Emergencies
Wilma's story
Wilma recently joined our Vet4life Family at the age of 8 and a half years old. She is an extremely affectionate and giving soul who struggles with lameness and has done for a little while. Her mum Katherine has been to other vets searching for the best help available for Wilma, not wanting to see her in pain.
After a recent visit to our Vet4life Surbiton practice she met with Vanessa one of our vets for a consultation. It was immediately identified that Wilma was showing signs of osteoarthritis, not dissimilar to other members of her family! This can be a life changing disease with varying degrees of pain, which is irreversible. But it is not all bad news, once we have made the diagnosis, we can set up a treatment and management plan to help!
Wilma stayed with us for the day (mostly for cuddles, but we didn’t tell her mum that!) where we did x-rays of her legs and took joint taps (samples of joint fluid). We also checked her bloods, which is so important not only to diagnose other underlying diseases but to know that we can safely administer medications to Wilma.
All of our tests confirmed the diagnosis. We started Wilma on Onsior, an anti-inflammatory as well as the paracetamol/codeine she was already taking. Omega 3 is a great supplement for dogs with osteoarthritis and we have ordered in some doggy omega 3 supplements for her too. Her mum keeps her in great shape because weight control is another major factor influencing the management of osteoarthritis. We also get to see Wilma once a week for k-laser, a laser therapy with proven benefits in osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis affects so many of our pets and every pet will have slightly different needs. Please come along and see us if you think your pet may be slowing up, not as active as they used to be or showing signs of lameness. We can help!
