Alternative Options For Ageing, Arthritic Dog

[Little Gifts]

I've sought advice from you wonderful DOLers before about my sister's dog. She is a husky/shep cross, just turned 11 and has really only started developing health problems over the last year.

She is quite mobile and active but was showing signs of stiffness and some stair stumbling. She's recently been diagnosed with arthritis but was having weekly injections for a month and has Sascha's Blend every night. She has no problem getting on and off furniture or in and out of the car. We have had a sudden cold snap and last night she cried in pain when one of the dogs bashed into her in excitement. She was very stiff this morning in the neck and legs but let me give her a bit of a massive to lengthen out her spine. She has a very full coat. She sleeps either on our beds, on the carpet or on the timber floor at night, depending on how she feels. She is not a fan of having a blanket over her and doesn't need a fleece coat but my sister wondered if there could be any benefits to her sleeping on a magnetised blanket. People do it so I wondered if anyone had tried anything similar for their dog and found it beneficial?

People might laugh but my old Stafford girl who was almost 17 when she was pts used to wear a magnetised hematite necklace. It started as a joke when I got given it one Christmas and stuck it on her but it really did seem to help her mobility and it's not like she knew what she was wearing it for. I've been trying to find where I put her old necklace (no luck just yet) so I can remake it to fit my sister's dog to see if it assists her too. Anyone else ever tried this or other crystals on their dogs?

[persephone]

is acupuncture a possible option?

A product which worked wonderfully well with our old Sally horse (and the odd human) is available from McDowell Herbal ... anti inflam/painkiller . It can also be tweaked to suit if you discuss it per phone/email.

magnet therapy can be useful - yes .. and if she is placid -- she may appreciate warm wheatbags :) Old gertie LOOVES her HW bottles (I use2/ 3 ltr drink bottles with hot tap water ..and slid inside a very thick explorer sock ) She will lie with them..and rest her hips , or shoulder . on them .... :)

Edited May 4, 2014 by persephone

[ness]

I have the mesh version of the back on track coats for mine. https://www.backontr...f/195/dog-rugs/

My oldie (nearly 14 year old BC) isn't really a coat dog but when she wakes up having worn her jacket overnight she is much more spritely. She is still very much active even having had a cruciate repair surgery at the end of last year.

I have also had good luck with adding fish oil capsules and using the rose-hip vital canine supplement. http://rosehipvitalcanine.com.au/

Both my two had tried just about every other joint supplement and when I switched them both to the rose-hip vital canine I saw significant improvements.

Acupuncture is also worth considering if you have access to somewhere.

Edited May 4, 2014 by ness

[❤LovesPoodles❤]

I also have friends who have had great results using the rose-hip supplement they noticed huge improvements

[Rosetta]

Would she like one of those heated pet beds?

[essentialdog]

I have also heard great things about the rosehip vital. I spoke with one of the owners and they said they went through 3 years of empirical testing to demonstrate to the APVMA it reduces arthritis. The fact that the APVMA passed it is a registered pet medicine gives it great merit as a natural alternative.

[ness]

Yes it was the scientific literature and testing that was carried out on the product to receive its certification was what made me consider it along with having tried just about everything else on the market but still having a young dog with significant issues.

My oldie (was 12 years at the time she started) had some front end arthritis issues with her wrists and was starting to slow down considerably. Within a few months of starting on the RHVC she was back out competing in tracking and finished off her TD title. No sign of limping or any lameness. People struggle to believe she is now nearly 14 and a little over 7 months post cruciate surgery and still happy to have 3 reasonable walks a day. She is not yet in need of any more heavy duty anti-inflams or other pain meds.

i have shared this video elsewhere on this forum but here it is -

I should also say at the time of her cruciate surgery she had x-rays taken and the specialist was most impressed with the lack of arthritic changes in a dog of her age who had been as heavily involved with dog sport (agility and obedience mostly) for many years. Ness had at the time of surgery been on the RHVC about 7 months.

Edited May 6, 2014 by ness

[Maddy]

I've tried the rosehip vital and found it to be absolutely useless.

Rather than rehash what I've already said about it.. http://bodgerreviews.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/rose-hip-vital-canine/

[ness]

Not very product works for every dog Maddy just as not every product works for every human. Hopefully you have since found something which helps your dog. Having tried everything else for my girl I was certainly in the skeptic category for it actually making any difference and even with my very broken dog it certainly helped.

Here is another favorable review:

http://leemakennels.com/blog/dog-biology/dog-health/product-review-rose-hip-vital-canine/

Edited May 6, 2014 by ness

[essentialdog]

I've tried the rosehip vital and found it to be absolutely useless.

Rather than rehash what I've already said about it.. http://bodgerreviews.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/rose-hip-vital-canine/

That's a pity it didn't work for you. Just read a few entries of your blog. It is great and am looking forward to reading all the reviews.

[mackiemad]

Paw have an oseteocare range, including chews and tablets. I've found them helpful - although I'm about to try the prescription additive from natural animal solutions as it's been recommended.

Rosehip vital canine did nothing for my older dog but that's just me :)

[Little Gifts]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I will tell her about rose hip vital as that sounds right up her alley. My sister was determined to get a magnetic mat to try and has now bought one. We are also covering her dog up at night when she has settled with blankets and will be trying those doggy heating pads tonight too. She is mobile enough to move away from any heat source if it is too much. Unfortunately our heated dog bed that I bought last year for Tempeh got nibbled on while unplugged but at least the heating discs survived last winter unscathed! And even though she has a good natural coat I am going to make her up a fleece coat to see if that makes any difference. The pain seems to be mostly in her neck. She let out a couple of squeals last night and one today so we can at least tell the vet the problem area at the next visit. She is not accustomed to pain and is not shy in letting us know when she is suffering the slightest twinge. You ought to see the faces she's already been pulling for sympathy!

[Airedaler]

I used a magnetic collar on one of my oldies that had mobility problems due to arthritis and it did help a lot. She also wore a magnetic coat in the winter and again the positive effect was very noticeable.

[Maddy]

Not very product works for every dog Maddy just as not every product works for every human. Hopefully you have since found something which helps your dog. Having tried everything else for my girl I was certainly in the skeptic category for it actually making any difference and even with my very broken dog it certainly helped.

Here is another favorable review:

http://leemakennels.com/blog/dog-biology/dog-health/product-review-rose-hip-vital-canine/

Did you miss the part where I acknowledged that results would vary between dogs? Here-

I guess it’s worth pointing out that individual results with definitely vary, depending on your dog’s health and what is causing the problem.

I would suggest to anyone who was interested in trying rosehip powder to start with the regular stuff first and see if that makes any difference first. It's massively cheaper ($20/kg compared to $190/kg) and without the RHV website containing any information on how their product differs from the normal stuff, I can't see any benefit to buying the RHV.

[Jumabaar]

An exercise program to keep all her joints moving can also help with pain. If her neck is sore she might have some muscles tight and uncomfortable so getting them to relax and moving rather than her avoiding using them and losing muscle mass etc.