Heat and cold have been used for relieving pain in both dog health care and human health care. These methods work with acute stages, with chronic conditions and with inflammatory disorders. Using heat and cold at different stages of the injuries development is one of the most effective treatments for pain control. Nothing else is as safe, as easy to use, and as free from side effects and as cost effective.
Using these methods has two different effects on the dog. The first one is temporary and the second one is more long lasting. Using cold applications will constrict the blood vessels and numb the nerve endings. This relieves the pain and brings about a lasting dilation of the vessels. Using heat will dilate the blood vessels first, and cause the nerve endings to be soothed. This further causes the tissues to be relaxed.
To use water applications, following the correct temperature is important. These temperatures are shown below:
Cold 40 to 60 degrees F (4.4 to 15.5 degrees C)
Cool 65 to 75 degrees F (18.3 to 23.8 degrees C)
Warm 90 to 100 degrees F (32.2 to 37.7 degrees C)
Hot 100 to 110 degrees F (37.7 to 43.3 degrees C)
The more extreme the temperature that is used, the less amount of time it is applied. More moderate temperatures can be used for longer periods of treatment. A short time of application would be from 15 to 60 seconds. The average duration would be two minutes. A longer treatment would be from three minutes to 10 minutes, the longest generally being 30 minutes.
In the recovery phase of an injury, there are three phases; the acute, the sub-acute and the chronic. During the first 24 hours after an injury use cold immediately. This is the acute stage and the cold will help stop hemorrhaging in the tissues while reducing swelling.
The sub-acute stage is between 24 and 72 hours and generally the injury has stabilized by then. This is when you would perform a vascular flush, which consists of alternating cold and heat applications, but always finishing with cold.
Once past 72 hours, you are in the chronic stage. At this time you would use heat to increase the blood circulation and loosen the tissues. If it is an old injury flaring up, use cold to numb the nerve endings and reduce the swelling and inflammation. This application is used in tendonitis, bursitis, and arthritis to control any inflamed tendons and joint structures.
There are various devices for use in cold therapy. There are leg wraps with Velcro containing chemical ice bags, and leg boots that can be filled with cold water. A simple and cost effective measure is a plastic baggie filled with crushed ice and cold water, wrapped up in a towel and applied to the area. Another useful technique is a towel wrung out in cold water kept in the freezer or fridge, and used when needed.
Heat is used in numerous applications in dog health care. The applications used vary from ultrasound, laser, heating lamps and water. Moist heat is far more effective than dry heat because it penetrates the body better. Heat performs so many actions from raising the body temperature, stimulating the metabolism, relieving stiffness in older dogs, to controlling pain in acute injuries. Heat helps in the recovery stages as well as in the regular maintenance and preventative regime.
Methods of heat applications that can be quite easily utilized are a hot water bottle, and hot towels covered in plastic. These are two very economical methods to use. Electric heating pads are not recommended because of the potential shock hazard from chewing or urinary incontinence. To reduce the risk of your dog overheating, no more than 20 minutes in duration of heat should be applied.
Heat and cold therapy is a very effective and great way to help your older dog from the pain of arthritis, or recovery from an injury. Arthritis in dogs has been helped amazingly from the use of heat and cold applications. If it has been used for centuries on humans and is now being applied on our canine friends, it has obviously proven to be a worthwhile treatment. Check out the possibilities with your own precious canine companion. You never know what astounding results you will see from something so simple!
