arthritis relief for senior dogs?

[kellikans]

we have a 13.5 year old shiba inu mix who also has a massive liver tumor.  we've decided to not have it removed (had one removed, it came back and it's been about a year and she seems to be doing okay).  she limps pretty badly and the vet gave us a very low dose of Rimadyl since I was concerned about giving it to her with her liver issue.  she seemed to respond well to it but I'm not sure how I feel about giving it to her all the time since it can be so toxic to the liver.  are there any arthritis meds out there that actually work and aren't toxic to the liver?

the poor thing has lost a lot of weight and is skin and bones except for her belly and DH and I feel like she won't be with us for too much longer.  I want to make her as comfortable as possible without progressing her liver issues.  

[mmp]

I've used Zeel(which I think works just as well as rimadyl) but not sure about the impact on the liver. You could probably add some milk thistle with the rimadyl. It supports liver function. It helps the the liver process.

Best of luck to you and your buddy.

www.needs.com/product/NDNL-0608-01/a_Milk_Thistle

[dexteroni]

Oh poor pup. Acupuncture helped Dexter's arthritis, and general demeanor, a ton. And when he got older and his appetite waned, B12 injections helped boost it. We had both done at a vet that integrated medical and holistic practices. Good luck, I hope you find something that helps!

[buddysmom]

Acupuncture is a great pain reliever! At her age is there much of a risk of the Rimadyl building up in her system (I'm not sure of this answer but would ask the vet)? Because of the potential liver issues, my dogs take Tramadol and have no issues on it - so that may be an option as well.