Advice for my 15yo Shih Tzu with severe arthritis and weakness (thinking about Devil's Claw?)
Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice and experiences from anyone with a senior dog. I have a 15-year-old Shih Tzu who I love to pieces. Lately, his mobility has gotten really bad. I'm pretty sure he has arthritis, but he still has so much power and excitement to live, even though he just can’t walk far anymore—only a couple of metres before we have to carry him.
He is extremely stiff, loses his balance, wobbles, and falls over a lot. His spine is sticking out a bit. He puts his back legs far forward to stand, and if I try to move them back to a normal position, he falls right over, so I think it might be an issue with his back. The strange thing is, if I support his weight slightly with my hands, he can walk fast and even try to run, so I am currently buying him a lifting support harness to help take the weight off his back legs.
For the last few years, his walking would go through phases—he would have a month or two where he walked brilliantly, then a month or two where it was bad, and it just kept switching back and forth. However, for the last 2 months, it has gotten consistently really bad and hasn't gotten better.
He isn't a picky eater at all—he will eat absolutely anything—but if I give him anything heavy or bad like beef or sausages, he can't poop. Because of that, right now he only eats home-cooked chicken with rice or pasta daily. I know he is missing out on essential vitamins and minerals, and I want to buy him supplements to help smooth out his walking and get him out of pain.
Does anyone know of any "magic" products or remedies that could really help a dog in his condition? I was specifically looking into buying 100% pure Devil's Claw powder to mix into his food since I heard it's a great natural anti-inflammatory for joint stiffness, but I wanted to see if anyone here has used it? Does it actually work for severe weakness like this, or are there better combinations of vitamins/joint supplements I should look into for his diet?
*(Note: He is also drinking a massive amount of water past few months and peeing the bed so much every single day, and has a history of prostate issues. I really want to know what supplements or tools have worked wonders for your stiff senior dogs!)*
Thank you so much.