Pet arthritis: No cure but medicine and therapy can help

Tahlula started life as a victim of bad breeding and will end it as a victim of arthritis.

The Rottweiler had hip dysplasia and ruptured knee ligaments when she was adopted in 2006 at age four. Ligament surgery followed, then a diagnosis of a dislocated spinal disc and arthritis so bad that the dog would cry in pain and sometimes stumble and fall.

Her owner, Lea Jaratz of Cleveland, wondered at times if she was putting her through unnecessary pain and should be putting her down instead.

But after trying assorted therapies, Jaratz hit on a combination of an over-the-counter supplement, glucosamine, and a prescription drug, Tramadol, that seemed to help. MORE>>