Wahoo! Until yesterday, Murphy had gone 6.5 WEEKS without any Previcox!
At the tender age of 16 months, our sweet Murphy came to us in July through IDOGRR. We knew he had hip dysplasia and had a very pronounced limp when he arrived. A few days after he arrived we took him to my friend Amy Nietz’s canine orthopedic surgeon, who had done her Darby’s HD surgery. Dr. Kelly confirmed what the folks at the University Veterinary Hospital had told Murphy’s previous owners, which was Murphy could be fairly normal with the proper exercise and medication, but would need hip surgery when he was five or six. He recommended a supplement called Dasuqin (the newer and better version of Cosequin), saying he was seeing significant joint improvement in his patients using it. He also gave us instructions for exercise (lots of free running and controlled walking up and down hills to strengthen the muscles in his hips) and a prescription for Previcox, a canine anti-inflammatory.
Thus began our quest to give Murphy the best life possible. Giving him the love, discipline and affection he craved with all his being was easy. We knew how to take care of his spirit. What we needed to learn was how to care for a special needs body. My experience with elderly, arthritic dogs had taught me a few things, the most important one being the long term use of anti-inflammatory medications can cause liver damage. I also knew from my own experience with rheumatoid arthritis that fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory. Armed with what I already knew and the information I gathered from reading and friends who have dogs with HD, we ventured forward.
We started Murphy on the initial loading dose of Dasuquin, added a fish oil capsule to each of his meals and began reducing his ½ tablet of Previcox to ¼ tablet. We had set backs and would sometimes have to bump back up to ½ if he was limping, but gradually, we were able to get his dosage consistently at ¼ tablet. His last ½ Previcox was on 8/10/08. With the Previcox at ¼ tablet, the next target was to eliminate it from his daily diet and use it only occasionally when he over exerted himself and was limping. We gave his body August and September to adjust and on October 10th , with some trepidation, we skipped his Previcox entirely. This began a two week period of every other day dosing. His last regular dose of Previcox was given on 11/2/08. We have now reached the point where he gets the Previcox on a need only basis. Yesterday, he wiped out in the snow and was limping, so he got a dose. This morning he is fit as a fiddle and chasing his brother and sister all over the yard. This doodle boy loves the snow!
In the realm of exercise, we had a little secret weapon named Wally. He is Murphy’s half brother and only a week younger than Murphy. And he likes to run…a lot! Puppies being puppies, these two have worn a track in our lawn and regularly dismantle Ernie’s garden wall. The back of the yard has a small rise which they tear up and down countless times a day. Murphy whines ceaselessly in anticipation when he figures out the car ride is leading to the dog park. One of my happiest moments came at the dog park this fall when Murphy got into a game of chase with a beautiful, statuesque Greyhound…and my boy kept up! Even better, that night he did not limp and we did not have to give him any Previcox. The final victory came the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Every other time we have left the dog park, Wally and Sonagh hop back into the truck and Murphy stands there, waiting for someone to lift him in. We were half way home when it hit me…Murphy had jumped in all on his own!
It has been a delight to watch the once lame Murphy turn into an agile, gregarious, speed demon. Other than a rather wonky walk, and the occasional limp due to a fall or overdoing it, he is pretty much asymptomatic for the HD. He is a well adjusted member of our pack now. Murphy has helped our hearts heal from the loss of our beloved Sadie. It is spooky how much he is like her in temperament and personality. For the second time, we find ourselves asking who would give up such a fantastic dog. And, once again, we are endlessly thankful they did.
Thank you cannot begin to express how grateful we are to IDOG Rescue and Rehome for giving us our special needs boy. Look for Murphy in the 2009 IDOGRRR calendar. He is Mr. July! IDOG
