Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic

Arthritis Treatment Options from Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic

Arthritis is a chronic, degenerative disease of the joints in which the body places bone around unstable or ‘wobbly’ joints. In a dog, the most commonly affected joints are the hips, shoulders, knees, elbows and spine. By the time your pet has reached 8 to 9 years old, there is a 90% chance that there is some form of arthritis present. Once arthritis has begun, unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to reverse or stop the progression of the disease. As arthritis worsens, pets will tend to act ‘stiff’ when walking, especially after waking up in the morning or during cold, wet weather and in the winter. As your pet walks or begins to exercise, they tend to ‘work out’ the stiffness and act more normal, but will again act sore after exercise is complete. Thankfully, we have many different ways to attack the pain caused by arthritis and make your pet feel much better while living with this chronic condition.

Supplements

The first line of defense at The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic is the use of supplements and vitamins in the control of arthritis. Fish oil, or Omega-3 Fatty Acids, is a key component of managing the inflammation and pain of arthritis and aiding in the lubrication of joints. Joint supplements such as Cetyl-M are helpful in regenerating the cartilage in joints to allow less bone-to-bone contact and decrease pain. Duralactin is a protein supplement that also helps decrease pain. A Vitamin-B derivative is also very helpful in blocking a specific portion of the ‘pain pathway,’ eliminating a source of chronic pain from arthritis. During your initial physical examination, we will discuss these medications and recommended doses for your pet.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Though supplements are a great and safe way of managing pain in arthritis patients, eventually, additional prescription medications are needed to help with the pain. NSAIDs are an effective and very safe way of giving that additional level of pain control. There are many different classes of NSAIDs that can be used to control pain, depending on the patient, some are more safe than others. We will tailor an NSAID plan to your pet that will lessen the risks while maximizing the benefits of these drugs. Due to possible rare side effects of these medications, it is highly recommended to evaluate periodic blood work to ensure that the kidneys and liver are not adversely affected by the use of these medications.

Adjunctive Medical Management

Additional medications are sometimes needed to help control the signs of pain in some patients. When we need to add on other medications to make your pet feel better, the most common is a very safe, synthetic, non-addictive, morphine-based medication called Tramadol. Another safe medication used, called a Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan, or Adequan, is helpful in regenerating joints in the face of arthritis. Additional medications can also used as needed to help ‘reset’ the amount of pain felt by your pet. Your veterinarian will discuss these medications and the potential side effects if needed.

Alternative therapies

At The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic, we are always looking for new and effective approaches to manage chronic pain in our patients. One way to do this is through the use of acupuncture and chiropractics. Both of these modalities are very helpful in lessening the pain felt from chronic arthritis. We are also able to use stem-cell therapy to help regenerate the painful joints in your pet. In this procedure, fat tissue is taken from around the liver and processed to obtain the stem-cells, which are then injected into the affected joints. Over the following months, most pets begin to feel much more mobile and are able to get around much easier.

Dr. Darren Wright, DVM

Tips on Giving Your Pet Oral Medication from the Doctors at The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic.
Cats
1. When giving a medication in pill form, first wrap it in deli meat, tuna fish, a pill pocket, or any treat that your cat will enjoy
2. Capsules are easy to break open and mix with wet food (a/d) or tuna fish.
3. For tablets, try hiding it in wet food. Be sure to ask before crushing up any medication as some should not be crushed!
4. If the above options do not work, you will have to force the cat to take the medication. Place the pill (throw the pill to the back of the throat) on the inside of the back corner of the mouth (as far back as you can get it) and then hold your cat’s mouth shut while they swallow. It usually slides down easier if dipped in a small amount of butter. You make also use a piller to get the medication to the back of the mouth.
5. If the medication is in liquid form, you can sprinkle it on their food or mix with their food, which your cat sometimes will eat without noticing. This will usually need to be a very tasty food such as a/d, tuna, salmon, beef jerky, deli meat, liverwurst, etc.
6. If you free feed your cat, you will need to give the liquid directly. Draw the medication up with a syringe and place the tip of the opening to the corner of your cat’s mouth. Place the syringe between the lips and slowly squirt the medicine into the mouth (not too quickly as to gag the cat, but quick enough she doesn’t have time to pull away). This may take a few tries because your cat will most likely pull away or struggle, until they understand what is happening. You can also hold the scruff, tilt the head back, and squirt the liquid in the side of the mouth. Giving them a treat or water chaser after medication, helps the medication go down and makes the next time easier.

Dogs
1. When giving a pill, simply wrap it in a very small piece of “Human” food (deli meat) or dog treat, and follow the “treat” with a much larger treat immediately. This will cause them to rapidly swallow the first treat with the medication as they anticipate the larger treat that follows.
2. When giving a liquid let your dog smell it first and then squirt it in on the side of the mouth. Remember to hold the mouth closed until you see a good swallow (about 3-5 seconds). Then give a treat after the medication as a chaser.
3. Pills may be given with a small amount of butter, followed by a treat.
4. Pills may be given with a small amount of peanut butter (since peanut butter is sticky it sometimes causes the medications to get stuck in the mouth).
5. A small hole may be punctured in a marshmallow and the pill may be given in this mechanism.

