Canine Arthritis

Question
I am hoping there is something more I can do to help my dog. She is a 12 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever suffering from arthritis.  My vet has her on Novox 75mg 2x/day, Tramadol 100mg 2x/day, and we give her one human grade tablet of Glucosamine 750mg, Chondroitin Sulfate Sodium 600 mg per day. She is epileptic but it is well controlled on 375 mg Potassium Bromide 2x/day. Her weight is good between 75 and 80 lbs. She is very lethargic and struggles to get up and manage short stairs. Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hello Francyn,

Sorry to have taken so long to get back to you. I would recommend researching natural supplements such as "Cool Dog" and HerbSmith's herbal supplements as well as putting her on a raw food diet such as BARF ( http://www.barfworld.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?category=29&af=1011 )
or one of the many other prepared, frozen raw food diets that are available now. Dr Deva Khalsa also has a book out containing recipes specifically developed for arthritis. I believe I have a link to it in my book "Simple Steps to a Healthy Pet" which I am offering for FREE by going to my site: http://naturalsforanimals.com and filling out the pop-up form there. It is a very informative book which I think you will enjoy reading and will get a lot of valuable information from for both your girl now and other friends in the future.

The change of diet will probably help to get her away from epilepsy meds as well as Tramadol.

I would also recommend a phone consultation with an outstanding holistic vet that I have known for years; Dr Gerald Wessner. Contact him at 352-245-2025 to find out more and set up an appointment. He is truly wonderful and very caring.

Hope this helps.
Sue