Inflammation Archives - Edie MacKenzie

Arthritis Meds For Dogs

July 27, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

One of the most common remedy to canine joint pain is letting the dog take NSAID or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Aside from dogs’ pain the joint, NSAID is also effective in controlling other things that dogs that with arthritis experience, like swelling, inflammation of the muscles and joints, and difficulty in moving. NSAIDs have the ability to reduce or prevent inflammation by stopping the work of prostaglandin in the body which is the main cause of inflammation. One example of NSAID is etodolac 400 mg tablet.

While NSAID can be really effective when it comes to treating arthritis, joint swelling, and other surgery and injury related pain, side effects are very possible to occur in using NSAID. There are side effects that are mild, but there are also severe side effects that can cause serious internal damage to your dog that can even be fatal.

Understanding the dangers of making use of NSAIDs as a dog joint pain relief method is critical given that it will give the owners an idea of what to watch out for and what to expect soon after the dog has taken NSAIDs.
The typical and milder side results that a dog may well encounter soon after taking in NSAIDs are vomiting, tiredness, appetite loss, diarrhea, and depression. The much more significant side results couldn’t be observed by mere observation as they happen internally such as gastrointestinal bleeding, damage to the kidney, development of an ulcer, and troubles in the liver. Popular NSAID used by many people is aspirin for dogs.

It is advised that you let your dogs take their meds while following the same schedule each day. In some cases, dog owners’ get tight schedules, which causes them to miss the time for administering their dog’s medicine. If this happens, it is acceptable to give the dog the medication as quickly as probable after the scheduled dose. But if the time arrives for the next scheduled dose, the pet owner must skip the missed dose altogether. It is not wise to give a dog two doses of medicine at one time. As with all medicines, canine arthritis drugs must be stored out of the reach of young children. The medications must be stored at room temperature in a dry, cool location absent from heat sources or direct sunlight. They must not be stored in a toilet, next to the kitchen sink, or in any other locations which could be damp or humid; otherwise, the medicines could probably destroy down and lose their potency. No one wants to see a dog suffer. So if your dog becomes weak because of arthritis, get a vet’s advice to know what the right medicine for your dog is, so you can help him gain back his strength!

To take full advantage of this dog joint pain relief and minimize the dangers involved in using this, the owner ought to be really careful when giving this to the dog. Your vet ought to have first given the go signal of using NSAIDs like rimadyl for dogs to your dog. The NSAIDs ought to only be used in accordance to the directions that are written on the label. Any increase in the dosage or frequency should certainly not be performed as this medicine ought to only be given to the dog when he/she needs it and a small dose of the {drug

Hip Dysplasia And Golden Retrievers

October 19, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

The Golden Retrievers Major Health Issue

Hip dysplasia is a poor formation of the hip joints, which is a common growing disease with younger dogs of virtually every breed including Golden Retrievers . With larger breeds, unsteady hip joints are common, although hip dysplasia can be a serious problem that will limit the physical activity of your Golden. Although many Golden Retriever owners don’t realize it, hip dysplasia is something that dogs inherit from their parents, and gets worse with age.

The signs and symptoms of hip dysplasia is nearly impossible to detect with Golden puppies, although it will start to show once the pup has reached the age of nine months. Even though you may take your Golden to the vet to have him looked at, your vet will tell you that you need to wait to see if the symptoms are there, once the Golden Retriever has reached a certain age.

The symptoms and signs of hip dysplasia vary, although the most common include crippling or the inability to walk properly. This disease can get better once the dog gets older though, due to the joints stabilizing, the inflammation going down, and the muscles in the hips getting stronger and more mature. Keep in mind however, that Golden’s who have hip dysplasia when they are younger will more than likely develop arthritis when they get older.

Golden Retrievers that suffer from hip dysplasia aren’t fit for breeding, although they can still live a long and healthy life. There are certain drugs that your vet can prescribe to your dog, which will help him control his weight and help control the disease. These drugs can also cut down on the pain as well, helping your Golden enjoy himself as much as possible.

Some Golden Retrievers that have hip dysplasia won’t begin to show any signs at all until they get a few years old, once the muscles start to wear down and the damage to the hip muscles start to become more noticeable. Although your dog may be active and healthy for most of his puppy years, dysplasia can slow everything down and make your dog look as if he is old and is suffering from the physical attributes of arthritis.

To eliminate the pain of hip dysplasia, there are surgery options available. Golden Retrievers have a high threshold for pain, and won’t normally show any signs of being in pain, even though you know they are. X-rays won’t show any signs of pain, although the limping or slow walking will tell you that your dog is hurting. Golden Retriever’s who have this disease won’t know it – which is why you should help as much as possible.

If you do your part and help your dog seek relief – he will feel better than ever before – although like all Golden Retrievers, he won’t let you know he hurt any at all.

