My dog Bella is 11.5 years old and about a year ago started showing severe signs of arthritis in her back hips and lower back. Unfortunately, her condition went downhill pretty quickly. She began to slow down on walks and hikes, started having more difficulty going to the bathroom (with more indoor accidents), and her energy and peppiness started to decline. Fortunately, when we would take out the leash for a walk or start to prepare dinner, she would still jump for joy. I guess even the pain couldn’t deter a Lab from wanting to eat!
The Problem with Traditional Meds
Last fall on our vet’s recommendation, we started giving Bella Deramaxx every morning in addition to the Glucosamine we have had her on for a few years. On days when we accidentally skipped it, we noticed a big difference in her ability to cope with pain. So, we have stayed with this prescription, despite the possible side effects that could lead to a decline in her organ functionality. The risk of this is so real that we have to visit the vet to have her blood tested every six months to make sure her organs are still healthy and functioning correctly. This is very scary, and reason enough to seek an alternative treatment if possible.
We tried laser treatment and also explored the possibility of acupuncture, but nothing was helping. To make matters worse, all of these alternative treatments were very expensive and uncomfortable for Bella. She hates going to the vet’s office, so increasing the frequency for these treatments was like torture for all of us.
