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 arthritis progresses there is a steady degeneration of the dog’s joint cartilage.  This cartilage is a cushion in the dog’s elbow, knee, ankle, shoulder, or hip.  Cartilage gives the dog the mobility to run and play.   As this cartilage begins to be rubbed thin,  the bones will begin to grind against each other, causing excruciating pain.

Dogs in the earlier stages of arthritis may have mild pain and lose as much as 20% of their joints range of motion.  Consequently, they appear stiff when they get up and walk.  As their arthritis progresses, as much as 50% of their joint’s range of motion may be lost.  Because they are often in severe pain they will be reluctant to move and the less they move the more weight they gain.  This added weight puts additional stress on their joints.    Lack of movement and reduced exercise results in weaken musculature.   Pain, added weight and weakened muscles are all part of a vicious cycle that leads to less and less movement until the pet can no longer get up and must be carried out to go to the bathroom.   If the pet is large and can not be easily carried, euthanasia can sadly become the only alternative.

 In addition to making walking difficult, severe arthritis often results in personality and behavioral changes.  A dog’s pain may cause them to withdraw from the family and seek secluded places.   Because rising may be very painful arthritic pets may soil the rug where they lie rather than ask to go out.    Because squatting is painful arthritic pets often become constipated.   Dogs and cats in pain can become aggressive and ornery and start to bite.   Dogs that were once friendly will not want to be touched by anyone including trusted family members.

So what’s the solution?   Conventional medicine attempts to solve the problem with laboratory manufactured corticosteroids or non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs.  Both these products are usually effective in reducing inflammation and pain but ultimately result in further joint deterioration and can damage other organs such as the stomach, liver, and kidney.  

On the other hand the alternative medical approach is to use nutritional joint support substances, weight loss, medicinal herbs, anti- oxidants, mega vitamin and mineral therapy, omega 3 fatty acids, chiropractic care, physical therapy, and   acupuncture to reduce pain and inflammation and to support joint health rather than simply removing the symptoms.    A special injection combining nutritionals Adequin and Legend has worked remarkably well at rehabilitating a joints.  This approach is much gentler on the body and rarely results in any serious side effects.  

Of course it is not necessary to wait until your dog is lame before you take steps to help your pet.   Being proactive makes much more sense.   Feeding your healthy dog or cat a high quality, free range, meat based diet and supplementing with raw vegetables, digestive enzymes, and omega 3 fatty acids will go along toward preventing the onset of arthritis.   A special combination injection of Adequin and Legend we

                                  ****************************************************

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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