At Woodside Animal Clinic we have been having increasing success managing fearful, aggressive, and destructive behavior with minerals, anti anxiety herbs, homeopathics, flower essences, essential oils, nutritional and dietary changes and especially “neurotransmitter therapy”.   Often several of these supplements are used in combination and then combined with behavior modification techniques.    The use of the neurotransmitter therapy along with dietary modification and nutraceuticals appears to place an animal in a state where they are calmer, less dominant, and less fearful so they are easier to manage and train.

Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals derived from specific amino acid precursors.  The brain produces foue primary neurotransmitters which in turn produce distinctly different brain states.   These different states of mind create a mood which affects the rest of the body thru both nerve pathways and endocrine (hormonal) connections.  Neurotransmitters appear to be the master conductors of the body.    Of course there are other neurotransmitters besides these major four but , for the sake of space, I will limit my discussion to these four.

Communication between the brain and the body, between the various endocrine organs, and between various cells of the body is necessary to maintain balance and have all parts of the body work in harmony.   Think again of an orchestra with its many different instruments playing their distinct parts each of which must harmonize with the whole.    In order for this to happen there must be a conductor to guide the individual orchestral sections.    The conductor not only cues the various instruments he also calls for greater or lesser volume, and maintains the tempo depending on what the music calls for.    Of course the orchestra we call a living body is much more complicated and therefore a   much more sophisticated line of communication is needed. In the paragraphs to follow I will discuss neurotransmitter and how they conduct the bodies vast communication network.

Whether you are a human being or a pet your brain produces 4  major neurotransmitters each of which cause the brain to operate at distinctly different frequencies which in turn produces distinctly different mental  states or moods.  Below is a chart listing  these 4 distinctions as they relate to humans.   Since the  brains  of animals are anatomically similar and produce these same neurotransmitters   we can only assume that they experience similar  mental states.   The basic personality differences we find in young  animals may be a result of excesses or  deficiencies in these chemicals.  ie. shy fear biters or aggressive dominance etc.  As  we learn more about these 4 major neurotransmitters we may be able to adjust or  balance them in  people and pets in order to correct basic personality  disorders.   

Neurochemical      Frequency     Brain wave     Amino acid          Mental state                                                                    Function                                                                                                                                                                                               .                                                                                  

  1) Dopamine       (12-16 hertz)       Delta waves         Tyrosine                     Sleep                       Voltage       

 2) Acetylcholine   (8-12 hertz)        Theta waves       phosphotidylserine

  3) GABA                    (4-8  hertz)         Alpha waves       Glutamine                   Daydreaming       Rhythm

4} Serotonin         (1-4  hertz)             Beta aves        tryptophan                   Thinking               

These brain states,  however, are not limited to the brain,   they affect the  entire body via  their connection to the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine system, and secretion of  information molecules.    Here is where  the body mind  connection is born.

If any one the nutritional precursors (amino acids) used to manufacture these 4 major  neuro chemicals is  deficient then the   associated neurotransmitter will  be deficient and the body’s mental state  will be affected.  Adding one of the above amino  acids to the  diet can help correct a neuro-transmitter deficiency and re establish balance between  these 4 neuro chemicals.    The 4 amino acid precursors tryptophan,  tyrosine,  phosphatidylserine, and glutamine  can be  used to change an animal’s or person’s overall tone and personality.  

Allow me give you a very quick course in neurotransmitters.  The nervous system is made up of individual cells called neurons.   They act more or less as the body’s wiring.   Electrical nerve impulses pass down  this wiring.   When a nerve impulse reaches the end of a neuron it is able to jump over to the next neuron using chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. These neurochemicals are stored in tiny sacs at the end of each neuron.   When the nerve impulse reaches the end  of the neuron it triggers a response which causes these sacs to empty there contents into the gap that separates one nerve from another.   These spaces are known as synapses.     When the secreted neurotransmitters  reach the other side of the synapse they cause the next neuron to fire and the impulses continues down the nerve accordingly.

