How To Help Your 4-Legged Family Members As They Age

How To Help Your 4-Legged Family Members As They Age
It is sad to see our animal companions no longer be able to do the things they once could do as they age and grow older. All older animals have some amount of arthritis although some have many more problems with it. Western medicine has very few options for treating arthritis and uses mostly drugs, to cover the pain. Many times animals are on three different drugs and it still isn’t enough.

In some animals arthritis manifests as weakness caused by the inflammation pushes on the nerves. Many dogs walk around like their feet are asleep, tripping over things, stumbling and no longer having the strength to jump into the car or onto the bed. Unfortunately because they can no longer walk as far or do as much as they used to, their muscles start to atrophy or waste away, causing a vicious cycle. As the weakness increased, they do less, which causes more atrophy from disuse, leading to more weakness and more atrophy and less activity. In the end many of these animals can no longer get up on their own or even take a short walk.

In other animals arthritis will manifest as pain, which can also prevent movement and cause the weakness/atrophy cycle. Many of these animals will become moody and withdrawn and may even snap and bite at their people out of fear of pain. It is so hard to see our friends have so much pain that they no longer want our affection.

In most animals there is a combination of pain and weakness.

Usually dogs suffer more than cats because they carry more weight and are used to daily activity. Also people often don’t notice that their cats are painful because they spend so much time sitting and sleeping.

So what do we do for our friends to help them live out their old years happy and pain free?

Fortunately using herbal and supplementary therapies as well as remedial and rehabilitation work there are many ways we can help our pets (and ourselves) improve our joint function and range of motion.

Rehab!  There are many ways of building strength in your pet. Simple things such as applying toe nail    grips so there is no slipping on shiny floor surfaces can be a huge help. Dr Buzby's toe grips are available online and here is a video link for you to observe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh8W7yK3LPQ   

Regular walking in sand or hydrotherapy or underwater treadmill can be useful as well.  Positioning on a gym ball, Cavaletting waling and stretches, walking through sticks and placing a temporary hair scrunchy on alternate feet can be helpful too. 

  • Acupuncture Being an acupuncturist, I always recommend acupuncture first for arthritis. Of course this is also because I have seen how well it works in the animals I treat. I often find that if I can work with animals when they first have problems, they do so well we only need to treat them every one to three months. Unfortunately most of the animals I see have had problems for a while and their people only learned about acupuncture when they had tried everything that western medicine had to offer. In these animals acupuncture can still work and work well but usually treatments need to be closer together. It is so nice to see these animals happy and able to enjoy life again!
  • Accell therapy - We are the proud owners of a mat unit that vibrates and supports the increase in blood flow to the muscles, bones and spine of the whole being. https://vimeo.com/130807805  This can be added to acupuncture treatments or rehab programs for a minimal add on cost. 6 sessions are recommended of between 7-15 minutes each.
  • Hydrotherapy is a great option especially in dogs who have muscle atrophy. Unfortunately it cannot be done with cats. Hydrotherapy is done in a small swimming pool and involves massage and physical therapy in the water. I have seen excellent results with hydrotherapy especially combined with acupuncture. Hydrotherapy helps to rebuild muscles, increase range of motion and work out sore and sensitive areas of the body without the impact on the body of exercise on land. Taking your dog to shallow ocean shores is an excellent way to build up their quad strength and range of motion. 
  • Herbs I have worked with Chinese herbs with many of these arthritic dogs and some cats. The combination of acupuncture and herbs usually helps with pain and movement and helps animals maintain between treatments. Some animals do not do well on Chinese herbs, occasionally some diarrhoea from the liquorice coating may occur so it is important to work with us as your herbal practitioner to find the right combination to help your particular animals. The vast majority do quite well on a combination of Du huo hi sheng wan and corydalis plus some bai zi ren.  TCM states that fresh ginger (Sheng Jiang) works the "exterior" conditions. Disperses Cold. Warms the Middle Burner and alleviates vomiting and powdered ginger (Gan Jiang) works the "interior". i.e. works "deeper”, warms the Channels, treats abdominal pain, nausea, gas, bloating, etc. You can use it in formulas and supplements (in powdered form) or you can cook the dog food with it fresh or with powder to decrease problems with digestion, gas, and I use it in my recipes for IBD.
  • Essential oils and trigger point work: We have found essential oils with herbs most useful, and make up a "raindrop kit” including copaiba and Helichrysum: all wonderful oils to be applied regularly.  Other herbs and food/nutrition products we may add include:     
  • PEA- palmitoylethanolamide- a product originally found in egg yolk, binds to the cannabinoid receptors and helps with pain and inflammation
  • Boswelia (Frankincense) for inflammation involved with arthritic pain.
  • Devils claw for pain. It is specific when treating arthritis.
  • Celery for fluid retention around joints
  • Ginger for relief from muscular aches and pain and increases circulation
  • Cat's claw
  • Turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory
  • St. John's Wort for pain and general inflammation.
  • Willow bark may be useful for dogs for any pain. (Be careful of dose and give with food- This is where aspirin comes from.)

