Natural Therapies for a Dog with Arthritis

Arthritis takes months or years to evolve and it is a painful inflammatory condition. There are other causes of lameness in pets besides arthritis, such as neurological disorders and cancers. A proper diagnosis is essential before choosing any therapy.

Conventional medications, such as corticosteroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, do have their place in the treatment of some arthritic pets, but these drugs can result in detrimental side effects, which makes using them as the sole long-term therapy a poor choice for any but the very few pets that do not improve with any other treatment. When they are necessary, conventional medications should be used in a holistic fashion: the lowest dose that provides relief to pets should be used as infrequently as possible to avoid serious side effects.

Natural Therapies in the Treatment of Arthritic Pain

Natural therapies all have their place in the treatment of pets with arthritis. Often one of them can serve as the sole therapy. When needed, lower doses of conventional medications can be combined with natural remedies to help pets on extremely painful days.

Here, then, is my approach to arthritic pets:

1. First, a correct diagnosis is important. And because arthritis is a degenerative process, the earlier a correct diagnosis is made and the proper treatment is started, the sooner we can attempt to make pets feel better and slow down the destruction of the joint.

2. Once we can pinpoint the location of the lameness or pain and are comfortable that we are not dealing with some other cause of lameness (immunological joint destruction, infectious arthritis, neurological disease, or cancer), we perform diagnostic testing. This usually involves taking radiographs (X-rays) of the affected bones and joints. Because of the different views that must be obtained in order to fully evaluate the joints and because many arthritic pets are in pain, the radiographs are usually taken while pets are under heavy sedation or anesthesia.

3. Ancillary diagnostic testing, such as blood and urine testing, may be needed to make sure that internal diseases are not causing the clinical signs. Also, since many pets are older animals, it’s important to diagnose and treat any coexisting conditions. And if drug therapy, such as nonsteroidal medications, must be given, it is important to make sure that any underlying problems that could worsen with conventional medicines, such as kidney or liver disease, are not present.

Discussing Treatment Options with your Vet

4. After I make my diagnosis, I discuss the numerous treatment options with the owners. I often treat pets in severe pain with traditional medical therapy, such as low doses of nonsteroidal medications, over a short time to give quick relief. And I place most if not all pets on oral joint supplements, herbs, and homotoxicology medications. Pets with severely debilitating arthritis may be started on weekly injections of chondroprotective agents to achieve a faster result while waiting for the oral supplements to kick in.

5. Laser therapy, acupuncture, and/or chiropractic therapy are used as needed. Typically, I use laser therapy treatments twice weekly for one month and then as needed to maintain the pets’ healing process. Laser therapy can produce fast and dramatic results and is not painful for pets or expensive for owners.

Your Dog Has Arthritis? Doing What Is Best for the Arthritic Pet

Each doctor develops his or her favorite approach to dealing with various disorders, including arthritis. In order to treat pets holistically, it’s important to do what’s best for the pets’ overall health and well-being. Pets must be treated humanely. Owners should be involved in treatment decisions for their pets.

There is no hard and fast rule I use when deciding what treatment is best for particular patients. I explain options to the owners, including side effects and costs of the treatments. The owners and I form a team whose goal it is to do what’s best for the pets. When owners are involved, they are more likely to take an interest in the therapy. They are vital members of the treatment team and know they are important to the pets’ outcome. This is a far different approach from that of the doctor who sees himself or herself as “God” and uses “shotgun” therapy with no owner involvement. Owners are loving, dedicated, kindhearted people. It is essential that they be involved in the decision-making process, as they are ultimately responsible for their pets.

For more information about holistic pet care, or to find a holistic veterinarian in your area, contact the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association at 410-569-0795 and visit the Pet Care Naturally website at www.petcarenaturally.com.

This article was excerpted with permission from the book:

Natural Vet's Guide to Preventing and Treating Arthritis
by Shawn Messonnier, DVM.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, New World Library, Novato, CA. © 2011. www.newworldlibrary.com

Click here for more info and/or to order this book on Amazon.

About the Author

A graduate of Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine and the author of several books, Dr. Messonnier is a regular holistic pet columnist for the Dallas Morning News. His popular column is distributed across North America by Knight Ridder News Service. Shawn has shared his thoughts on integrative pet care with millions of pet owners as a contributor to various pet publications and magazines. Visit his website at http://www.petcarenaturally.com.