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Alternative treatments for hip dysplasia, Part I
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In looking at all of the natural alternatives for hip dysplasia I find that I am going to need to break this into two different posts. For today’s post, Part I, I am going to focus on the nutritional and dietary supplements. For Part II I will be looking at acupuncture/acupressure, massage and mobility aids as well as a couple of homeopathic remedies.
Hip dysplasia symptoms can be hard to distinguish from symptoms from other diseases. Because of this, it is very important that you get a diagnosis from a qualified veterinarian. Most traditional vets recommend surgery to correct the dysplasia. The surgery is fairly expensive, which would put it out of the range of a lot of people. It is not always successful, either. The drug Rimadyl is often prescribed to help with the pain associated with hip dysplasia as well as many other conditions. I won’t get into the issues with Rimadyl in any detail here, but before you give any animal this drug you should do a search on the Internet. There are many cases of adverse reactions to this drug, including death. As with all of the articles I post here, my intention is not to counter what your vet has recommended. It is to give you information so that you can make an informed decision. Ultimately, you must decide what is in the best interest for you and your companion.
Before we get into the nutritional aspects of treating a dog with hip dysplasia I want to refer you to a web page that has x-ray proof that these treatments do work. At wecarerottweiler.com you can see before and after x-rays of a dog with severe kip dysplasia that was recommended for surgery. The owner chose to use alternative treatments instead and while her vet initially thought she was crazy, in the end the vet was asking her for the information as to what she did. This should give you hope that helping these animals without surgery is very possible.
I will be looking at the same supplements mentioned in the previous article as well as additional options. In addition to the supplements themselves and the recommended dosage I will be talking about what role the particular supplement plays. Please keep in mind that the same supplements do not work in all cases. If you find one thing is not working, try another. All animals are different and unique situations contribute to the health issues of any particular animal. Sometimes it takes a little detective work to discover what is going to benefit your animal.
A word about diet. The animal's diet itself is a whole separate topic and I won’t go into any depth about it here. Suffice it to say you want to make sure your companion is on a good quality diet. If you are not feeing your pet a raw diet, you should be adding enzymes to their diet. Cooking destroys the enzymes normally found in food. Without the enzymes, the animal will not be able to efficiently digest the food it is eating and thus it will not get the full benefit of the supplements used.
As was stated in the first article about hip dysplasia, cats can also get this condition. Their treatment is the same unless otherwise noted.
The one supplement I see on almost every page I look at is vitamin C. Vitamin C is talked about so much that people almost ignore it as being “the magic potion” that everyone is talking about. But there are sound reasons why vitamin C is one of the supplements recommended. It plays a role in the health and development of collagen. “There are different types of collagen, but it is Type I collagen that appears most often in connective tissue, particularly in bone and ligaments. Vitamin C adds an -OH group to the two amino acids proline and lysine. Without this functional group there is a decrease in the number of cross-links in collagen. Without this cross-linking, the melting temperature of the protein is reduced from about 39 degrees to 23 degrees centigrade. In other words, without the cross-links this protein can be denatured at body temperatures.”(1) Vvitamin C is helping to keep the collagen at a level where it can do the most good in protecting joint. In addition, there is some evidence that vitamin C “stimulating bone resorption. What has been shown by one researcher to be efficacious in treating the physical manifestations of canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is a form of vitamin C called polyascorbate. 15 Calcium ascorbate, used in conjunction with vitamin E, also is considered helpful in reducing the inflammatory processes that accompany the disease. In this form, vitamin C is taken up by the bone along with calcium, and this acts like a time release factor that keeps the blood plasma concentration high and the cells constantly "bathed" with vitamin C.”(1) The recommended dosage of vitamin C is 500mg to start and gradually increased to 2000 mg. If an animal starts to get diarrhea on the Vitamin C, cut back to the last tolerable dosage and wait a week, then slowly increase it from there. Most of the information I read recommended Ester C, but I have also seen Mega C Plus recommended. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin which means the body will discard what is not needed. But that also means that during times of stress it will need more of the vitamin. Certainly the pain and discomfort from hip dysplasia would produce such stress. With vitamin C you want to make sure you are using a form of it that is going to protect the stomach.
Along with vitamin C, vitamin E is also recommended for the reduction of inflammation. 400 IU is recommended.
Both of these recommendations were for large dogs, adjust the dosage for smaller dogs and cats.
Alfalfa is some thing that is recommended a lot for hip dysplasia. The dosage is 1 tablespoon daily for dogs up to 40 pounds and 2 ½ tablespoons for dogs over 40 pounds. One post I saw on it recommended mixing it with oatmeal and a little milk and sweetener and the animal will readily eat it. There is some concern over using alfalfa in that it also acts as an anti-coagulant. If you have an animal who has some kind of condition that makes him or her prone to bleeding, you should take that into account before you use alfalfa. You can actually find out more about the anti-coagulant property of alfalfa as well as other popular hers by going here.
