Hip Dysplasia AND Kidney Disease

[Rachel&Fred]

Hi Everyone,

Last April (2004) my fiance and I adopted a 4 month old rescued Rottweiler pup. We learned a few months after adopting Buck that he had hip dysplasia. Shortly after we learned of his hip dysplasia we unfortunately learned that Buck also has kidney disease (inner-city backyard breeding??). Our vet and the specialist that saw Buck said that the kidney disease is chronic, most likely congenital, and that he will probably live a short life (3-4 years). Given that diagnosis, we decided not to put Buck through hip surgery.

Now, a few months later, Buck is just a fantastic 15-month old Rottweiler! Goofy, funny, and loving...he's much loved and appreciated in our family (we also have a rescued Rottweiler/Lab mix). However, he has been experiencing fairly severe pain in his hips, so we recently started him on Metacam. The vet wanted to put him on something that would hopefully not be too hard on his kidneys. At this point he is healthy, a decent weight (tall and 75 lbs...a bit thin but not alarmingly so), and has been on a modified diet for kidney disease. He also takes chondroitin/glucosamine supplements.

Has anyone had experience with Metacam? Should I worry about his kidneys? At this point, I am just trying to keep Buck as happy and healthy as possible, and am really going for his quality of life.

I adore Buck, and if anyone has advice or suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you!

Rachel

[szky]

Sorry to hear of Buck's illnesses. I had Buster on Metacam for severe arthritis in his right shoulder for about 1 year. It really did the trick. His blood was tested every three months to monitor his liver and kidneys. The levels tested were always within normal ranges. Also during this time he had entropian surgery, then later contracted Bone Cancer (he crossed the Bridge in Dec, 2004). The specialists don't think the two (Bone Cancer and Metacam). Hope Buck feels better and keeps a high quality of life.

[Rachel&Fred]

I'm so sorry to hear about Buster :( Thank you for sharing your experience with Metacam...that helps a lot. And it has definitely made a difference in the short time that we have had Buck on it...he definitely has a lot less pain. Our vet did a workup (blood, urine) when she gave us the perscription, and we'll go back in a month for another workup to see how his kidneys are doing.

[panda]

Hi, JoJo has been taking Metacam for 2 years with no side affects.

Anne and JoJo