Is Traumeel safe for dogs?

In the previous post I wrote about the homeopathic remedy called "Arnica Montana" (used as a pain relief in sprains, hip dysplasia, arthritis, bruising, after surgeries).

Now I am going to cover the "Traumeel" topic. Please be informed that I NEVER gave Traumeel to my dogs in the form of tablets. I only used this remedy in the ointment form when massaging the dog.

I would not recommend to try giving "Traumeel" in the pill form to your pet, because there are many different homeopathic herbs in it. What if your dog is allergic to one of the herbs? I suggest that you stick to Arnica Montana in the pill form and buy a "Traumeel" ointment or cream for massaging purposes.

It really helps to reduce swelling and pain if used topically. Make sure you wash off the excess ointment/cream when done massaging to prevent the dog from ingesting the ointment.

So, is "Traumeel" effective in treatment of hip dysplasia? The answer is YES if used together with other ingredients/remedies for hip dysplasia treatment (check my blog for more info on the alternative hip dysplasia treatment).

Is "Traumeel" effective when massaging an old arthritic dog that limps and has problems walking?
Of course it is! Try it. It is very inexpensive and it won't harm you dog at all! If you want to relieve your pet's discomfort and pain, massage its joints with "Traumeel" and don't forget to give him/her vitamin C and a glucosamine+chondroitin+msm product.

Homeopathic remedies for hip dysplasia in dogs

OK, today I am going to write about homeopathic remedy in treatment of hip dysplasia, which we actually tested. Well, I will also mention ligament injuries in the elbows.

Arnica Montana 30X in tablet form.
We used the brand called "Hyland's". You can get it here (remember the "KOR780" code when checking out in order to get a 5 USD off discount!)



Really helps in pain relief if your poor doggie limps and limps. It is ABSOLUTELY safe compared to NSAIDs which are normally prescribed by vets. The dosage for small and medium sized dogs is pretty much the same as for children. Dosage for all breeds weighing over 110-120 lbs (50-55 kg) should be the same as for a grown-up human.

I totally recommend Arnica Montana instead of NSAIDs. It must be given as a part of the treatment programme for hip dysplasia (raw food, high doses of vitamin C, Glucosamine+Chondroitin product and bromelain). Please check my blog for information on the recommended alternative treatment.

If your pet has a ligament injury (a sprain in the elbow) or hip dysplasia which is diagnosed by a vet and x-rays show no fracture of the bones, and if you are intended to massage your pet as a part of the treatment - use the arnica montana ointment or gel. Rub it and massage it gently into the skin area with least fur and closest to the joint or the ligament (normally you can feel the area is very warm, i.e. inflamed). Continue massaging the pet and after you're done, wash off the excess ointment/gel with warm water. Do not allow your dog to lick and swallow the ointment! That's why you should massage well and for at least 5 minutes twice or three times daily. Pay attention to the pet's behavior during the massage. Do not press too hard or cause pain to your four-legged friend. Be gentle. If careful massaging makes your pet cry and bite, please turn to the vet. In case with a sprained elbow on a mastiff girl, arnica cream massaged around the elbow gave her a great relief and a quick recovery.

Please think well before giving NSAIDs to your dog even if they are prescribed by the vet. Prolonged intake of drugs like rimadyl (carprofen) damages the dog's liver, kidneys and more vital organs. These drugs WILL reduce your cherished pet's life.  Alternative pain killers like arnica montana  in tablet form, ointment or cream, high dose of vitamin C, bromelain won't cause your dog's overall health any harm.

After a LONG time away...we're back!

Yes, it's been a long time since I made any post in this blog. A lot of things changed since 2012 but not regarding Zella. She's still a good-looking and healthy staffie.

Yesterday when serving an apple + peanut butter treat to Zella, I remembered about our blog. And now we are finally back to posting a little bit about a healthy life. 

We have got puppies!

We got a litter of cane corso puppies on July 30th. I wasn't posting in the blog until today because of having a huge amount of work to do. Mostly dogs/puppy related work I have been drowning in.

But today the pups turned 9 weeks of age and three of them are already in their new families.

Almost right after the dog labor I had to deal with a serious case of dam's diarrhea. She must have had dysbacteriosis or something not very good for at least the first 2 weeks after the labor.

The only thing that really helped to stop diarrhea and loose stools was administration of probiotics every single day. If I stopped giving her probiotics for a day, the problem would reoccur.

But she's been very well for the past 6 weeks. Not a single case of diarrhea.

How to manage intestinal worms (parasites) in a healthy way

In this post I'd like to share with you some information and advice on parasites (intestinal worms).

Do you deworm your dog with a chemical dewormer? If yes, then ask yourself another question -
'Is it really safe for my dog?' Well, the answer is simply 'NO'. I will explain why.

ALL chemical dewormers (pharma- made products) can be very dangerous to your dog. Even if the product manufacturer claims that 'it is safe for puppies and pregnant bitches' it can still carry away a life of a pet. Some dogs are very sensitive to chemical compounds of these dewormers like 'fenbendazole', 'praziquantel', etc. and as a very bad side effect they die after ingesting these dewormers.

I hear more than enough warnings from breeders, dog owners, puppy owners who lost their dogs to pharmaceutical dewormers.

Anyway, here is what I do to my dogs and what is tested by my four dogs and proven safe by others as well.

First of all, I care about their overall health and I do want to do everything possible to keep their immune system at its best. I do not want to put their health at risk by giving them meds.

We have never had a single case of intestinal parasites, i.e. worms in our dogs.

