We have a Chow that is 11...

Question
We have a Chow that is 11 1/2 years old.  We just moved to a house with all hardwood floors.  When Keisha gets up she can hardly walk for a few minutes.  Could this be Arthritis and is there anything we can give her to ease this situation?

Thank you,

Kathy

Answer
Hello Kathy -

There is a good possibility that this can be early stages of arthritis and given your pets age it is most likely.

Wooden floors are difficult for many pets to get adjusted too, especially if they have never been around them throughout their life.

The best supplement to begin with your pet is Glucosamine Chondroitin. You can find this in most pet stores and it can be added to the food or given as a treat. It will take a good month or so for the supplement to really begin working with your pets system. You will see good results - however, until your pet will be accustomed to your new floors, she may slip and slide a bit until she becomes familiar.

There are other supplements available to such as MSM and SAM-e but I would not recommend them at this point. These supplements mainly focus on osteoarthritis and bone deterioration. If in the future your pet is having more difficulty even with being on the Gluc Chond, you may add one of these supplement to her mix as well.

If pain is your primary concern, please do not administer "human" aspirin. You will hear many conflicting ideas and thoughts about this but as an Herbalist, I feel it does not work with the animals system and cause future internal harm. There is a supplement called SOD with Boswellia. This herbal mix is comparative to a conventional NSAID but without the side effects and internal damage. It also can be found in most pet stores. It is excellent and many of my clients use it with their pets that suffer from joint debilitating conditions and have had outstanding success.

I will mention this as well - when pets can no longer feel pain they tend to over do which can lead to more muscle and joint damage. Try to help your pet by doing activites in moderation. Try reducing the time of walks and play time, this will help their body fully heal as well as reduce further inflammations.

I hope this information has helped you and your pet.

If you would like information on natural and herbal remedies please contact me at wintersaurora@yahoo.com and I will be happy to assist you. I also offer a catalogue of specially formulated herbal remedies which I can send to you as well. My products are also available at www.localharvest.org.

Thank you and best wishes to you and your pet.

Sincerely,
Sharon Hubbs, AHG
Certified Natural Health Consultant & Herbalist