MANUFACTURER OF HEALTH AND WELL BEING PRODUCTS 
Arthritis in Dogs
My dogs story with degenerative arthritis
My GSD was nearly 11 and had unfortunately become victim to arthritis in her legs. As I sell natural health products I was reluctant for her to have the conventional medication prescribed from my vet, until really necessary, due to the side effects which may be experienced for many years she would be suffering this illness.
Symptoms of Arthritis in dogs
The first symptoms she showed was stiff after long runs in the park. The stiffness in her legs began apparent after lying down for long periods. She also limped occasionally after lying down. She seemed to move around on her bed carefully and didn't always jump on the bed like in her younger years.
Alternative remedies for Dog Arthritis
I decided to use a good quality, UK made magnetic collar, the Bioflow collar. The magnetic dog collar has worked wonders for her from those years ago to now. It also gave her more energy and even though she was nearly 11 she was very active.
However as she has further aged her condition was becoming apparent again, stiff after lying down, slipping when jumping up on our hard floor and her bones showing slight swelling on the hind legs. But because she was wearing her collar, we believe, she wasn't showing any signs of lameness. The swelling on the bones worried me and I took her to the vet who expected more physical signs looking at her legs and thought we should continue whatever we are doing as it was working. She said to slow down any deteriation we should also consider a supplement. She didn't suggest any prescribed medication at this stage.
So to support the magnetic dog collar we put her on Mobilise DS, a combination of Glucosamine, MSM and Chondroitin designed in the correct combination for pets. After her first month on Mobilise, the swelling was still visible, but her mobility was much better. Since using both of these I noticed no limping and little stiffness after long resting periods.
As an extra I occasionally used Devils Claw herbal formula a strong herbal extract for joints and mobility. A combination of these 3 alternatives had made a considerable difference to her condition. I used Devils Claw occasionally when she needed the extra boost as it smells rather strong and when she is going on longer walks.
If your dog has arthritis, mobility or joint problems alternative pet products may give them an extra boost and help assist the body repair itself they may show signs of reduced pain, less stiffness and more mobility while helping them with a better quality of life.
We sell 1000's of natural pet products with such great customer feedback for arthritis, hip displasia, sciatica, joint problems, lameness and many more. Many dogs have shown better responses to these than humans. The magnetic collar has had independent trials for arthritis in the knees and it has shown an improvement while the magnets were worn.
When you calculate the cost of them compared to vet bills it is so much cheaper, as there may be less visits required to your vet. The amount of medication may be reduced by your vet. My dog now uses the alternatives for arthritis but as she is further ageing she is also using Metacam. A combination of the medication and her magnetic collar, Mobilise DS and Devils Claw occasionally she is like a young dog again.
However if your pet is using prescribed medication without complications then these can be used in addition to them. Please consult your vet for further information and do not stop any medication your pet may be taking.
Other Tips in Pain Management for Arthritis in Dogs:
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In addition to these alternatives, it is recommended to manage arthritis, joint pain as best possible with a heat pad for added warmth or a magnetic dog bed for sleeping & resting
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Swimming for dogs helps them immensely, there are many doggy pools and sessions can be booked.
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Massaging their legs before they get up helps to improve the blood flow to the legs and may reduce stiffness on rising.
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Omega fatty acids are known to help with the inflammation of arthritis, a good Omega 3 supplement can benefit dogs with arthritis and related conditions.
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Weight control can help with mobility of arthritic dogs, less weight will mean less pressure on the legs and back.
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Regular set exercises can help too, exercising the same amount of time daily can help arthritis management. The exercise will help encourage movement and flexibility of the limbs. too much exercise is not recommended and too little will cause greater stiffness.
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Soft cushioned bedding, no wooden floors, arthritic dogs will find hard floors painful to get up from. The limbs will require extra pressure in getting up from hard flooring. If you do have wooden flooring it is suggested to have many rugs. (My dog slips on our floor especially when excited & if we have visitors, once she slipped and her hind legs did the splits, she whelped and was stuck, unable to get herself up again very easily. This was very distressing to see and we invested in many rugs including one at the bottom of the stairs as she tended to slip on reaching the ground floor, wooden floor.)
Unfortunately arthritis in dogs cannot be cured. But it can be managed.
Arthritis symptoms slowly worsen, this is what the vet means when she says degenerative arthritis, she seemed to have cramp in her back leg occasionally after rising from rest. She did not jump on my bed anymore, she was reluctant to jump in the car, the only way to get her to jump in, was to get her to run in with encouragement. I think the magnetic collar and Mobilise DS with Metacam were still helping her quality of life but age will eventually take over. I also used heat therapy and hot and cold therapy in addition to the supplement and magnetic therapy and massaging the legs before walks and after long periods of rest.
Arthritis in dogs in many cases can be very painful and managing it as best possible is the only way to improve the quality of your pets life. Using some of these recommendations may help your pet with its pain.
Even the prescribed medication will not cure it, but help manage it. RIMADYL is widely used to treat arthritis in dogs, however long term use of this like any medication can result in other complications such as diabetes, epilepsy, thyroid dysfunction or kidney disease. Using prescribed medicine alongside the alternatives is the best you can give your pet, and if the alternatives are working enough at the early stages of illness, like they were for my GSD and many other pain stricken pets, the prescribed medication could be kept on a lower dose or not introduced at all until absolutely necessary. Something that should be discussed with your vet. This is what our vet recommended for Lucky. She said continue what you are doing as its working.
Lucky at nearly 12 and a half left us, she developed a brain tumour and suddenly became very ill, I always thought it would be the arthritis which would end her life, but her legs kept going right until the end, the brain tumour however was not irreversible or manageable with any alternative medicine or conventional medicine. Lucky was my inspiration to sell natural pet products particularly for arthritic dogs and her influence will continue I hope, for other pet owners to improve the quality of their pets life.
I strongly believe alternative medicine can considerably help with management of arthritis and stiffness in dogs and cats, through my own experience as well as comments from so many of our happy customers. The Bioflow magnetic collar comes with a 90 day performance guarantee, to this day we haven't had one back for not performing. The only returns we have had are from people who left it too late and the dog didn't even get to try it.
Mobilise is a great cost effective supplement which again has had excellent results for all its users and they sell time and time again.
I wrote this article to help other pet owners improve the quality of life of their arthritic pet, not just because I sell them them but i honestly wanted to spread the word.
Products for arthritis in dogs that can be found on this site:
>>Mobilise DS glucosamine supplement