Natural pain killer

Question
I have a 10 yo sheltie, who is in hip pain and I am trying to find a natiral pain killer for him, he is getting irritable and snappish to the other dogs. Any help would be appreciated.
  Thank You
   Jim Conner

Answer

Hi Jim,

It's important you provide adequate pain relief to your dog. Being in constant pain can really impact on his quality of life. It is better to prevent pain than to try to eliminate it after the fact. Don't wait to see your dog limping or struggling to his feet before you give him medication.

As far as "natural" medication, you can try:

Rhus tox is one treatment that can be helpful. Start with a 30C dose (3 pellets is one dose). I would suggest that you just give one dose a day, and then watch and wait for a week to see if it makes any different in his mobility. If still no improvement, it probably is the wrong remedy.

White Willow Bark, is similar to aspirin but not as hard on the stomach, just the same, it should still be given only with food. Look for this at health food stores. The dose is 50 mg (standardized to 15% salicin) dogs under 25 lbs. would get 1/2 a tablet, for dogs weighing 25-50 pounds give one tablet, two times a day with meals.

Baby or buffered aspirins are usually well tolerated by dogs. It needs to be given with food because of the possibility of causing stomach upsets, just as it can with people.  Do not combine Aspirin with Willow Bark or any NSAID medication, such as Rimadyl. If your dog throws up, or becomes reluctant to eat discontinue the use of aspirin. If your dog weighs 16 lbs, the dose is 1 baby aspirin (80 mg) twice a day, or 1/4 Buffered aspirin. If your dog weighs 32 lbs, the dose is 1/2 Buffered aspirin or 2 baby aspirins twice a day. There is also aspirin specially formulated for dogs available at larger pet stores.

Adding a teaspoon of Flax Seed Oil on his food once per day (1 teaspoon per 10 lbs. of body weight) can help with joint disease. It's a good form of Omega Fatty Acids. Flax Seed Oil  doesn't control pain. You'd still need some form of pain relief medication.  Vitamin E is reported to have moderate anti-inflammatory properties and it does seem to help some dogs. Give 800 IU of vitamin E daily. This is not offer pain relief!

Acupuncture is also very effective at reducing pain, swelling, and inflammation of joint disease. You can locate a veterinary acupuncturist here:

http://www.ivas.org/Members/VetSearch/tabid/124/Default.aspx

http://www.aava.org/php/aava_blog/aava-directory/


If your dog's condition is chronic, you'd be better off under the guidance of a trained profession. You can locate a holistic veterinarian here:

http://www.holisticvetlist.com/

http://www.theavh.org/referral/index.php


If your dog doesn't get relief from these suggested therapies, you should have him examined by your veterinarian. There's no reason for your dog to live in pain! There are other medications available to help relieve pain, and restore mobility. Aspirin is a good place to start.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti