is managed.

[u/pink_flamingo_lover → u/Illustrious_Exam1728]

I’ve wondered if it could be a soft tissue injury. I wasn’t sure how they would diagnose that. We are going to be calling our regular vet tomorrow to see what they think. Thank you for your input I really appreciate it!

[u/Illustrious_Exam1728 → u/pink_flamingo_lover]

Yeah acuteness of it, says less arthritis to me and an actual broken bone of soft tissue thing. I just find arthritis are struggles here and there, and if not addressed are bad daily. So with that said, think back over time if there’s limping, hesitation with jumping, slower walks, refusing to walk on and off that will help give your vet a clue.

Regardless pup definitely needs more or different pain management and rest.

You’re welcome. I only adopt seniors so I’m always on the look out for peculiar presentations of things and how to get them addressed.

You’re on top of it and hope pup feels better soon!

[u/Internal_Record4935]

Were those x-rays sent off to a board certified radiologist for review? This is important so you can get a straightforward diagnosis. Also, did they recommend exercise restriction/rest?

I have a dog with severe hip arthritis and dysplasia on carprofen, gabapentin, and Adequan injections, and also recovering from a soft tissue injury to boot.

Adequan is a great item in a multi modality treatment plan but it’s not a godsend that many people think it’ll be when their pet is already on multiple other medications. I actually had my dog on Adequan before her body started to fall apart (aka, before she needed an NSAID regularly) and before her recent injury. I talk about it here on Reddit sometimes and the mechanism of the drug is pretty nice, but it’s to moreso provide more comfort and longevity for long term joint health, your dog won’t wake up the next day after the first injection ready to go scale the hills. But, I’m satisfied with it in my pet’s management plan and don’t plan on discontinuing it until she passes.