Every half a year I give them a plant-based anti-parasitic supplement that is cleaning their body of all the possible parasites. Only once in 6 months is not bad at all. I have tested the following product on all of my 4 current dogs and none of them had any sort of discomfort or digestive upset. All are happy and healthy.

The supplement is all natural, it is called 'Parasite Relief' by Flying Basset Organics. It is very cheap too if compared to other dewormers. One bottle with 100 capsules lasted for half a year (4 dogs were treated). I did not try to give this product to puppies yet, so I do not know whether it is a good idea or not but I think I'll write to the manufacturer and ask about this product and puppies.

So guys, if you need to deworm your dog or prevent a worm infestation in a REALLY safe and natural way, get this supplement. Here is the link (remember to use the "KOR780" code at the check-out on iherb.com and you'll have a 5USD off the 1st purchase):

 

Hip Dysplasia: Treatment part 1

This post is not going to be an easy one to write. I could literally write the whole book dedicated to the alternative ways for treating hip dysplasia. Well, anyway, I will try to be brief and give you information that hopefully will be of some use.

This post is for all of you, guys, who actually failed to prevent hip dysplasia and now is in search for an alternative treatment or remedy for your young dog.

Hip dysplasia affected one of my dogs. It happened a little over 3 years ago. I had a large breed puppy and knew very little on the subject of hip dysplasia. All I knew was that the ailment had to be a genetic desease and that if my puppy's parents were all screened for hip dysplasia and werent' affected, I had nothing to worry about. Well, I was so wrong...

My puppy became symptomatic (started walking with a limp) at the age of 10 months. Since she was around 6 months old, we allowed the puppy running around  and playing with the neighbour's dog. In the end we are in the vet's office taking x-rays. The puppy had a limp, on one of the rear legs. She wouldn't even step on one of her rear legs, she was in pain.

The vet looks at the x-rays and says how sorry he is for us and for the puppy. He says 'unilateral hip dysplasia'. I was so sad, I just wanted to shoot myself in the head. Oh god, that was a horrible feeling! He suggested that we should wait and see how it goes and how quickly the condition worsens, but admitted that we needed to prepare ourselves for putting down the puppy in a short period of time. He gave us no hope at all. The vet said that the chance for her to be able to have a normal active life equalled zero. I just wanted to break down and cry at that point. That was the LAST thing I was going to do. No way I would put my lovely precious puppy down!

About a week of crying and feeling increadibly sorry for my poor puppy I decided that I was going to find the treatment. My research began. Books, articles, internet forum discussions, I just needed more than I could possibly find in order to save my puppy's life and maybe even I needed a miracle.

I had some financial problems at that moment, and could not afford expensive holistic therapies, chiropractors or other methods. All I could try was actually meds and supplements.

My supplement number one turned to be 'Arthramine' by International Veterinary Sciences.
The second one was vitamin C in the non-acidic form - Sodium Ascorbate powder.
The third one - Bromelain.

I discontinued interactions with the neighbour's dog and took my puppy on short walks every single day. We would normally walk for 10 minutes, then increased to 20 minutes a day. I tried to avoid sidewalks, we mostly walked on the grassy parts of the street.

I also massaged the puppy's leg every evening.

A month passed and the limp became a lot less noticeble. After 2 months my puppy was walking firmly on all four legs. After half a year she was perfectly asymptomatic!

Some time later I discovered colostrum and started adding it to her 'treatment program'. We just continued walking, even sometimes jogging. No more limping! My puppy was not in pain anymore.
I will write later about how it went with my puppy in more detail. For now I will say one thing - this treatment program worked for us. The young dog regained mobility without further damage to her joints. And we even took an x-ray of her hips at the age of 2 years old to make sure her condition wasn't worsening.

We used 'Arthramine' for the first 3 months. After that I just bought similar dog supplements that contain not only Glucosamin but Chondroitin, MSM, green lipped mussel extract and some more beneficial extral for the joint health. Anyway, the first three months did help a lot, there was a visible difference - month after month.

Bromelain is a pineapple enzyme and is highly recommended for the joint health. It reduces inflammation in a safe, natural way. I gave it to my pup in between her meals.

Here is a link to 'Arthramine':



And here is Bromelain:

Kiwis and oranges for dogs - excellent treats

All the dogs in our household love kiwis and oranges. These can be fed either as treats or sliced, diced but best minced and mixed together with their raw foods.

I always buy organic fruit for my dogs and for us humans in the grocery stores. Organic is always best as these fruit are grown with no pesticides or chemical fertilizers used.

Kiwis first. It is our most common delicious and healthy treat. Kiwi is absolutely safe for dogs and puppies but as with all the other safe to eat fruit it should be fed to dogs in moderation. I would give my 12 kg Zella a quarter Kiwi per day, sometimes a little more.

So what's so beneficial about kiwis?

Kiwis are:

• very low in saturated fats
• rich in dietary fiber
• a great source of natural vitamin C and vitamin K
• a good source of copper, potassium and vitamin E

All our dogs eat kiwis with the peel on.

Here are some today's pictures of Zella outside enjoying her favourite treat - kiwi

Oranges are normally served to dogs without the peel on. These are also a great source of vitamins C and dietary fiber. Oranges make also a good source of potassium, thiamin and folate.

Our Zella would normally get a quarter or a third part of an orange per day, although sometimes she'd get over a half an orange per day.

Please keep in mind that dogs not used to eating fruit on a daily basis would need a small introduction first otherwise there may be a risk of a stomach upset.

Fruit that are very rich in vitamin C can be used as the sole source of natural vitamin C in your dog's diet. For all of you, guys, that are raising puppies of large and giant breeds, it is a good way to prevent hip dysplasia.