 

Fish Oil / Omega Oils

The Omega 3 Fatty Acids in fish and cod liver oil actually helps decrease arthritic inflammation in dogs. Adding a little fish oil to the diet can help many animals. Hemp and Flax oil also are good sources of omega 3, although animal omega origin is better for cats.

 

Glucosamine/MSM/Chondroitin

These supplements help to decrease inflammation and rebuild damaged cartilage. They are often sold in combination. The nice thing about these supplements is that they have few side effects and are very safe. Some animals have a wonderful response to them and some have almost no response. It usually takes a month to six weeks to see if your animal will have a positive response.

GAG Adequan/Zydaxx/Cartrophen/Synovan injections can also be given to increase the joint fluid and lubricate the joints.  It is also a lot easier to give to cats who are hard to medicate daily. After the initial series of injections (one injection every 5-7 days, dose dependent on body weight) it usually only needs to be given once a month, and in many cases only 3 monthly or at the onset of winter.

  • Vitamin C for its anti-inflammatory effect. Also helps with pain
  • Spirulina
  • Wheat and barley grass
  • Kelp

 

 Chiropractics

  • We use a type of Chiro adjustment called VOM. (Veterinary orthopaedic Manipulation) and a Bowen type of adjustment. 

 

Massage/Acupressure

  • Massage can help to loosen tight muscles and increase blood circulation. It also can help with pain. We know it works for us, why not for our animal friends. Once again make sure you find a massage practitioner who is certified to work with animals.

Acupressure works with the acupuncture points and helps decrease pain and relax muscles.

There are many great books on acupressure and massage for animals. Here are a few

 

  • Reiki/Bowen/Polarity/Craniosacral and other energy therapies These therapies help stimulate the body to heal and can decrease pain and improve quality of life. Since there is little regulation of these therapies it is important to get a referral before seeing someone. This is especially true of Reiki since there are so many people who practice it. A good practitioner can make a huge difference in an animal’s quality of life.
  • Quantum physics/distance healing and the use of electrical bio field instruments- although initially thought to be very "woo woo" by some there are many bio resonance machines that some practitioners use that have been shown to give good results. 
  • Stem cell is a new breakthrough technology that uses canine stem cells, to provide extended relief from pain in everyday activities. The stem cells are extracted from the excess fat that is removed in a routine desex of the Guide Dogs, so it is a safe, sterile and humane way of extracting such important cells. The stem cells stimulates the natural regeneration system in the damaged joints. The operation is an in-house procedure, where your dog can be home in time for supper. We can use a mild sedation/pain relief to give these injection painlessly as an outpatient, or combine this with another necessary procedure (such as a dental scale and polish) under the same General Anaesthetic

Often time’s animals will begin with acupuncture and herbs and then we will add in other therapies as needed. The use of our Accell therapy mat, and our experienced remedial massage nurses can do wonders with our patients. 

Wishing you and your pet all the best and looking forward to working with you further.

 

Dr Elaine Cebuliak BVSc MACVSc dentistry, Dip Ed, Dip Rem Massage, Cert Chinese Herbs, Cert IVAS Qual Acupuncture, CMAVA.