Our pets get old so much more quickly than we do- it often seems like only yesterday they were chewing up our best shoes, or climbing the curtains… and suddenly the muzzles are turning grey, and the old bodies are slowing down, and getting rickety.
Arthritis is an insidious thing- (it sneaks up on you!). And when you live with your pet day to day, the onset of symptoms are so slow and subtle, that sometimes you don’t even notice that your old friend is starting to be a bit slow and stiff to get up after they have been lying down for a while.
Arthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints- so once it has happened, there is no way of actually repairing the damage, short of doing a huge operation, and replacing the entire joint. (This is not something I would consider for my own pet, especially if they were very old…)
Treating Arthritis Early is Vital!
I can’t stress this enough- many people see their old friend getting a little bit slower and think- “Oh well- it’s just because Fred is getting old, and he seems to be happy enough…”
WRONG!
Please- do something when you first notice any slowing down, or the slightest stiffness- especially when your old friend has been lying down for a while, or when there is a cold and/or damp change in the weather, or any sign of limping.
Why? Because if you do nothing, the damage to your pet’s joints will simply get worse and worse- BUT if you start to treat your pet for arthritis early, you may well slow down, or even temporarily prevent further damage to the joints.
The earlier you treat this problem, the longer your old friend will be with you- it is as simple as that.
The Best Thing to do Is?
I will walk you through how I believe is the best way to help your old friend- (Please take your old friend to your own local vet, or invite a home visit vet to come and see you, before you do anything else.)
- Make sure that your pet has a healthy, natural and preferably non-processed diet, and access to as much fresh water as they need, can make a huge difference to overall well being- read my article healthy diet here.
- Make sure your pet is not overweight! (and most are…) You should be able to distinctly feel the bumps of all the ribs as you gently run your fingers along your pet’s sides. If you can’t, start a diet now! Every extra pound adds to the wear and tear on your pets joints, and accelerates the progress of arthritis.
- Have your pet checked for back pain and any other structural problems of the musculoskeletal system.
(I have to be honest- many vets are not well trained in assessing pets in this way, let alone treating them to relieve the problems. I know this because I have a special interest in back pain and such problems in animals, and have spent years developing a method to gently and easily realign their bodies into comfort and ease (Whole Energy Body Balancing/WEBB Sessions)).
Many vets will simply prescribe Anti Inflammatory drugs, and/or muscle relaxants, and tell you to rest your pet… This will NOT cure the underlying body imbalance! You may need to find a pet care professional with good qualifications to help you with this- Pet Physiotherapists, Masseuses, Body Workers, Reiki/Energy Workers, Chiropractors etc may be helpful. I also advise using such pet care professionals regularly as an integral part of your pet’s arthritis care plan.
- Reduce your pet’s exercise to a point where it is not making the symptoms any worse.
Medicines; What to Use, and When…
I start with the healthiest, most natural treatments or medicines, and then use stronger ones as needed, on a case by case basis. Remember!- Arthritis is a degenerative dis-ease. So- any damage already there will not be healed by the medication. The symptoms may be reduced, or even vanish altogether, BUT- the degenerative process is very likely to continue, even with treatment. Using natural supplements rather than prescription medicines will most certainly slow down the progress Your pet’s arthritis very much, and could even halt it altogether for a while.
In my experience, as your pet gets older, and the arthritis worsens, you will eventually need to add prescription drugs (usually Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory drugs/NSAIDs) into the mix to maintain your pets quality of life.
This is not always the case, and is far less likely if you treat the problem as soon as it begins.
