Help with arthritis for aging dogs.

[leslie]

Has anyone had success using homeopathy to treat arthritis in aging dogs? My dog walks squeamishly about, and has pain when jumping from a couch, or bed. I would be curious to know what others have tried and the outcome of treatment.

[sumit_hmed]

My brother-in-law's dog is about 12 years old (chihuahua/fiest mix - so a small dog), and has had success with Joint Relief. He gave her 3-5 drops 3 times daily, and noticed steady improvement in her movement. I will see if I can dig up some other customer accounts for veterinary arthritis products.

Our old Golden started suffering from arthritis so badly he could not go up the stairs. A friend recommended Glycoflex by Vetri-Science (now easily obtained over the internet) which was a product sold by Veterinarians only at that time. Withing two days our dog started being able to go up the stairs by himself and be able to get up from lying down much easier. He lasted 4-5 years after this and passed away at the ripe old age of 15 1/2 two years ago.

This product is composed of Mussels, Brewer's Yeast and Alfalfa- which emulated a formula recommended by Dr. Richard Pitcairn made from Kelp, Bone Meal and Brewer's Yeast which I have also had very good success with.
I just prefer the convinience of the tablets and our dogs love how they taste.

Give it a try. Cannot hurt. Sorry this is not a "homeopathic" recommendation; but in order to go that route, it would have to be individualized to the dog's symptoms, not generalized.

Hope this helps you as it did us.

Hi Leslie,

It's a bit late, but I just found this site and saw your post. I can't help with a homeopathic remedy as my old girl, Hannah, refused to take them long-term! I did get Rhus Tox down her for a week or so, but that was not enough. But here's what worked for her:

I took her off Metacam as it was killing her – severe colitis caused by the Metacam and she also developed very shaky legs on it, which I’ve noticed happen to several other dogs. I got her Runaround from Stock Nutrition which is Green Lipped Mussel, Shark Cartilage, Vitamins C & E. Within 5 days on that, she was trotting a couple of miles, with no trace of a limp!, having previously only been able to stagger to the end of the road on very shaky pins, where she was lying down to watch the traffic. I immediately weaned her off the Metacam altogether and she was great on the Runaround for a couple of years.

Then her legs got worse again and I added in Garlic, Greenleaf Tablets from Denes, Osteotrace tablets from ARONHA, got her a magnetic collar, used crystals – Blue Lace Agate to start with, and others, she also had Acupuncture for months, but I eventually stopped that and did acupressure on her myself after having been shown by an Acupuncturist how and where would be most beneficial. These were all added in at various times as the need arose. She also latterly had Reiki which helped enormously and I believe gave her an extra 6 months with me.

There are loads of natural products and therapies out there which I am sure would help enormously. The trick is, as ever, finding the right thing for YOUR dog, which is where your gut comes in – you’ll know what’s right.

Homeopathy can also work wonders. Hannah just didn’t want it, she preferred herbs etc.

The book which helped me a lot and sent me in various correct directions for Hannah is - Natural Healthcare for Pets by Richard Allport. He covers a wide range of natural therapies.

Had I kept Hannah on Metacam, she would have been dead by 12 as the Vet prophesied, but once I changed her to natural treatments she was MUCH happier, healthier, fitter and had a much greater quality of life. She lived to 15 years and 6½ weeks!

Runaround is available from Stock Nutrition www.doghealth.co.uk

Denes website is www.denes.com

I know Glucosamine can be great too.

Some other products I believe can be helpful are :

Mobileaze www.aviform.co.uk I know someone who has used this very successfully with her Weimaraners.

Cortaflex

Synflex

Ease by Phytopet 01244 813162 email info@phytopet.co.uk

Deer Velvet www.velvetenergy.com

Copper Collars help some dogs.

Once you start hunting, you’ll find the right products.

A good Homeopathic Dog care book is Homeopathic Medicine for Dogs by H.G.Wolff

Good luck in your search.

Hi Leslie

We rescued a 7 year old newf who had some serious arthritis. We tried a bunch of stuff with her and finally found some things that worked for her. Our holistic vet recommended ARTH9 and Drynaria. May be something for you to investigate. I really noticed the difference when we ran out of the ARTH9.

[belle19]

Conquer K9 HA is a hyaluronic acid supplement for dogs which promotes joint health. They are chewable beef flavored tablets. I have heard they are really good. They are veterinarian researched. For more information, you can visit Kinetic Tech - Hyaluronic Acid Supplements.