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are a couple of supplements that are talked about a lot with arthritis and hip dysplasia. These can be given in pill form, up to 2000 mg/day of the Glucosamine and 1600 mg/day of the Chondritin) or they can be given as an injection called Adequan. The Adequan injections are given as a series of injections, usually started with 2 per week for the first 4 weeks and then once a week for an additional 4 weeks. These injections are putting the Glucosamine and Chondroitin right into the joint where it will do the most good. You can do both the injections and the supplements at the same time. Cosequin, Glycoflex, Cartiflex, Arthri-Nu, Caniflex, Synovi are just some of the brand names of Glucosamine supplements you can find.
A supplement for Omega 3 and 6 is frequently recommended. The most popular one I see is salmon oil (1500 mg per day) or feeding fresh salmon (one tablespoon given twice a day). If you prefer to give a vegetarian form of the Omega oils then a high grade, pure flaxseed oil is recommended.
Superoxide Dismutase (or SOD) can help with inflammation. Superoxides are a by product of inflammation. When combined with tissues, proteins and enzymes it produces more superoxides and so the vicious cycle goes. SOD is an enzyme that breaks down superoxides into harmless compounds, effectively stopping the cycle. Use as directed on the package. One vet commented that the human product worked better than products made for animals.
Methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM, is said to work about 60% if the time. Dosage is 1/8 teaspoon of powder or one 500 milligram capsule twice daily for one week and then once daily for up to 30 lbs. For 60 lbs or over ¼ teaspoon in place of the 1/8th teaspoon. MSM is bitter to taste so mix well in food. Depending on the extent of the hip dysplasia and accompanying arthritis it can take any where from 2-3 weeks to 6-8 weeks for it to work.
Sea Jerky Nutritional Treats by Coastside Bioresource is a good multifaceted approach. It contains a blend of sea cucumber, crab meat kelp, glucosamine sulfate, beef and vitamin E. It won’t repair the damage but you should see some pain relief in as little as 2 weeks. Plus it has the added benefit of animals seeing it as a treat rather than another pill.
Goat’s Whey is another whole food supplement in a powder form. Put out by Mt. Capra Cheese as Capra Mineral Whey, it is a rich source of important minerals including biologically active sodium – not to be confused with inorganic sodium that is part of salt. It is stored in various tissues of the body, primarily the walls of the stomach and small intestines, and the joints. The long term use helps to loosen up joints and appears to dissolve calcium deposits. It is believed to work by restoring the missing sodium to joint tissue. It takes time to work. It is recommended to give it 3 months and then monitor the results to find the minimally effective maintenance dosage. Dosage – under 20 lbs give ¼ of human dose on label, dogs up to 50 lbs ½, dogs over 50 lbs give full human dose. Mix the powder into food. Dogs love the taste and since it is whey I assume cats would react similarly.
For an Ayurvedic herbal combination both Boswellia and Ashwaganda are recommended. Boswellia is a potent anti-inflammatory and helps to relieve stiffness and pain. Ashwaganda is also an anti-inflammatory and also has an anabolic effect – it helps build up muscles that have atrophied around the diseased joint. In addition it helps counteract the effects of stress. For both of these herbs give 10 drops of the liquid form twice daily for up to 20 pounds; for up to 30 pounds, one 500 mg tablet or capsule twice daily; up to 60 pounds, one 50 mg tablet or capsule 3 times daily. For larger dogs give 1000 mg twice. Give after feeding.
For a Chinese herbal formula use Du Huo Jisheng Wan. It comes in tiny black pills and contains ginger, cinnamon, angelica, Chinese foxglove, and licorice root. You can purchase it at Chinese groceries or pharmacies. It is primarily used for “garden variety” arthritis. Following the traditional Chinese medicine philosophy, it it said to “dispel wind and dampness in the joints, lower back, and knees that causes weakness, pain and stiffness.” It is said to works as well as aspirin (never give a cat aspirin). You should see improvement in a few days. Take for 1 to 3 weeks then as needed. Give twice daily, small dogs 2-3 pills, medium dogs, 5 to 6 pills, larger dogs up to 10 pills.
Speaking of aspirin, Doctors Foster and Smith have a buffered aspirin that is made specifically for dogs that may be beneficial to have on hand for minor pain (again – never give aspirin to a cat).
(1)http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/chd2.html -
For more info: Hip Dysplasia - Definition and prevention
https://wecarerottweiler.com/Hip_Dysplasia_Arthritis.html
http://www.cpmc.org/advanced/liver/patients/topics/herbanticoagulants.html
The Essential Guide to Natural Pet Care for Cats and Dogs – Arthritis – Joan Hustace Walker
The Nature of Animal Healing – Martin Goldstein, DVM
The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care – CJ Puotinen
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