01/20/2025
This is Hallie, our Certified Veterinary Technician Kelsey’s 15-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer Mix whom unfortunately passed away this past October. Kelsey has been kind enough to share her and Hallie’s journey through aging and her positive experience with Librela, which is a monthly injection for dogs with osteoarthritis pain. Thank you for sharing with us Kelsey, Hallie was the sweetest of girls and we are so thankful you shared her with us.
While Hallie was here with me, like everyone else, I wanted her to have the best, healthiest, longest life she could. Mentioned below is the protocol I performed for her when she turned 7 to help her reach that goal.
I started feeding her a senior diet which generally contains lesser calories and fatty acids to help joint health, I also added a daily joint chew and fish oil to support her joints even more! Supplementing fish oil not alone helps joints but also haircoat, heart and brain health.
Later, in her life I was observing worsening signs of “gimpy-ness” and “rabbit-hopping” when she would be running and playing with her brother dog, Jake. I would use a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for the “bad days” and that would get her by. Long-term use of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug can be hard on the liver and kidneys, so I was apprehensive to use it daily long-term as she already had liver issues, and I resorted to just giving it as needed.
I had heard word of a product called Librela in the veterinary medicine community and couldn’t wait to get her started on it! Creekside Veterinary Clinic began utilizing it in October of 2023, so I immediately started her on it. We noticed positive changes within 3 days after the Librela was given. (every dog/patient is different, benefits may not be seen until after the second injection in some cases) After a few months in a row of giving Librela, she was able to move much more comfortably, stand up and sit down easier, run around with her dog brother Jake more freely, jump up onto the couch and use the stairs more comfortably. I was very happy with her progress, and I still only used the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory as needed which was very rare in her case.
I am so happy I was able to provide her with a high level of support and comfort for her aging body that I could, because she deserved the full works!
Here are some signs in dogs of pain/discomfort:
1. Limping after exercise
2. Lagging behind on walks
3. Slow to rise or lay down
4. Difficulty jumping
5. Overall “Stiff”
6. Difficulty with stairs
7. Not interested in playing
8. Behavior changes or “feeling crabby”
Nearly 40% of dogs show signs of osteoarthritis pain and less than half are diagnosed. Every dog is different, some may start showing signs of discomfort even earlier than 7 years of age.
Please contact Creekside Veterinary Clinic to let us know how we can help your pet stay comfortable through the aging process because they deserve the best!
You can also visit https://www.zoetispetcare.com/products/librela for more great information on Librela!
