|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COPING WITH CANINE CODGERS |
|
There are ways to help elderly dogs get through when the weather becomes cold and wet. This is the subject of Membership Secretary Penny Gayler’s latest advice column. Radar, an 11 year-old golden retriever, and owner Sally Skinner, have one thing in common. They both wear copper next to their skin to help with arthritic conditions. Sally swears they both get big benefits. For Radar, it is copper chain around the neck to help with the arthritis that set in after cruciate ligament operations on his back legs. For NFDOG stalwart Sally, it is a copper bracelet for her osteoarthritis. If you come across Sally walking near her home at Sway, do not be surprised to see Radar racing along with her other three younger dogs. “He is out ahead of the pack, running with my five year-old Bilbo, only slowing down in the last ten minutes of the walk,” Sally tells me. These days, there is a plethora of aids, foods and supplements that we can give our dogs to help with the aches and pains of old age. There is no reason for any of them to suffer. Much can actually be done in their early years to help protect joints from the ravages of arthritis. Vets actively encourage us to feed supplements such as cod liver oil, Glucosamine, green lipped mussel and a host of other such remedies. Many of these can be bought on line. www.vetvits.co.uk is an excellent site, but there are plenty more. Alternatively your local pet shop should be able to advise you. There are now complete foods that contain supplements to help mobility. Look for ones with high levels of omega 3 and omega 6 that are known to have beneficial effects on joint health. If your young dog suffers an injury that may reduce his movement in later years, there are ways to limit the damage. With the World Wide Web at our fingertips it is worth spending time researching what is available. Pedigree Chum, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Wafcol and many other manufactures offer a variety of foods designed to help with mobility problems. Foods especially formulated for dogs over 7 years – so called Senior foods -- are now freely available. You may not need to change supplier. You simply choose a food from the same range more appropriate for older dogs. If you do decide to change food type, do so slowly over four or five days to avoid stomach upsets and expect any improvement to take as long as six weeks. My dog Mulberry wore a Bio-flow collar, with a magnet in it and I like to think it helped him. He had an elbow injury as a puppy and was very lame in his later years. Available from www.magnetsforall.com Tel: 01249 721482. When fitting a collar, the magnet should fit snugly in the jugular groove for maximum effect. It maybe that a really heavily coated dog will not get as much benefit as one with a short coat. They also now make a pad that you can place under your pets bedding. Sally got her copper chain for Radar from www.forbescopper.com, 01725 516474 When all else fails there are two main painkillers that are prescribed by vets – Rimadyl and Metacam. These non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) can greatly improve the quality of life for arthritic dogs, but some may react badly to them and so careful monitoring is necessary. Keeping the oldies active is one of the most important things. They do not have to walk for miles, but it is in their best interest to be out and about at least once a day. If the weather is really inclement, a nice warm waterproof coat will help keep them cosy. I always pay careful attention to drying feet and elbows when I get mine home. A cosy basket in a draught free corner of the room or a fleecy blanket will help ease aching joints. There are plenty of canine therapy swimming pools and two of them are listed on the Links page on our web site. Swimming in a heated pool is wonderful for dogs with joint problems. It keeps them active and because the exercise is non-weight bearing, it avoids further damage. It can also help them to lose weight. It can be hard to keep an elderly dog slim but swimming will certainly help. The dog pools usually have good drying facilities. Once the dog is dry, I rug them up in a thick towelling dog coat bought from www.countrymun.co.uk for the car journey home. For some dogs, acupuncture and physiotherapy can be of great benefit as can carefully managed exercises to improve the range of movement. Your vet will be able to advise on both these. It would be wise for the dog to be clinically assessed before embarking on any regime if only to rule out the possibility of Lyme (see Harry’s story), disc disease or neurological conditions which can mimic arthritis. As my golden retriever girls get ready for the game picking up season, their dinners now include a measure of Joint Aid For Dogs supplement which I bought from SCATS. Made by Gro-Well Feeds Ltd, it is also available on line. It has certainly helped them in the past and I see no reason why it should not help this year. And what about my aching joints? Since I am on the verge of having
to consider myself a "senior", I have just about convinced
my husband that the quinine in the tonic water that goes with my gin
will help ease the aches, pains and cramps of old age. He is prepared
to humour me on this, wishing only for a quiet life. |
|
|
Site designed and hosted by
Copyright © 2000 New Forest
On Line Ltd. |
