Carol Lowenhaupt of Decatur, GA found Russell, a Labrador and German Shepherd mix, in 1992. He was nine months old and homeless. Carol fell in love with him, and decided to make him a part of their family. As a puppy, Russell had plenty of energy. He ran and jumped like other dogs and enjoyed playing at the beach.
At the age of three, Russell began to show signs of pain and discomfort. “His hips began to slump, and he would drag them across the floor when he walked. His behavior changed significantly. Whenever Russell was in pain, he would get very anxious ” huddling under my legs and trying to climb into my lap. It hurt him to climb stairs and he often fell behind on long walks,” said Lowenhaupt.
She took Russell to the local vet who diagnosed him with severe dysplasia. Russell would need expensive hip replacement surgery. Lowenhaupt’s veterinarian told her about a new medication for pain called EtoGesic®, produced by Fort Dodge Animal Health. In fact, Russell participated in an EtoGesic clinical study. “It was amazing,” she explained, “After he went on EtoGesic, his personality totally changed. He became happy, relaxed and more playful. Best of all, his mobility improved to the point where he could climb stairs easily, take long walks and play for hours. And he never showed any side effects from the medication.”