Dog Pain Relief

Searching for effective dog pain relief remedies can be confusing and exhausting! The solution will depend on the type of dog pain relief you need. Is it an acute or chronic condition? For acute onset pain caused by a trauma such as a sprained leg or bruised muscles, short term use of a prescribed medication may be enough.

For chronic pain brought on by arthritis, hip dysplasia or other disease, consideration should be given to the side effects caused by administering strong medications over the long term. Although not exhaustive, the following approaches are offered to assist in your decision as to how to best manage your dog joint pain relief.

NSAIDS

Non steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) can be used for both acute and chronic pain in dogs. Although viewed as safe, they are responsible for thousands of human deaths (USA) per year due to gastric or intestinal ulcers. The older technology NSAIDS such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are more likely to cause problems than the latest Cox-2 inhibitors such as Carprofen or Deracoxib.

Long term use of any of the above will more than likely lead to mild or even severe side effects and therefore not the best answer to dog joint pain relief.

Corticosteroids

These drugs do not necessarily reduce pain directly, however, where pain is caused by inflammation they are a powerful anti inflammatory solution. They may be used in conjunction with a pain control medication. These medications do have side effects which have to be taken into consideration in any pain relief for dogs you try.

Buffered Aspirin

If you are going to use aspirin for dog arthritis pain relief or inflammation, ensure it is a buffered type of aspirin. These products come in doses for large dog breeds as well as smaller/miniature breeds. Use these medications for relief of pain, fever, and inflammation associated with arthritis and joint problems.

The buffered aspirin is much gentler on a dogs stomach and digestive tract, allowing for longer term use without the side effects of intestinal bleeding or ulcers associated with the non buffered variety of aspirin.

Remember that aspirin has the effect of thinning the blood and you should avoid rough physical exercise with your dog as any cut or bruise will bleed more profusely.

Dog Pain Relief The Natural Way

Acupuncture

90% of dogs that have acupuncture still need the treatment augmented with dog pain relief medications, although less potent medications can sometimes be used or lower doses of stronger medications. Acupuncture may be useful where a severe reaction to drugs has been experienced by your pet. Add dog joint supplements to support the acupuncture.

Herbal Or Homeopathic Treatments

These approaches are also effective and less likely to create negative side effects. In most cases these treatments are easy to deliver and do not alter your pets personality ( as with the use of anti depressants/tranquilizers). One such proven and safe product is Traumeel.

Reduce Fidos Weight!

Sometimes just reducing your dogs weight to normal, or slightly under ideal, can bring great relief. Sometimes we over compensate with food when attempting to ease our pets discomfort. Check with a vet or dog breeder on normal weight ranges for your dog. It might be time for tough love……

Water Exercise

You may be fortunate enough to have access to a beach or lake near you. If your dog loves the water then finishing a gentle walk off with a few minutes of wading or swimming allows for joint mobilization with less weight stress.

It is critical to your dogs pain management to keep up an exercise regime and maintain muscle tone and mass. One of the symptoms of an arthritic condition can be atrophy (wasting) of muscle supporting the joint.

Teaming gentle exercise, natural treatments and of course loving care, means you could have a recipe for significantly improving your dogs quality of life and achieving effective dog pain relief.