Muscle Atrophy In Senior Dogs

July 29, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

The muscles of most aged mammals lose much of their strength and actually decrease in size with each advancing year, including senior dogs. This is a normal part of the aging process and is to be expected. However, there are two as yet poorly understood muscle disorders which at first may look like normal aging weakness.

In one the dog develops weakness in the leg muscles during periods of exercise or other physical stress, may fall down briefly, seem to recover, get up for a short time only to fall down again. This is often seen in polymyositis, a disease which causes inflammation of any or all muscles in the body of senior dogs.

Polymyositis occurs mostly in late middle age and early old age, the most common of its several possible causes appearing to be a defect in the dog’s immune mechanism. Treatment with corticosteroids is quite successful despite the often alarming appearance of the dog. Occasionally the muscles of the esophagus are affected, making swallowing difficult, but even these respond.

Muscular dystrophy, the second disorder, occurs mainly in older dogs, bears some similarity to muscular dystrophy in people, and has a cause as yet unknown. Affected senior dogs develop a stiff gait as the muscles become progressively weaker and smaller in size. There is nothing we know of which will stop the deterioration or cure the disease. Treatment is palliative, trying to keep the patient as comfortable as possible, and is based on your senior dogs individual symptoms.

Muscle Atrophy In The Older Dog

June 10, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

The muscles of mos tolder dogs lose much of their strength and actually decrease in size with each advancing year.

This is a normal part of the aging process and is to be expected. However, there are two as yet poorly understood muscle disorders which at first may look like normal aging weakness.

In one the older dog develops weakness in the leg muscles during periods of exercise or other physical stress, may fall down briefly, seem to recover, get up for a short time only to fall down again.

This is often seen in polymyositis, a disease which causes inflammation of any or all muscles in the body.

Polymyositis occurs mostly in late middle age and early old age, the most common of its several possible causes appearing to be a defect in the dog’s immune mechanism.

Treatment with corticosteroids is quite successful despite the often alarming appearance of the older dog.

Occasionally the muscles of the esophagus are affected, making swallowing difficult, but even these respond.

Muscular dystrophy, the second disorder, occurs mainly in older dogs, bears some similarity to muscular dystrophy in people, and has a cause as yet unknown. Affected dogs develop a stiff gait as the muscles become progressively weaker and smaller in size.

There is nothing we know of which will stop the deterioration or cure the disease. Treatment is palliative, trying to keep the patient as comfortable as possible, and is based on your older dog individual symptoms.

Understanding Balanoposthitis In Your Older Dog

May 5, 2009 by admin Leave a Comment

Certain disorders are rather common occurrences in many older dogs and are potentially life threatening. In the female dog, conditions such as mammary gland tumors and pyometra, as well as the less serious false pregnancy and mis-mating, can be prevented to varying degrees by ovariohysterectomy. If your mature dog has already had such surgery you have removed the sources of several major threats to her continuing good health.

Although castration of the male will similarly prevent at least two reproductive disorders related to aging, side effects are more extensive and such surgery is rarely recommended for preventive reasons. The treatment of existing reproductive disease may, however, require such an operation.

Balanoposthitis: This inflammation of the penis and prepuce (sheath) is seen with variable frequency in dogs of all ages, even young puppies, but is more common in aging males. Small amounts of yellow or grayish discharge at the opening of the prepuce are apparent although the dog’s licking at the area may clean most of it away. In several cases, the amount of discharge is quite large and will be greenish and pus-like, often matting the surrounding abdominal hair in long-coated dogs. The surface of the penis and the lining of the prepuce develop multiple little bumps, called lymphoid follicles, and bacteria actively begin to grow in the secretions. Should your dog have this problem, you will often find some of the discharge on the various surfaces that he lies on for any length of time.

You can usually clear up mild cases yourself by gently flushing out the sheath twice daily with hydrogen peroxide solution for a week or ten days. Using a rubber human ear syringe to hold the peroxide, insert its tip into the sheath opening, at the same time pulling the sheath gently toward the syringe. This will avoid the syringe tip touching the penis. Holding the sheath opening firmly around the syringe tip, slowly instill the peroxide until the prepuce distends slightly. Remove the syringe, keeping the prepuce opening closed, and gently massage the fluid back and forth within the sheath. Release the opening, let the fluid drain out, and carefully clean the surrounding area.

More severe cases should be treated by your veterinarian and may require the application of irritating medications to these delicate tissues. This would, of course, be done under anesthesia and probably followed with soothing antibiotic ointments which you would continue at home as instructed.

Your older dog may be recurrently bothered by this condition. Regular flushing with peroxide or the application of an antibiotic ointment or both, done once or twice weekly should keep the discharge under control and avoid the more serious problems.

The Golden Retrievers Major Health Issue

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