Now lets talk in more detail about the four major neurotransmitters:

 GABA  (Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid) is the brain’s natural Valium.  It is synthesized in the body from its precursor amino acid Glutamine.  Vitamin B6  and pyridoxine 6 phosphate are also  precursor needed to form GABA.   GABA is involved in the production of endorphins which produces the GABA quality of calmness.     GABA is also the body’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter and the major controller of brain rhythm.  A rhythmic brain creates and receives electricity in a smooth and even flow as contrasted with bursts.   Rhythm determines how we handle life’s stresses.   GABA hinders the transmission of impulses from one neuron to another and slows neuronal transmission.  It has a calming and quieting influence which provide relaxing, anti anxiety and anti convulsive effects.    Inositol enhances the effects of GABA.

Serotonin is the brains natural Prozac.  The body manufactures Serotonin from the precursor amino acid tryptophan.   By increasing the amount of tryptophan in the diet you can elevate the serotonin levels thereby producing the same effect as Prozac.    Balancing the brain means synchronizing the right and left hemispheres.  When our hemispheres are “in sync” we feel peaceful and secure.

Dopamine is the 3rd major neurotransmitters.   Dopamine manages brain voltage .  The nervous system manufactures dopamine from the amino acid precursor Tyrosine.  Tyrosine is converted to L Dopa and then to Dopamine.   Dopamine has many important roles in behavior including sleep, mood, attention and learning.  It is associated with stimulation of the  pleasure centers of the brain .  Deficient dopamine is linked to attention deficit disorders  and loss of creativity in humans.  Dopamine has been associated with the processing of pain such that decreased levels of dopamine encourage painful conditions such as fibromyalgia in people.  Insufficient dopamine can cause  Parkinsons , in which the body loose its ability to execute smooth controlled movements.   It is important to point out that we must always balance Serotonin with Dopamine.   If we just add tryptophan with out tyrosine to the diet we will drive down the dopamine neurotransmitters and loose brain voltage. 

Acetylcholine  is the  4th major neurotransmitter.   Acetylcholine  works primarily at the synapse and allows for the transmission of nerve impulses across the synapse or space between two nerves or at the neuromuscular junction.    If too little of the amino acid precursor, phosphatidlyserine , is present in the diet there will eventually develop a deficiency of acetylcholine.  Such a deficiency will cause nerve transmission to slow down and consequently communication between different parts of the brain and body will be affected   Providing   increased levels of either choline or phosphatidylserine  in the diet will stimulate the production of acetycholine in Alzheimers patients and dogs with cognitive disorders..   It  helps them to think more clearly.  Choline loading has been used with senior pets to help them remain more aware, reduce urinary incontinence and help prevent seizures. This form of therapy is known as “choline loading.”  We have had good success treating urinary incontinence and senility in dogs and cats by stimulating acetylcholine production.

Anxiety and depression problems can be treated with neurotransmitter therapy combined with one or more of the following supplements:  B vitamins especially niacinamide;  Minerals primarily magnesium;   Herbs such as valerian, St Johns Wart, kava kava, and chamomile;   Essential oils such as Lavender;  flower essences and homeopathics; laser therapy, electro crystal rebalancing and acupuncture.

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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 bi monthly pet care column in the Natural Awakening magazine.   He is a past president of the Oakland County Veterinary Medical Association and has served on the executive board of both the Southeastern Veterinary Medical Association and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association

Woodside Animal Clinic  sees pets from all over the greater Detroit Michigan 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,  Windsor, and Toledo.

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Feed a high quality, higher fiber, low protein diet prescription diet available from all veterinarians–

or — feed a home made kidney diet by following a receipe that we  make availablet to our patients. The diet will decrease the formation of waste protein toxins, discourage obesity and reduce the work load of the kidney.

Encourage your dog or cat to drink more by providing lots of fresh water throughout the day.  Doing this will promote proper hydration while at the same time flush the kidney and reduce accumulating protein toxins.     Adding Celtic sea salt to the pet’s food will encourgage drinking, provide trace minerals he or she are likely to be deficient  in, and alkalinize the animal’s body   Checking the pet’s blood pressure is recommended, especially when adding salt to the diet,  to help detect hypertension.       

Make sure your dog or cat receives a regular dental prophylaxis to reduce oral bacteria  which are injurious to the animals kidneys, liver, and heart.  Home dental care is probably more important for pets than for humans.                                