* If they refuse to swallow, holding their muzzle shut and blowing on their nose or rubbing their throat usually encourages them to swallow.

* At The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic we can flavor most medication here with our flavoring system to make it more palatable. We can mix both pills and liquid into a variety of flavored liquids your pet will enjoy. Ask us about Flavor Rx Mandarin orange, chopped liver, grilled tuna, crispy bacon, salmon, mom’s banana bread and other flavors.

* We can also give many medications in injectable forms. Ask about Convenia, this injectable antibiotic only needs to be given once every 2 weeks.

* Call us anytime that you have questions about medicating your pet!!!

* Call to verify that the particular medication that you are trying to administer to your pet can be given with one of the things or methods that are recommended in this handout.  Some medications cannot be mixed with certain food, medications, or methods.  Some medications must be given at certain times of the day.  Some medications are sensitive to heat, cold, etc.  If you have any questions consult your veterinarian on a particular medication or disease.

Dr. Bill Langhofer, The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic

TSVCpets.com

Open 7 days a week from 7 am – 9 pm.  Yes we are open on Sunday!!!

The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic DENTAL CARE RECOMMENDATIONS:

Good teeth and gums are very important to the health of your pet, the average animal lives 2-3 years longer with healthy teeth, than those with gingivitis and tartar. Bad teeth and gingivitis can lead to heart disease, kidney and liver failure, and many other diseases.

1. We recommend starting on Plaque Off. It bonds to tartar, and breaks tartar off the teeth in addition to preventing new tartar from forming. Simply add this powder to ‘s food daily. This product works well for dogs and cats that do not like to chew or are too sick for a dental cleaning.

2. You can also use dental chews, and we recommend CET HEXTRA chews. A recent study in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry noted a 46% reduction in gingivitis with rawhide chews. CET chews have enzymes that help eat the tartar off the teeth. It also has an antibacterial agent (Chlorhexidine gluconate), that acts like a mouth wash. These help to scrape tartar and plaque off the teeth and to reduce bacteria in the mouth. If you purchase chews from a local pet store, please keep in mind that they must be “enzymatic” to be really effective.
*Overall chews are safe and very beneficial to the teeth; however, if you pet swallows them whole they must be discontinued as they can cause a blockage and may require surgery. Other rawhides/chews tend to cause more problems with diarrhea/vomiting as they are cured with formaldehyde. The CET Chews are cured with a bake and press method which make them safer to give to your pet, and easier to digest when swallowed.

3. We also recommend you try brushing ‘s teeth 2 times weekly. You can buy toothpaste and toothbrushes here or at the local pet store. Do not use a human tooth paste as these cannot be swallowed.

4. Greenies can be beneficial to the teeth. Make sure your pet does not swallow them whole as they can cause a blockage and possibly require surgery.

5. Dental cleanings are recommended for pets with tartar and gingivitis, and for pets that will possible require tooth extractions. At The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic we have great discounts on our dental prophys the month of September and February, with discounts of 25% on the cleanings. Most dogs and cats will require a dental cleaning around 7 years of age and every 1-2 years after to keep the teeth in good condition.

Dr William ( Bill ) Langhofer
The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic
7311 E Thomas Rd
Scottsdale, Az 85251
Open 7 days a week!!

2. Spray fruit juice on top of the pellets- Apple, Orange, Grapefruit, Papaya Juices can all be misted on top of pellets to help flavor the pellets a flavor that they may enjoy. You may also mix pellets with apple sauce.

3. Make it hot- many birds like tabasco sauce on pellets.

4. Mix pellets- with pasta sauce, oatmeal, banana baby food, cream of wheat.

5. Feed them pellets on a mirror, the reflection of “another bird” in the mirror may stimulate them to try the pellets. It’s all about the competition.

6. Mix the pellets with their current seed. (This is the least effective method as they usually just eat around them, but this does allow them to get used to the pellets and start viewing it as food)

7. Place a few drops of peanut oil in a bag with the pellets and shake them, the peanut oil is very good at hiding the flavor of the pellets and will lightly coat the outside of the pellets. This method is very effective for birds that like peanut butter and peanuts. (only use a few drops).

8. Place pellets on a plate while you are eating dinner and pretend to eat them (Yes we want the human to pretend to eat the pellets). This method is very effective for birds that are comfortable eating at the dinner table with a human family.

9. Place another bird next to them that is already eating pellets (monkey see…monkey do).

10. Cook the pellets in some type of bread- corn muffin, wheat muffin, etc., and then feed them the bread.

- Be persistent as I have had one client that had to spend 2.5 years before her budgie would finally start eating pellets.

-The average bird takes a few months for them to get used to the pellets and start eating them on a regular basis.

-Do not just force them to eat pellets or go hungry, as they may refuse the pellets until they develop other complicating medical problems. Make sure that they are eating some type of food on a regular basis during the transition.

-Our general rule of thumb for psittacine species (parrots) is 40% pellets, 30% vegetables, 20% fruit, and 10 % seeds and nuts. These ratios do change dramatically based on the species of parrot and their medical concerns.

Dr. Bill Langhofer, The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic, TSVCpets.com