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Does your dog have Arthritis? Check out these Treatments
By: Tippy
Canine Arthritis is a disease that strikes about sixty-five
percent of all dogs between the ages of ten and fifteen
years of age. It is a debilitating disease that can leave
your dog in severe pain and may even cripple it. If you
believe that your dog may have the symptoms of Canine
Arthritis then you should consult your veterinarian
immediately. Your veterinarian may prescribe some over-the-
counter medicines that may help with the pain.
However, if you are interested in treating your dog with canine
arthritis with all natural alternative medicines and procedures
there are plenty from which to choose. Natural procedures and
alternatives are less likely than commercial drugs to cause
side effects that are as bad if not worse than Canine
Arthritis. For example, NSAID's are known to cause severe
liver damage if taken for long periods like your dog would
need to do to treat Canine Arthritis pain.
Some pet owners elect to give their dog both types of
treatment in hopes of either reversing the disease or
getting their pet relief more quickly. Whatever method you
choose use to treat your dog, be sure to consult your
veterinarian before starting the regimen.
Here are some natural procedures and herbs that may help to
ease your dog's pain if it has Canine Arthritis:
Alfalfa:
Alfalfa has been known to soothe swelling joints. The way
that you give your dog alfalfa is by brewing a tea from the
alfalfa herbs. Take one to three tablespoons of dried fresh
alfalfa leaves and pour boiling water over them. Let steep
for five minutes and when the tea is cool mix it with your
dog's food. Give your dog tea made from one to three
tablespoons of alfalfa depending on the dog's weight and
build.
Mussels:
Greenlip mussels and Perna mussels have been studied and
shown to restore damaged connective tissues in the body. If
you can't find fresh mussels then there are extracts from
shellfish that you can buy to give to your pet. You can find
these in your health food store's pet section or in a pet
health food store.
Yucca:
Yucca is a natural steroid that can relieve discomfort
brought on by arthritis and hip dysplasia. There are now
many veterinarians recommending Yucca as part of regimen to
treat these diseases.
Vegetables:
There are many minerals contained in vegetables that help
with all kinds of diseases. If you mix these vegetables with
your dog's food they won't notice much especially if you
grind them to mush first. Choose vegetables like cabbage,
broccoli, asparagus, parsley and carrots, which are all high
in useful nutrients.
Stinging Nettle:
Stinging Nettle is a blood purifier that can help dogs with
Canine Arthritis. This will reduce inflammation over a
period of time. You can buy Stinging Nettle as a tea and
brew it and mix it with your dog's food like the alfalfa
tea. You can alternate the two remedies, giving one tea one
day and the other the next.
Comfrey:
Dogs can eat comfrey in its natural form as a leaf. If you
add chopped rosemary and parsley to the comfrey you dog will
like it, especially if you mix it with its other food. Give
this mix daily for best effects, it helps to relieve the
symptoms of Canine Arthritis.
Massage Oils:
If you lavish affection and petting on your dog anyway then
why not try some doggy massage? If you flinch every time you
see your dog wince in pain you can rub some herbal oils into
your dog's joints.
There are horse liniments and other massage oils with herbs
that are supposed to help reduce inflammation that you can
buy from your health food store. If you don't or can't get
them then you can use some olive oil or sunflower oil. Olive
oil also helps the dog's coat to shine and look nice, that
is if it doesn't lick it all off...
Acupuncture:
Some acupuncturists will actually perform their work on your
dog to give them relief from arthritis. This is still
controversial but many pet owners have said that it works
very well to relieve arthritis for their dog. Be sure to
find a registered and certified acupuncturist that can do
this for your dog. If the acupuncturist you find has never
performed acupuncture on an animal then try to find another
acupuncturist who has.
Natural herbal remedies have been used for centuries by
people to cure ills and help people and animals get better.
Although the medical field hasn't quickly accepted herbs and
vitamins as helpful or as contributions to the health of a
body, such effects have been proven over and over again and
doctors are increasingly prescribing and using natural
medicines themselves.
Getting relief to your dog by any means isn't necessarily
the correct approach, some treatments can be harmful, but
doing all that you can for your dog is. Be sure to check
with your veterinarian before trying any treatment for your
dog with Canine Arthritis, some herbs do interact with
medicines and can cause serious side effects.
