Are there any natural forms of pain relief for a dog with arthritis?
My 8 year old husky has arthritis in her hips, are there any natural forms of pain relief that might help her? Massage, herbs, etc?
I ask because my dog has been on both Rimadyl (spelling?) and Deramax and they both make her throw up, so I was just wondering if there was something natural that would help her.
February 24th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
The glucosamine and chondroitin is really helpful. As is switching to a high-quality senior food if you haven’t already – they’re formulated to help joints and bones.
Keeping her as active and she can tolerate is good too. The more they lay around, the stiffer they get. Use it or lose it, type thing.
We have a 14 y.o old guy and since switching to a senior food, he’s become much more active. He’s still quite stiff and sore some days, but he has made improvements. We have dermaxx in the cupboard for him, but have not had to use it since switching foods, and adding supplements.
Allowing them to chew on real joints (cow and such) can help, too, if that’s not too icky for you. You can usually find them in the higher end pet stores, not the big box stores.
There are also treats at those stores with the supplements in them, and a few other supplements, for hip and joint problems!
February 24th, 2010 at 10:34 pm
“Natural”? Do you mean drug-free options? If so, look into glucosamine/chondroiton supplements. Ask your veterinarian about dosing for her, and where to get it.
February 25th, 2010 at 1:18 am
Glucosamine as others have mentioned, and if you can find it ‘white willow bark’ which is a natural form of aspirin.
Use to be a company here in Utah that made doggy cookies with the white willow bark in them.
February 25th, 2010 at 1:43 am
I hope this can be helpful.
First the pain meds for dogs really can hurt thier stomachs. But there is a ‘stomach coating’ pill. I am so sorry I can not for the life of me remember the name, but we got it from a vet who prescribed rimadyl for one of our race dogs during an event. She said many vets don’t bother with it because most dogs can tolerate the pain meds. But as you know some dogs can’t and this simple pill might make a world of difference for your dog.
Glucosamine/chondroiton supplements are excellent. You might also look at your local feed store for MSM and HMB both joint heath supplements and I believe available in some quality senior dog foods.
Now massage and topical treatments are also excellent ways to improve mobility and quality of life for your dog. Some of the best are made for working sled dogs, and are sold as massage balm for dogs. I really really like made with Emu oil
http://mountainridge.estoreadvanced.biz/index.php?p=product&id=16&parent=6
another very popular one is Algyval
http://mountainridge.estoreadvanced.biz/index.php?p=product&id=16&parent=6
To either of these I add arnica, which is excellent for pain and trauma I swear by it and use it on myself as well.
Also for arthritis, some light exercise / stretching will help keep her mobile, and keeping her at a healthy weight will also help a great deal. Good Luck.
February 25th, 2010 at 2:35 am
glucosamine will help lubricate the joints but as for inflammation I do not know of anything natural, you may want to truyy a holistic vet. I like Rimadyl but you need to keep up on the blood work every 6 months because can effect liver, or deramaxx is another that works well.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:00 am
Doggy Glucosamine works wonders. I fostered an 8 year old arthritic dog who could hardly walk around the dog park. After a few weeks on Glucosamine and a few pounds lighter, he was running around like a puppy. Great stuff
You get people Glucosamine at the health food store – natural enough for ya?
February 25th, 2010 at 4:18 am
I know of a great all natural dog food supplement. It comes with a money back guarantee so it’s definitely worth a shot. A friend of mine uses it and swears by it. It’s called Dinovite and you can purchase it here with the money back guarantee, http://k9healthsolutions.com/dinovite-supplement.html
I hope this helps!