Ask Muddy
The Dog Who Knows What's Best For Him
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Pain Management
HOLISTIC PAIN REMEDIES. Muddy needed help with pain from 2006 onwards. Because of the side effects of many pain medications, we wanted to keep Muddy off "real drugs" (such as NSAIDs - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for as long as we could, while still maintaining his quality of life. Thanks to advice from Dr Julie Mayer at Integrative Pet Care, we were able to do so for most of his life. I wish I'd known then what I know now about the effectiveness of homeopathics - I believe we could have maintained Muddy's quality of life much longer than we did.
Please remember that the recommendations on this site are based purely on our own experience, and are not intended as a substitute for proper medical advice. Please consult your veterinarian or alternative canine health practitioner before giving your dog any of these remedies.
What we can tell you is that Muddy's life was greatly improved by the three products shown below. We are unable to offer these products for sale, but they are easy to find at many on-line suppliers of animal health products. Some of these suppliers also sell through Amazon and we've provided links below each product.
PAIN PLUS, by Genesis Vets. This herbal supplement worked wonders for Muddy in alleviating pain from his severe hip dysplasia and arthritis. From the moment he started taking it, the improvement in his mobility was immediate. He started out with one tablet twice a day, but by the end of his life was taking three tablets, three times, for a total of nine per day (on Dr Mayer's advice). He tolerated this supplement extremely well and never had a single adverse side effect from it. The Active Ingredients are: Yucca (210 mg), Boswellia (210 mg), MSM (105 mg), Meadowsweet (79 mg), Cornus (53 mg), Licorice (26 mg), Ginger (26 mg), Manganese (11 mg). At one point we tried a different product for a month: it seemed to work fairly well, but when Muddy went back onto Pain Plus the following month, the improvement was instant and obvious. We've recommended this supplement to many other people whose dogs have also responded very well. Click on the link to buy Pain Plus at Amazon, sold by EntirelyPets.
DURALACTIN CANINE, by Veterinary Products Laboratories. Dr Mayer recommended this supplement, which is a dried milk protein concentrate, to manage Muddy's joint inflammation. It worked well in conjunction with the Pain Plus, and he took one tablet twice daily. Click on the link to buy Duralactin at Amazon, sold by EntirelyPets.
Both the above products are supplements, and intended to be taken on a long term, daily basis. Willie takes them too, as he has one arthritic knee which can be painful after a day of high activity.
Occasionally Muddy would forget he wasn't a lively two-year old any more and overdo it (as shown in the photo on the right); he sometimes needed a little extra help with the resulting soreness. For those times, Dr Mayer recommended a homeopathic anti-inflammatory and analgesic tablet, TRAUMEEL, by Heel Inc. These tablets worked well to relieve occasional pain; it's a human product and we take it ourselves instead of ibuprofen. Click on the link to buy through Amazon.
OTHER SUPPLEMENTS: Muddy took some other, more traditional supplements, and these are covered under Diet & Nutrition.
PHYSICAL THERAPY: Please also read our Mobility page, which describes the various physical therapies that helped Muddy with his structural issues.
