The Most Effective Way to Help Arthritis in Dogs: An Article by Dr. Bob

Arthritis in Dogs by Dr. Robert Henrickson

Zeus, a 12-year-old lab, loved by Ms. “W,” has had arthritis for the last three years.  In the early stages of his arthritis, simple NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) helped Zeus to go up and down the three flights of stairs to his apartment.  However, after a year and a half, it again became difficult for Zeus to climb the stairs.  So, what should be done to do to help him?

The subtle, early signs of arthritis are often perceived as normal aging. These signs include lagging behind on walks, reluctance to climb stairs, difficulty rising from a resting position and, of course, limping. The signs of canine arthritis tend to be worse first thing in the morning or after heavy exercise.  These signs may not be present all the time. Arthritis affects one in five dogs, or over nine million dogs in the United States.  Surprisingly, nearly 50% of these dogs remain untreated.

Nowadays, no dogs should be in pain because of arthritis.  Everyone knows about the nutraceutical glucosamine to help alleviate arthritis pain without drugs for themselves and their pets. However, what most people don’t know is that the body only absorbs 1% of the glucosamine in almost all of these products. And, glucosamine is the ingredient that is a natural building block for joint cartilage, and can alleviate arthritis Only one company has a patent on the glucosamine that allows the body to absorb up to 99.9% of the glutamine.  Look for the brand name Cosequin for you and your dog.  Note: if you are not taking this glucosamine product for yourself, your body is only getting 1% of that important ingredient.  

          

The latest therapy besides anti-inflammatories and nutraceuticals like glucosamine is cold therapy laser treatment. This works by the low level laser light stimulating damaged cells and boosting blood circulation and lymphatic drainage.  The cold therapy laser poses no risk of burns. At other times, this laser therapy is used for soft tissue injury, disk disease and to help heal wounds.  People often ask why they can’t get this treatment for themselves.  The reason is that it is not covered by insurance.

    

Another useful treatment for arthritis and one of our first choices is Adequan. It contains polysulfated glycosaminoglycans used by the body to make cartilage.  It is given as an intramuscular injection twice a week for four weeks with a booster as needed.

Stem cells have now been used to treat arthritis in dogs that are unresponsive to conventional therapies. Stem cells in adult dogs are most concentrated in fat cells. A simple ten-minute procedure can be done to remove a teaspoon of fat from between the shoulder blades of the arthritic dog. The fat sample is then sent to a special lab where the stem cells are activated. A syringe with 20 to 30-million stem cells is sent back to the arthritic dog’s veterinarian in 24 hours. The vet can then give the contents of that syringe intravenously to the pet and what happens next is truly remarkable. The stem cells know where to go. When infused into the vein, the stem cells hone in on the damaged cartilage in arthritic joints, following chemotactic factors released by the injured cells. At the arthritic/injured joint, the stem cells differentiate into new repaired versions of the damaged cells.

Hurray for Zeus!  After a few months of cold therapy laser treatments and Adequan along with the standard anti-inflammatories and Cosequin, Zeus is climbing the stairs to his apartment and doing really well.  Please remember, though, DO NOT give Advil or Tylenol to your dog. Even aspirin will cause gastric ulcers after three days of use.

 As always, if you have a question, call my cell at (516) 729-1130.