Posts Tagged ‘dogs’

Dear Dr. Simon, 

I have a 12 year old Labrador Retriever named Joe who has had arthritis in his hind legs for the past 3 years.  My veterinarian has  put Joe on cortisone tablets which have helped allot but have also made him eat and drink too much.  Do you know of any alternative approaches to treating arthritis ?

Dear Reader, 

I am glad you asked this question.   Far too many old arthritic dogs have been put on long term cortisone therapy.  Although cortisone is very effective in treating arthritis it can produce many detrimental side effects. One serious problem accompanying cortisone therapy is that it stimulates the animal’s appetite and thirst and consequently he or she gains weight, which puts additional stress on the already painful hind legs and back. 

If Joe is at all overweight he should be put on a high fiber low fat diet until he reaches a weight that you might consider “slightly thin”. You should also make sure that his nails are not overgrown and hurting his feet. 

One of the most common alternatives to cortisone therapy is to use drugs like aspirin.  These “non-steroidal anti-inflammatory” drugs frequently work well in treating the symptoms of arthritis but are not really getting at the cause of the problem.  Non-steroidals also tend to irritate the lining of the digestive tract and can result in ulcers.

Fortunately, there are a number of other approaches to the treatment of arthritis.  The use of anti-oxidant enzymes, vitamins, and minerals along with medications that encourage the regeneration of joint cartilage and increase the production of joint fluid is a very effective and safe way to begin anti-arthritic therapy.  

Frequently arthritis is the result of stretched ligaments, which produce joint instability.  Injections into these ligaments know as “prolotherapy” along with supportive oral medication can encourage the ligaments to thicken and reduce abnormal movement. 

Other alternative approaches to treating arthritis are acupuncture and magnetic field therapy both of which are considered mainstream medicine in Japan.  Western and Eastern herbal therapy, chiropractic, and homeopathy have also been found to be extremely helpful in treating arthritis in pets and humans.  Very recently stem cell therapy has become available for helping horses and dogs with arthritis.

                                                        

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Woodside Animal Clinic is a unique, very personal,  one doctor practice where, for over 35 years, Dr. Simon has been healing dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, rodents, and reptiles with both conventional and alternative medicine.  Dr.  Simon is the author  of 4 pet care books and he writes a monthly pet care column in the Mirror newspaper.

Woodside Animal Clinic sees pets from all over the greater Detroit area including Royal Oak, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Detroit, Hazel Park, Madison Heights, Warren, Centerline, Clawson,  Troy, Sterling Heights, Southfield, Birmingham, Bingham Farms, Franklin, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Novi, Wixom, Brighton, Livonia, Plymouth, Commerce, Ann Arbor, Ortonville, Waterford, Union Lake,  Rochester,  Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Utica,   Romeo and Flint..