Black Labrador Retriever Needs Injections

This e-mail question was sent in by Robert (USA). He wrote in regards to his female black Labrador Retriever who has hip problems and needed injections.

Reader's E-mail - Robert Writes:

Hi,

My female black lab is about 11 years old and has long had hip problems, necessitating injections of adequan by her breeder/vet. (Her brother, same age, is large boned and had no such problems.)

I've decided to give her injections MYSELF and save myself hundreds of dollars per year. I am to inject it into a muscle. I plan to give her monthly maintenance doses of 1 cc. and see how she handles it. Her last dose from the vet was 2 ccs.

Any suggestions? In the past, her breeder/vet pinched her shoulder and shot it quickly into somewhere there. Can I inject it into pinched skin, or must I go in farther? (The man who owned the clinic here shot her into the hip last time and, I am sure, hit bone, from the way she yipped.) She never yipped before. She usually shows prompt relief/improvement.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. I will hit her up next Tuesday.

Robert

All About Labradors Blog Answer:

Hello Robert,

The information given here is to help you learn more about your Labrador Retriever and not to replace your veterinarian's advice. Disclaimer

Thanks for writing, and visiting the All About Labradors blog. My apologies on the delayed response. I receive many e-mails from all my wonderful readers and I like to answer all of them. Sometimes it just takes me a little time. I am also sorry to hear about your Labrador Retriever's hip problems.

Personally, I have never had to inject anything into any of the Labrador Retriever's that I have owned with anything. For something like this, I would definitely recommend you have a professional (vet/breeder) show you how to administer the drug.

I have read some good things about the use of Adequan for advanced osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, and cruciate ligament injuries. From what I have read, there seems to be different options on how Adequan can be administered (inter-muscular injections, inter-muscular in the backs of his hind legs, inter-muscular injection in the hips, subcutaneous injections).

I have done some searching and came across I couple of things that might be helpful to you:

http://www.berner.org/pages/medical_treatments/adequan.php

http://www.oes.org/page2/9708~What_is_a_good_technique_for_giving_an_injection.html

http://www.arthritis-cats-dogs.com/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=Forum&report=Subtopic&SubtopicID=00001227&firstrecord=0&finalrecord=14

http://www.arthritis-cats-dogs.com/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=Forum&report=Subtopic&SubtopicID=00000370&firstrecord=0&finalrecord=14

For the last two sites I mentioned, make sure you visit their homepage and explore the site in full, as it has some great information and you might find other help for Labrador Retriever's problem. http://www.arthritis-cats-dogs.com/

Some of these sites listed also offer other alternatives to Adequan that might be helpful (Glycoflex, Conquer k9).

Sorry I couldn't be of more help to you Robert, but investigate the info I have provided and I as I have already stated, I do recommend you have a professional (vet/breeder) show you how to administer the drug, before you do so yourself.

Please keep me informed of how the drug does get injected, and how it is working for your Labrador Retriever, as this will be helpful for the readers of the All About Labradors blog.

Take care of yourself and your Labrador,

Fay

Reader's E-mail - Robert's Response:

Many thanks, Fay.

Not too late. I am going to shoot her tomorrow, with a nurse "advising."

Hmmm, either muscular or skin sound okay. I think she has had it both ways. She is 10 or 11, and has had hip problems all of her life. But Adequan has kept her functional. Also, she was about six-eight pounds overweight, and I've thinned her down some recently. I think she moves better and feel better.

I've seen her mother and she is small boned and has a similar problem, I suspect. Mother bred by a vet, by the way. First to a black male, producing a litter of 10 black pups. A year later to a chocolate male, 10 chocolate pups.

I found that interesting.

Robert

P.S. What a wealth of information you sent. I read it all. Thanks again.

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