tyabblemons Said:

      We told the vet that our dog, Panda, a 15 year old black & white Border-Collie, had cost us very little during her life, and now that she has reached old-age and is stricken with arthritis, we were prepared to spend a bit of money on her to try to make her pain-free. I know, crazy thing to say to a veterinarian. The vet recommended this Hills diet, and arranged for us to receive a sample bag so we could see the results before we committed to buying the product. We were horrified at the price of a bag at $148.00. However, when we did the numbers (see bottom of this post), it wasn't so bad. The company promised Panda would be a new dog in just 21 days. I know, we found it a bit hard to believe too. One of my friends even called 'Bullshit' on Facebook. Note that Panda has been an indoor dog all her life, and has not had enough exercise for her breed.

We kept a diary of Panda's progress on her new diet:

4/07/2013 9:43 PM Day 7. Awake nearly all day. We withheld her Tramal pain-killer this morning to see how she would do. She's a little stiff this evening when we finally administered her evening tablets, but she moved around okay most of the day. Still wobbly on back legs. Prefers the Chum over the new food, but it must be remembered that she has an infected tooth requiring antibiotics, and the dry texture is crunchier. We use a little bit of Chum mixed in with the dry food to give it more appeal. We'll see if she enjoys the dry food more when her mouth is not sore.

5/07/2013 10:25 PM Day 8 Is it me or is she moving a bit easier? Certainly more alert today. Still had bad posture in rear while finishing her leftovers just now. It must be remembered that her sore tooth has healed, but she is more lively. Tramal painkiller administered at 8pm, and this will be working now, but it usually makes her drowsy.

6/07/2013 7:39 PM Day 9 Cold & wet. She slept a lot today, so we gave her a painkiller at 3pm. She moved around better after that kicked in. Not so keen to finish the leftovers tonight. Withholding treats to generate some hunger and motivation to chew. Her tooth might still be hurting her. Finally ate leftovers at 10pm. At 11pm, she was not too bad. She stopped 'yawling' as much on her rear legs, and there was even a little spring in her gait. She's wandering around the house checking every corner in preparation for going to bed.

7/07/2013 9:14 PM Day 10. Finished food at 9pm. She's certainly walking better. Her gait is normal and she has stopped 'yawling' in the hind legs. She has more power in each rear leg, and is able to use them better. This is significant. No painkiller administered until bed-time. Cold, wet day! She is walking around the house a lot more. Might try a walk tomorrow.

8/07/2013 3:15 PM Day 11. Went for a 5-minute walk! Was very tired at the end and had to be helped up the two steps (She can make it up the single step into the lounge-room, but didn't try after her walk, until later). She's got a smile a mile wide! Antibiotics for tooth have finished and her mouth is much better, with no visible symptoms of discomfort. Painkiller administered 8pm. Stiff tonight, but still curious and followed me all around the house, even investigating the studio. She yawled today at the very end of her walk, but that was the only time. Otherwise, she has been firm on her back legs.

10/07/2013 10:29 PM Day 13. Panda is still up and alert at this late hour! She's been holding at the level reported, and has still gotten stuck sitting down once, on the lino where she can't get a grip with her claws. She definitely has more power in her rear legs, and is more alive. She's curious and investigating things. At this point, I'm convinced the super-food is working. No painkillers today.

13/07/2013 8:13 PM Day 16. Not using painkillers at all. Is alert most of the day, but grabs naps as an old dog should. Hips/rear legs have shown considerable improvement, but she still gets stuck in a crouch on the lino. She just can't get grip with her rear claws and doesn't have the strength to pull herself upright. Happening much less now. Otherwise, more strength obvious in rear legs. Still not keen on flavour and texture of the dry food. Drinking more water than usual, and has done since we began this diet.

16/07/2013 8:36 PM Day 19. Panda is a different dog. She still has problems with her chronic arthritis. She gets stuck halfway between sitting and standing on the lino floor. She can't get a grip to push herself upright, and with her rear legs slightly spread, she can't sit down properly either. When this happens, we have to lift her back into the standing position. This used to happen several times each day, but is now only happening about once every two days. Otherwise, she is bright and alert, even at 8.30pm, without painkillers. Since the painkillers were costing us $29 every two weeks or so, the Hills super-food will pay for itself. We still have more than a third of a 20kg bag left at this stage. I expect one bag will last just over 1 month. Panda is not keen on the flavour, however. She'll have to get used to it. She is eating it eventually, later in the evening.

17/07/2013 4:00 PM Day 20. Cold day. Panda's arthritis is flaring today. I can tell because she is keeping still when she can. She's still very curious about all that is going on in the house, and follows us if we move, but she's a little sore. Holding off giving her a painkiller deliberately to see if it gets any worse. If it does, I will administer one. Normally, I would have given her one. She hasn't been too bad up to 4pm. We were going to do a long walk today but will hold off due to her flare-up. She is certainly enthusiastic enough for a walk!

18/07/2013 4:24 PM Day 21. Panda's arthritis is still tender. Bright and alert. We went to the vet to show off our new life. All the staff at the vets were amazed at the difference in her. She was alert and curious at the vet's, but hadn't liked the car trip down. She walked all around the place sniffing everything. We even had to chase her down when she went wandering up towards the surgery. Previous vets visit, she just stayed at my side and didn't move unless I coaxed her. She has gained 300 grams, despite still not enjoying the dry food. We have withheld snacks to build motivation to eat. When we arrived home, she walked up the two front steps unassisted. She hasn't been able to do that in over a year. No painkillers today either, but we brought some home just in case. I would have taken her for a walk, but the vet's was a very big outing already. She is capable of a long walk now. The company was right. Our dog changed in 21 days.

     Panda is a fifteen year old dog with arthritis. We can't cure the arthritis, and must manage it. We could use drugs to do this, but the Hills feed is a much better way. It is clear that the supplements in the Hills feed have created an artificial lubricant for her swollen joints. She still has some discomfort, but nowhere near the crippling disability she had when we began. She is no longer incontinent, and can wait to go out if we read the signs. She is old, and bowel problems are expected. Yes, we have a new dog. Yes, the feed is worth every cent, and more. I don't know if the super-food will extend her life, but I do know that her remaining life will be of a much higher quality on the Hills Prescription Diet. There is no doubt in our family's minds that the change in Panda has been amazing, as promised, in just 21 days. I will testify that it is true. We will continue to use the diet.

Brad Lemon

18th July, 2013

1 x 20kg bag of Hills Prescription Diet for arthritis - $148.00

Vs.

15 cans of Chum @$3.23ea                               = $48.45

2 x 3kg bags of Pedigree Light & Mature @$10.52 = $21.04

2 x box Tramal painkillers                                   = $58.00

                                                                      -------------

                                                                           $127.49

Panda pain-free:                                                  Priceless

We are prepared to pay the extra $20.51 to gain the benefits of Panda being relatively pain free, although she still has chronic arthritis. The supplements in the Hills food have created an artificial lubricant for her bad joints. She has much more strength in her rear hips on this food. She is no longer completely dependant on us to help her move around, or move her bowels. We used to have to hold her up or she would fall over. We don't even have to watch her in the backyard anymore - she has enough strength to keep out of trouble.

While $148.00 seems like a lot of money for a 20kg bag of dog food, in actual reality it is only costing us $20.51. This makes it very worthwhile. Even if it was $100 more expensive, we would pay it to keep Panda pain-free. We mix a very small amount of our other dog, Star's Chum in with the dry food to add some flavour. Star needs to lose weight anyway...

We would recommend the Hills J/D Prescription Diet for Canine Mobility for dogs with arthritis.