Doggy Health

Follow up for all doggy friends and healers.
Dear Vicki, Just read the recent newsletter and would like to pass on help to owner of dog with arthritis. My retriever was diagnosed with severe arthritis in an elbow joint I too did not want to treat her with drugs, the only treatment she had from the vet was a course of cartrophen injections, natural collagen. She did see a specialist at Glasgow vet school where she received acupuncture and I was shown various massaging techniques. This has helped a lot and she enjoys the massage. I give her a healthy diet with vegetables avoiding artificial additives, with her food she has Garlic and Fenugreek and vegetable tablets from Dorwest herbs a company in Dorset. And of course I think Sekhem has something to do with how well she is now! If this person wants to hear more I will be pleased to help.
Love Eileenx
p.s. for future reference - our vet in Inverurie do accupuncture, really helps dogs with arthritis to be more supple and pain free. b

Thanks girls - I thought I'd do my bit too by scanning from the book we always refer to for our pets here:

From The Natural Way for Dogs and Cats by Midi Fairgrieve ISBN 0 85207 344 5

Muscle and joint problems

Muscle and joint problems include arthritis, rheumatism, hip dysplaxia, bone fractures, sprains and strains, dislocation, slipped disc, spinal problems and paralysis. Suitable treatments include acupuncture, aromatherapy, biochemical tissue salts, chiropractic, diet and supplements flower essences, healing, herbs, homoeopathy and T-touch.

Arthritis (osteoarthritis and rheumatism)

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints, mostly affecting older pets and can be crippling and extremely painful. The two most usual form of the disease are osteoarthritis and rheumatism. Dogs tend to be affected more than cats. Signs and symptoms of arthritis in your pet include: stiffness, especially after rest, aggravated symptoms in cold, damp weather, difficulty jumping up or climbing stairs, lagging behind on walks, soreness hours after exercise, swollen or painful joints and lameness.

Nutrition is the key element in the holistic prevention and treatment of arthritis to the extent that animals brought up on a natural preservative-free diet seldom suffer from this disease. Arthritis is often a result of frequent or multiple vaccination, poor nutrition with hereditary factors.

Arthritis is a whole-body disease and therefore needs an holistic approach to treatment. Because it is an autoimmune disease, emphasis is on boosting the immune system and improving the overall health of the animal as well as encouraging elimination of toxins. Toxins settle in the joints, making the problem worse, therefore detoxification needs to be part of treatment. Holistic treatment may not bring about a complete cure, but it can slow its progression and give your pet a much more comfortable life. Arthritis is a chronic disease, therefore natural therapies require patience and commitment since treatment will be long-term.

Structural therapies like chiropractic are of great help in all musculoskeletal problems. Acupuncture and healing also help greatly with pain relief, boosting the immune system and stimulating self-healing. If you do decide to opt for the natural approach remember that steroid drugs should only be phased out under veterinary guidance.

Diet

Change to a natural preservative-free diet that includes plenty of raw vegetables, easily digested protein e.g. fish, eggs, chicken, turkey, plus (for dogs) live yoghurt, cottage cheese and tofu, cooked whole grains e.g. brown rice, and pure fresh water, not tap water. Potatoes, tomatoes and peppers can aggravate arthritis, so avoid feeding these. Fasting for one day a week helps to remove toxins from the system. During the fast you can give your pet carrot and celery juice, barley water, rice water or vegetable-broth water. If your pet is overweight this puts extra strain on joints and ligaments and speeds up degeneration.

Glucosamine sulphate helps bone cartilage to rebuild, leading to greater joint mobility and pain relief (give 250-1,000mg, 3 times daily for up to 3 months, then reduce the dose to twice a day). Also add cod-liver oil (1/2-3 teaspoons) daily for 6 months. Acorn supplements Ltd (UK) make an excellent veterinary supplement called Osteo Ease which I have had consistently successful results with. It includes herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and biochemical’s to help relieve pain, improve mobility, repair damaged tissue and strengthen the immune system. Other helpful additions to the diet include apple cider vinegar (1/2-3 teaspoons), a yeast free vitamin-B complex (1-3 tablets), kelp (1-3 tablets), vitamin C (500-7,000mg), vitamin E (50-300iu), bone-meal, wheat-germ oil (1/2-2 teaspoons) lecithin (1/2-2 teaspoons), green-lipped mussel and a good-quality, multi-mineral and vitamin complex. Add one of the green super-foods, plus kelp to cleanse and nurture the system. Older pets or those with digestive problems may also need digestive enzymes. As a preventative measure, it is really important to give good nutrition to pregnant females (to protect their young from developing arthritis by providing a natural diet and additional vitamin C).

Exercise - Moderate, regular exercise related to your pet's breed, and plenty of sunshine and warmth. Dogs benefit from swimming in the sea but make sure they are dried well afterwards so that they do not sit around damp and cold.

Aromatherapy - Massaging the affected areas using essential oils is soothing to stiff and painful joints and increases the circulation. Beneficial oils include juniper, eucalyptus, birch, thyme, rosemary and pine. Add a few drops of one or more essential oils to a base of olive oil or sweet almond oil.

Bach flower remedies - Use crab apple for cleansing and detoxifying, hornbeam for strengthening. Biochemical tissue salts - Use calc. flour., nat. phos. and nat. sulph. Use silica for inherited joint pains, combination M for rheumatic pain.

Herbs - The following herbs help to reduce inflammation and relieve pain - garlic, feverfew, devil's claw, cleavers and ginger. Alfalfa, aloe vera and chlorophyll help to cleanse toxins from the body. Use cat's claw to boost the immune system. Liquorice root is a natural anti-inflammatory. Other herbs that can be added to food include the green leaf herbs, such as nettles, dandelions, watercress and parsley, which are all good detoxifiers. (Parsley, and watercress are also high in vitamin C.) Comfrey is the bone-healing herb. One herb that seems to stand out on its own in the treatment of arthritis is boswellia, which is highly anti-inflammatory and anti-pain. A combination of slippery elm and cayenne in a 10:1 ratio can be mixed into a paste with water and used as a poultice.

Homoeopathy- Rhus tox. is the 'classic' arthritis remedy for stiffness on getting up, that eases with movement, but is worse in cold, damp weather. Give bryonia when pain is worse for movement, arnica for swelling or bruising, calc. carb. for old, stiff, overweight pets.

And since we appear to be having a doggy section we may as well let them have the last word!

Life Explained

On the first day God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years."
The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give you back the other ten." So God agreed.
On the second day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks, make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty-year life span."
The monkey said, "How boring, monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?" And God agreed.
On the third day God created the cow. God said, "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years."
The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty and I'll give back the other forty." And God agreed again.
On the forth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. I'll give you twenty years."
Man said, "What? Only twenty years! Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back and the ten the monkey gave back and the ten the dog gave back, that makes eighty, okay?"
"Okay," said God, "You've got a deal."
So that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, and enjoy ourselves; for the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; for the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren; and for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you.