Supplement your dog or cat’s diet with anti-oxidant enzymes, vitamins, minerals,  and glandulars to reduce tissue injury by free radicals and to stimulate natural immunity.  Omega 3 fatty acids, Coenzyme Q10 and alpha lipoic acid  are 3  important supplements that promotes kidney health.  Homeopathics that can be placed in the pet’s drinking water are also beneficial.   Of course it is better to begin these supplements early on in life before the kidneys have received significant damage and symptoms become apparent.   Strategically detoxifying the body with special homotoxicologic and nutritional formulas is an important adjunct to treating kidney disease and most any other disease in the body.

Starting these same supplements after kidney damage or kidney failure have been detected will help conserve the remaining kidney cells but will not restore the cells that have died.    

Have your veterinarian perform semi annual blood and urine testing to monitor your dog’s kidney function and to provide an early warning system for the development of other degenerative disease.  Recently a new urine test, the ERD micro albuminuria test, has become available.  The ERD test requires only a small amount of urine and can detect kidney disease much earlier than blood tests.  Any dog or cat over the age of 6 years old should be routinely tested with an ERD test because not only does it detect kidney disease but  it is also a screen for inflammatory disease of many other organs.

Recent scientific literature out of Europe has shown Infrared laser therapy to provide beneficial effects in both kidney and liver disease. 

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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 Michigan 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,  Windsor, and Toledo.

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As the arthritis progresses the dog may begin to hold up or favor one limb. He or she may walk with short stiff steps and the dog’s gait may show a hind end instability. At the end stages of arthritis the pet may not be able to rise without the owners help.  It is very sad when an otherwise healthy animal is euthanized because their owner is unable to lift them up to get them outside when they need to eliminate.

It is my opinion that much of the arthritis our dogs experience could be eliminated by changing their diets from a grain based food to a more meat based recipe.   Just because the first ingredient on the ingredient list is meat does not make the diet “meat based”.   The only way to distinguish if a food is meat based is to asked the company’s nutritionist (not customer support person) “what percent of their food is meat when measured on a dry matter basis ?”   Judged on this basis, most pet foods are no more than 20% meat. Grain based diets are hard for carnivores to digest and, consequently, the poorly digested large grain protein molecules act as allergens which damage the intestinal lining and result in a “leaky gut syndrome”. This leaky gut allows grain protein molecules to get into the blood stream where they can migrate to the pet’s joints and set up an inflammatory reaction. Feeding a meat based diet helps to prevent the above sequence of events. Finally, keeping your pet on the slender side in old age and better yet all his or her life will definitely reduce the risk of arthritis developing,   Supplementing the diet with digestive enzymes, fish oil,  antioxidants, and  herbal anti inflammatories will help reduce the likelihood of arthritis.  

If your dog has already developed arthritis there are a number of ways to help slow the progression and reduce the discomfort from the disease. Injections of “chondroprotective” substances which increase joint fluid and encourage cartilage repair can be very effective. Personally I am not a big proponent of using non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) to reduce inflammation and pain because their long term use may result in gastro intestinal, liver, and kidney disease. It has also been shown that long term use of NSAIDs in humans actually results in cartilage degeneration.  Providing glucosamine, chondroitin , MSM, Adequin and antioxidants in place of NSAIDs can help restore joint integrity and, in my opinion, is a much preferred approach.

Other ways to treat advanced arthritis include acupuncture, chiropractic, “infra sonic therapy”, “pulsed magnetic therapy”, prolotherapy, low level laser therapy, physical therapy and massage therapy. Teaching pet owners how to massage their pet and provide passive range of motion can be very helpful in extending and enhancing their pets quality of life.

Finally, I want let my readers know about a very exciting advance in arthritis therapy. Adult stem cell technology is now available to help treat advanced arthritis. The stem cells are harvested from the patients own fat. These stem cells can be injected intravenously or directly into joints. These injected primitive cells will develop into connective tissue and cartilaginous cells which will help to rejuvenate the damaged joint. This technology is has already been used successfully in hundreds of dogs and horses and although still on the expensive side is now available to the family pet.  

The only problem with stem cell therapy ithat it is relatively expensive and requires the pet be anethetized for the harvesting of the adult stem cells from body  fat.   Prolotherapy is a less expensive option and one sense could be seen as the “poor man stem cell therapy” because it also stimulates the body produce more supportive connective tissue around the unstable joint.

Detecting the early signs of arthritis and instituting early treatment can make a huge difference in the success of therapy. Providing a high quality meat based diet, with omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants can help prevent the onset of arthritis and help extend both the quality and quantity of the pet’s life.

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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.

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