I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new dog. It is not just a new dog it is my first ever dog!
I am very keen on human alternative therapies and was wondering if the doggie world is sympathetic to them, too?
For example, are there any vets in my part of the world that use homeopathy as well as conventional therapies? Do you need to go a separate practitioner if so? Where are they listed? Can you get some things online?
Are there any good handbooks/websites etc that would guide a novice like me around the alternative doggie world?
My new dog is actually a very old dog. I've taken on an elderly and quite arthritic and lumpy Retriever cross and I was wondering if there are any gentle remedies I can use to make her life a little easier?
She's had a stressful few months as her previous owner was very ill before she passed away, is there anything I can do to de-stress her generally? I'd love to do some sort of massage but I'm afraid with all her lumps and stiffness I may do more harm than good.
Helen Hays, St Ives
I don't know about alternative rememdies but just wanted to say well done on taking on an older dog. It was so lovely to read. She will give you such joy. We took on a 9 year old with mammary cancer a year ago and every moment has been wonderful. Golden oldies give golden moments. Have a fantastic time together.
ReplyDeletePlease feel free to join us at our friendly forum www.dfordog.co.uk/forums/. We love chatting to other dog lovers.
Check out the Canine Health Concern website for lots of info. Catherine o'Driscoll also runs one and two day courses all over the country.
ReplyDeleteHi Helen, congratulations on getting your dog!
ReplyDeleteThere are many alternative therapies out there for dogs. the internet is a great place to find info and local practitioners. You can also find a list of homeopathic vets on the internet. I use natural supplements and remedies for my dogs (and myself) from Crossgates, you can buy some products online or if you call them the staff are really helpful and can put remedies together for the problem you require help with. www.crossgatesfarm.co.uk they also do energetic hair analysis which really helped my dog with a skin problem. I hope you really enjoy your dog!
Congratulations on taking on this lovely oldie :)
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky, there is a homoeopathic vet near to you
Miss C Davies Bude, EX23 9AB 01288 353766
from
http://www.bahvs.com/findavet.htm
Flower remedies may help with the emotional problems - look here for practitioners.
http://www.bachcentre.com/found/an_list.htm
In the meantime, Dr Bach Rescue Remedy available from most chemists is helpful to animals and people - you can put 4 drops in the water bowl every time you change it.
www.gentletouchremedies.co.uk supply homoeopathic remedies and flower remedies.
You can also try crystals in the water bowl - rose for general health and healing and an amethyst for natural flea and tick prevention {takes a while to work but very effective, also helps with nightmares}
I hope you can help this wee darling feel more comfortable and happy - she is lucky to be so loved.
My favourite books are:
Try The Nature of Animal Healing by Martin Goldstein;
Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs: Small Doses for Small Animals by Donald Hamilton
and Bach Flower Remedies for Dogs
Scott Martin; Gael Mariani
Kind regards
Nicki and the Cavaliers
I can highly recommend Claire Davies. She helped enormously with my nervouse collie cross.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered Tellington TTouch? You have a trainee practitioner at Newlyn Fiona Taylor 07775 800772. She will be very gentle with you and your dog and highly respectful of any lumps and bumps whilst relaxing your dog and reducing any stress levels.
Enjoy!
Just wanted to add that for arthritis pain relief I would suggest acupuncture. You would need to have this done by a vet, the homeopath might use acupuncture or know of someone who does. Unless you live close enough to a homoeopathic vet for them to be your regular vet, you will need to sign on with somebody local, in case of emergency. They would then need to refer you on for homoeopathy or acupuncture.
ReplyDeleteI would also suggest discussing Cartrophen injections with your vet, very effective for many dogs and few side-effects - certainly far fewer than standard NSAIDs. Obviously a glucosamine type supplement would be a good idea too, there are loads of suppliers of these. I am currently using Riaflex - see www.riaflex-equine.co.uk
Cheers
Christine
Try Canine Bowen Technique(CBT) - Dogs love it! As a light-touch hands-on therapy CBT offers dogs a gentle, non-invasive approach to support and boost the natural healing capabilities of the body.
ReplyDeleteIt’s fantastic for golden oldies – far too often imbalances in old dogs are written off as just that – “the dog’s old, so what do you expect?” Yet quality of life in many old dogs can be significantly enhanced through CBT. We’ve seen signifcant benefits for elderly dogs with joint/mobility issues such as arthritis or back problems and pain.
CBT can also help with relaxation of tension – so in a rescue/rehomed dog for example it may ease tension caused by the emotional stress and trauma resulting from losing its owner and in the subsequent re-homing – thus helping it to settle into its new homes.
