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Animal Health > Natural Arthritis relief for pets
Author: Brenda Adderly
No one likes to see an
animal suffer. But watching a beloved
dog struggle to get up from her bed,
or a cherished cat hobble around the
house, is truly heartbreaking. Yet,
just as in humans, osteoarthritis is
an equal opportunity disease,
striking young and old, healthy and
infirm alike. In fact, for many
purebred animals, osteoarthritis is
virtually a given, due to breeding
practices that result in congenital
joint problems, like hip dysplasia.
In osteoarthritis,
cartilage breaks down, which is the
spongy, protective cushion between
bones that meet in a joint. In pets,
these are often hip, knee and ankle
joints, but others can be involved.
As the Cartilage wears away, the
bones rub against one another,
causing pain, inflammation and
stiffness. For many pets, this means
difficulty rising from a lying or
sitting position, or limping or
crying when a specific joint is
touched.
Today, osteoarthritis,
which plagues some 35 million
Americans and millions of companion
animals, doesn't have to be the
crippling, devastating disease it
once was. From dozens of studies
worldwide, we now know that many of
the symptoms of osteoarthritis can be
minimized, or even eliminated, with
glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates.
Glucosamine and
chondroitin are both essential to
healthy joints. Glucosamine is one of
the structural elements found
throughout the body, especially in
healthy cartilage, where it serves as
a building block. Meanwhile,
chondroitin sulfate is a "liquid
magnet," drawing much-needed
fluid to the cartilage, where it
provides shock absorption and
nutrients for the cartilage tissues.
For prevention and
cure of arthritis in pets
Both of these supplements have
been examined in clinical trials,
separately and together, with
impressive results. In one study,
rats were divided into two groups and
both groups were given injections to
induce arthritis. But one group of
rats was also given a combination of
glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate,
while the other group was not
treated. Only 54 percent of the rats
which received glucosamine and
chondroitin developed arthritis
symptoms, as opposed to 96.5 percent
of the rats that were not treated.
Symptoms of secondary
arthritis, the type that occurs after
an animal suffers an injury or has
surgery, can also be relieved. A 1998
study involving dogs that had
surgically reconstructed knee
ligaments showed that those receiving
glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate
supplements had significantly fewer
symptoms of osteoarthritis than did
the dogs that did not take the
supplements.
The right stuff for
arthritis in pets
Of course, we've all heard
stories about animals given human
medication with disastrous
consequences. As researchers have
found, though, in the case of
glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates,
safety is not compromised. In fact,
in a survey of some 1,500
veterinarians, 80 percent of the
doctors believed these supplements to
be effective and safe. Still, since
there are special pet formulations of
these supplements, consult your
health-food store or veterinarian for
pet-specific formulations.
In general, anything you
can do to relieve stress on your
pet's joints can help ease
osteoarthritis pain. Help your pet
lose excess weight, avoid repetitive
motions (like those involved in
agility trials), and choose
low-impact activities, such as
walking instead of jogging; these are
ways to keep your pet active and
pain-free in the years ahead.
We recommend a high
quality liquid glucosamine product
that also incorporates other
beneficial nutritional ingredients
like Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E,
Manganese, Boswellin, Yucca, and
Omega 3 & Omega 6 as synergistic
ingredients. Our recommendation for treating arthritis
in animals is a liquid
Glucosamine
REFERENCES
Anderson, J, Slater, J.
"Evaluation of clinical efficacy
of an oral glucosamine-chondroitin
sulfate compound: Survey of
veterinary practices in the
U.S." In: Proceedings of the
Seventh Annual American College of
Veterinary Surgeons Symposium,
October, 1997.
Hulse, DS, et al.
"The effect of Cosequin in
cranial cruciate deficient and
reconstructed stifle joints in
dogs." In: Proceedings of the
Twenty-fifth Annual Conference of the
Veterinary Orthopedic Society,
February 1998.
Brenda Adderly, M.H.A.
is the author of 14 books about
health, including
The Arthritis Cure for Pets (Little, Brown, 2000).
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