I have often thought glucosamine would be a good idea for him. His stomach is a little delicate though. Does this affect the digestion any? (Trust me, cleaning poopy butt on a dog this size doesn’t compare to a bunny’s!)
Barely Dog? I will look about for that. He could use all the help he could get! Thanks again, Rose! You’re an oracle of knowledge my dear!

I know what you mean about the long walks. Being a MacKenzie River Husky, these dogs were bred by the Cooke and Perry expedition for endurance. Shadow would go straight down the road until it turns and not stop until he dropped dead in his tracks if you let him. He doesn’t know the meaning of WHOA!
It grieves me no end to see him get all gimpy and not be able to finish a walk. Seeing as I’m trying to build up endurance and walk farther each time so I don’t become a lump of flesh this winter, it kind of makes any constitutional difficult for both of us. I can’t walk my son’s dog without him pulling me almost horizontally down the street like Linus with Snoopy dragging him by his blanket. And he’s the one with the broken back!

We used to run them unleashed and follow on the ATV. They would stick close to that and I never had to worry about them taking off, they loved it! I can remember the sound of Shadow’s collar and clasp jingling like the ones you hear on sled dogs and he would just fly over the ground. He hardly touched down at all. I think he misses those days just as much as I do.

He’s been such a good boy. I’m going to miss him terribly when he’s gone. I will not be able to walk my neighborhood without thinking of him.

No TARM, my dogs are huge and my house is tiny. Each one weighs about 120 lbs. And they get very warm the minute they cross the threshold and it’s uncomfortable for them. We did have to have them in last winter for awhile, but had to get up all hours of the night to walk them and get them water and make sure they weren’t overheated. Shadow has an unbelievable coat, it would make a heck of a throw rug. My son’s dog does not have the same coat, but he is not as well house-broken as Shadow.
The outdoor cozy is just about finished today. I’ll try and take pix when it’s done.

Thanks for the link to the glucosamine, Sage, I was looking for some last night but the sites I went to were out of it or didn’t carry it. I’m going to get some of that and some barely dog and barely cat too, it looks like it would work well with my kitties also.

I’ve tried both Metacam and Tramadol on my dogs, and for awhile the vet prescribed Rimadyl for Shadow…but these all tend to make their stools really black and then they have trouble voiding. I fear that they could bleed internally from this strong medicine. But I’ve never heard of Maalox being used to coat the stomach….Pepto Bismol, yes, but it binds them up so bad. How much Maalox would you give a 120 lb dog?

I am still clueless as to how he got himself so wound, but we’re taking care of the problem. Soon neither of them will have to be tethered anymore, they’re going to have their own ‘hotel and exercise yard’ soon!

Anyway, Shadow’s full of pee and vee today. DRAGGED my butt down the road for our usual ‘two block’ walk, I was so happy to see he felt so spry! Of course I think *I* may need a few Tylenol. *ouwch!*

BBM, when my son’s dog was a pup, I had to take him and his sister (who is over the Rainbow now) to a rabies clinic in an old truck we used to have that had one of those little slide windows to the back topper? He and the girl were having fits in the back of the truck while I drove because they did not like riding in the car, so I opened the window to talk to them. Well, this big, dumb mutt squeezes his huge self through that little opening and into my lap while I am going down an icy road in the middle of October! Whining the whole way and trying to put his paws on the steering wheel!

I had to pull over and see if I could get him back into the rear of the truck, of course now it starts to snow, but he wasn’t putting up with that. Also the female tried to get out when I opened the back of the truck. So I had to just let him ride in my lap all the way to the clinic and then had to have the vet techs help me get him back in the flat bed. What a nightmare! I’m only 5’4″ and this dog easily outweighed me back then, so I was (no pun intended) one sore puppy when I got home! lolz…..
Thinking back on it, I have no idea where the hubby was, I just remember I was totally on my own. But I was proud of that dog. When those techs came up to me he stood his ground and barked and growled, he didn’t want anyone touching his mommy! Btu I think I was more worried he’d take a chunk out of someone in the effort to protect me, so I think I scolded him at the time. Once he got his vaccination, he quieted down. ^_^

Ah yes, we use Ecotrin. I had no idea it had Maalox in it? 0_0 *looks at label*

Funny though, my vet does not recommend aspirin for my feral cat, who has a painful rear leg from a fight with another cat before she came to live with us. Is it bad for cats?