Sally Askew
European Guild of Canine Bowen Therapists
www.caninebowentechnique.com
Hi Helen,
ReplyDeleteFor his stiffness I can really recommend something called Nupafeed Flex GLM. It contains Green Lipped Mussel which is far better than normal joint supplements because in addition to containing all the usual glucosamine and chondroitin (which interestingly are normally derived from the shell of the mussel, this is an extract of the actual mussel itself) it also contains very potent and unique omega oils which have a natural anit-inflammatory action.
I have actually started taking the tablets myself (and not yet started barking!!) and the difference it has made is amazing. I have been taking a standard glucosamine supplement but with little effect, after stealing bonnie’s (my dog) tablets I can now bend my knees fully and they have not been hurting, even in winter.
I have looked around for similar supplements but having done some research there doesn’t seem to be anything which contains anything like the same quantity of the extract in the quality which it needs to be to be effective. Here is a link to their testimonials page, looking at it now I also notice their Stress-Less supplement might be good for him settling in after all the upheaval: http://www.nupafeed.co.uk/dogs.htm?ac=F3DH4-D
Good luck with him!
Jemma
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteAs a multi-dog house (pet owner not breeder or expert) have been down several paths over the years with dog ailments. If the vets can't help and it is not a serious disease or condition have always looked to alternative. Here are my findings.
Car sickness. Ipecac.6c (Homeopathy.) As instructed on the phial but about 2 hours before travel along with the usual conditioning of dog to travelling. Had success with a very sickly whippet.
Chronic active rhinitis, Sneezing and coughing, Some success after speaking and getting advice, with spongia tosta. 6c to start then onto 30c. Homeopathy. supplied by Ainsworths, London. Had tried everything else beforehand at vets and nothing worked.
Bitches mastitis. Only in a non breeding bitch where phantom pregnancy occurred every time had a season. Utica Urens 3c. Potency most important as there is a 30c and that has opposite effect.Dried up the milk flow. Dorwest product
Sulphur 6c. Itching. Provided no other ailment or food or fleas causing it.(Ainsworth) Dog continuously itching and tests revealed nothing so decided to give this a go and it worked for this dog. Stopped and it hasn't reoccurred.
Fireworks. Dorwests Skullcap and Valerian. given approx two weeks before firework season and continued. Coupled with a Dap diffuser.Had dogs that were climbing the walls as a figure of speech, shaking violently and pacing.and coupled with a good meal, a good brush (calms the dog ) before hand it all starts and loud music, it have had success every time.
Old age, Lack of eating thus lack of nutrients. Almost Human, a true food supplement supplied by Higher nature. Also recommended by nick Thompson one of your regular. vets. Certainly put a step back into my old girl of 15.
Glyco-flex. for arthritic conditions. Recommended to me by a vet instead of using Previcox and greyhound did very well on it for 18 months till we lost her at 14.
Hope all this helps towards your survey on Alternative remedies.
Kind regards
Janet Ellis, Colchester
Hi, and well done, lots of internet Groups to help you, also changing you dog's diet to raw, and certainly no more vaccinations or chemicals ( wormers/flea treatments ) will help.
ReplyDeleteGood luck
Hi Helen,
ReplyDeleteWith an older dog, its always wise to support their joints with a joint supplement. As dogs age, their ability to make their own glucosamine (the main building block of the joint tissues) drops significantly, so its important to keep them topped up to help reduce wear & tear.
There are many supplements out there, so I've put together a little checklist of the key ingredients to look for which might help if you decide to go down the joint supplement route:
Glucosamine - a key component of any joint supplement as its a major building block of the cartilage, ligaments, etc. Look for supplements containing Glucosamine HCl (rather than Glucosamine sulphate). For a retriever size dog, I'd be looking at ensuring they had between 500mg and 750mg per day.
Chondroitin - a useful nutrient as it slows down the breakdown of cartilage BUT make sure the manufacturer is being clear about the source. A lot of 'marine chondroitin' is sourced from shark fins (an unethical source in my humble opinion). A natural source of chondroitin is green lipped mussel which contains two types of chondroitin.
Manganese - very useful for ligament strength. You tend to find this more in veterinary standard products, but check the label.
Green Lipped Mussel - the reason GLM is so great for joints is that it contains a unique mix of omega 3 including EPA and ETA which has very potent natural inflammatory properties, relieving stiffness and discomfort in your dog's joints. Standard GLM contains about 5% of these omega 3s, but some use 'triple strength' GLM which contains over 15% EPA & ETA. Green Lipped Mussel also contains minerals, amino acids and glycosaminoglycans which help with the joint structure.
Hyaluronic acid - a major component of the synovial fluid (the cushioning in the joint) that helps joint mobility.
Obviously there are lot of other ingredients that you'll read on a joint supplement ingredient list. The ones I've listed are the ones that have got a reasonable level of scientific research behind.
I hope the list is useful to you, and if you've got any questions, please feel free to get in touch at info@lintbells.com
Best wishes
John Howie, Lintbells (manufacturers of Yumove)