- Green Mussel Extract: This is the first thing I prescribe- totally natural, and it works very well- I have had dogs improve to the point where I got them off daily NSAIDs simply by giving a daily dose of GME. I have treated a lot of pets with this, and never had any sort of adverse reaction (Of course, if it should by chance disagree with your pet, please stop using it immediatly). One capsule a day is a good dose, unless you have a giant breed. It does take about a month to take full effect. ‘Southern Deep’ is the best quality and value for money GME product I have been able to find. You can order it from this link (And yes, this is an affiliate link, and I will be paid a commission if you order from here! This helps me help you even more.) Order Green Mussel Extract Here. (Top row, second from LHS)
- Homeopathy: This is a more complementary/alternative approach- there are a couple of homeopathic remedies which I have found to help your pet feel better as well- Rhus tox, Ruta grav, and Arnica are probably the three main ones- I tend to use them at low potency, and I always add in the Bach Rescue Remedy for a more symptomatic homeopathic treatment. If you were to take your vet to a qualified homeopath, they may prescribe a ‘constitutional’ remedy, which is designed to stimulate your pets vital energy to move towards greater health overall, more from the inside out.
- Bach Flower Essences: This is another treatment designed to strengthen your pet’s health from the inside out- it is not aimed at symptoms, like the more typical western medical model. The individual essences are carefully chosen and/or blended to best suit each unique case. I have found in my practice that these essences seem to help your pet feel a lot happier, and stimulate wellness.
- Yucca Extract: 2-3 Drops a day can have very good results… I have not used this a lot myself, but when I have there has been improvement. I have seen some very encouraging testimonials on the Internet though, so it is well worth considering.
Another thing to remember!- every animal is subtly different, and some treatments will work really well for one pet, and not at all for another- you may need to trial several different treatments, or combination’s of treatments, to get the best result… Another way to more easily tailor the treatment to your pet is to consider using a reputable Intuitive to tune into and match the best treatments for your pet. This is a very effective way to take the trial and error out of selecting the right medicine for your old friend… (Please contact me if you are interested in this service…)
Now we move to medicines that need a prescription, and so you will need to have the help of your vet.
- Cartrophen: This is a series of injections given once a week for four weeks, followed up with a booster anything from 6 monthly down to monthly, depending on the severity of your pets arthritis. It contains special molecules like those which lubricate the special fluid inside the joints. I use this in my practice a lot- nearly all patients show good improvement, some are almost miraculous! (There is the very odd one that doesn’t improve.) If you live in Canada or Australia, your local vet can help you with this. If you live in the USA, it is not quite so easy- you may have to ask your vet to fax a prescription to a company like this, and then have it sent to you, and then take it to your vet to be administered.
- Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs: These are like aspirin- but much more advanced, so that they don’t have the same nasty side effects of gastric ulceration and so on (or at least not as much- some pets still get these problems- so if your pet shows any signs of digestive upset whilst taking these drugs, stop immediately and see your vet as soon as you can.) They are potent pain killers, and will improve your pet’s quality of life a lot. I don’t like to use them until you really need to, but when you do they can make a huge difference. There are heaps of different brands, talk to your vet…
- Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs: Cortisone… This can give great symptomatic relief, but at a cost… It has multiple side effects, and long term use really takes a toll on your pet’s inner health. I avoid it as much as possible, but it does have it’s place in palliative care.
Integrative Care
So many different things!- I usually start with GME if it is only very mild arthritis, and offer to use Cartrophen as well. I like to give a special Homeopathic/Bach flower remedy to each patient, I find this is a great help. I also like to use regular WEBB sessions, and I feel it is best to continue all of these treatments for the life of your pet, and to bring in the bigger guns as more complementary methods become less effective in relieving your pets pain and discomfort.
Once you begin treating arthritis, the aim is to have your pet as free of symptoms as possible, and if the symptoms worsen in any way, then that is the time to seek further treatment… For instance- things may be going well, and then a cool change may make things worse- so you may need to add in some yucca, or perhaps NSAIDS at the lowest possible dose for a while to help.
Eventually it’s likely you will have to use a full time veterinary treatment, as you pet gets very old, and the dis-ease progresses. And one day even that may no longer give your pet ease. This is never an easy thing to consider… Because we all love our pets to bits.
If you have any questions, please ask in comments below.
Happy Pets until next time!
Dr Edward
