Acupuncture and/or Masseuse for Senior Dog

[jmc325]

Ok, I realize I may sound like a crazy dog lady, but hear me out.

I have a senior pup (about 40 lbs) who is experiencing arthritis in his hips. He was officially diagnosed a year ago, but I think it's entering that "next stage". He sees his vet regularly and is on pain meds, but I was researching other things I could do to provide him more comfort and acupuncture/massages came out as an option.

It seems like his arthritis is getting worse, he moans when we pet him on his lower back and I know the cooler weather isn't helping (we're in Houston, so thankfully it's not freezing). We also just bought a 2 story house, but we've been carrying him up/down the stairs. Breaking his habit of jumping off the bed has been tough though...

Has anyone had their pup do this? Is it worth it? My husband isn't into the idea, but if it will help give him a little relief (on top of the meds) then I'm willing to give it a shot.

[isabel]

We haven’t done this, by CBD oil did wonders.

[mich1]

We tried acupuncture for our elderly dog with arthritis of the spine. He fought it every step of the way, so it wasn’t very successful. We did find that the laser therapy helped him a lot. We tried this first, but it stopped working after a few years.

[mrhanky]

Dec 11, 2018 15:35:42 GMT -5 jmc325 said:

Ok, I realize I may sound like a crazy dog lady, but hear me out.

I have a senior pup (about 40 lbs) who is experiencing arthritis in his hips. He was officially diagnosed a year ago, but I think it's entering that "next stage". He sees his vet regularly and is on pain meds, but I was researching other things I could do to provide him more comfort and acupuncture/massages came out as an option.

It seems like his arthritis is getting worse, he moans when we pet him on his lower back and I know the cooler weather isn't helping (we're in Houston, so thankfully it's not freezing). We also just bought a 2 story house, but we've been carrying him up/down the stairs. Breaking his habit of jumping off the bed has been tough though...

Has anyone had their pup do this? Is it worth it? My husband isn't into the idea, but if it will help give him a little relief (on top of the meds) then I'm willing to give it a shot.

I looked into acupuncture for my old boy before he passed (13 year old Saint Bernard with bad hips) but ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth the cost in terms of benefits it could provide. I’m not sure what meds he’s on, but we added gabapentin to his nsaid and it really seemed to help. You could also order him some stairs and teach him to climb into bed instead of jumping? We had just restricted our big boy to the main floor only and got him a wheelchair (so he could continue his nightly walks), when he got diagnosed with cancer and passed away. I will say I believe the steps we took kept his arthritis under control and gave him a good quality of life until the end.

[TBM]

We haven't done it yet, but we have four senior dogs, one with puzzling liver values and two of them have had back problems.

I just found out that one of the veterinarians at the practice we take the pups to is trained in acupuncture for pets and is training in traditional Eastern therapies, so that she can use both Eastern and Western medicine to treat them. I really like that approach. She became interested when she had senior dogs and she wanted to help improve their quality of life in their last years.

Our rather traditional, (but always willing to listen to other opinions) vet seems quite interested in this other doctor's approach, and when she realized that we loosely follow it to feed one of our pups, she mentioned that the other doctor might be able to help us with that, and to let her know if we wanted her to see the one with high liver values, who isnt getting better with western medications.

[dexteroni]

We used the laser kind when our Dexter was old and had arthritis, and it helped him a great deal. I say give it a shot. Anything to minimize his pain and minimize the meds that can wear on his organs over time is worth a try IMO. We saw a difference pretty quickly, so I think you would only need a few appointments to know if it was starting to work.

[jaycee]

Dec 11, 2018 15:47:38 GMT -5 isabel said:

We haven’t done this, by CBD oil did wonders.

How do you give the CBD oil to a dog? Did you get a vet’s okay before trying it? Looking for some relief for my old dog, too.

[isabel]

Dec 11, 2018 19:48:48 GMT -5 jaycee said:

Dec 11, 2018 15:47:38 GMT -5 isabel said:

We haven’t done this, by CBD oil did wonders.

How do you give the CBD oil to a dog? Did you get a vet’s okay before trying it? Looking for some relief for my old dog, too.

Yes, our vet is the one who brought it up and recommended it. We put it on freeze dried treats. It soaks in really quickly and helped us make sure she was getting the full dose.

[gilmoregirl]

We've done acupuncture and PT/Massage for our pug who has a neuro injury. Not arthritis but she has inflammation and impacts her day to day activity and movement. Acupuncture has helped a lot and she is also on Chinese herbs as well. We have learned massage techniques from PT since she's been going for almost 2 years now. and we do those daily. It helps keep the muscles limber. It's worth a try to see if it helps.

I would also consider trying CBD supplement/oil/cookies. We started using those a few months ago and it increased her energy levels and brought back her spunk. She wants to go for walks, play, and seems to move better since we started. From what I've read and researched, CBD oil can help reduce inflammation which may help him.

You can give the oil directly into the mouth. That's a struggle though and I worry about getting the right amount in there so when we do the oil, I drop the oil on dried liver treats. We've been using Canna-Pet and they have capsules you put into food. We've also used their cookies and she eats them right up.

[dexteroni]

isabel what brand do you use? Can you post a link?

[redheadk]

CBD oil wasn't a thing when we last dealt with an elderly dog with arthritis and joint pain. We didn't do really dog massage but our groomer massaged him during his bath so we took him for frequent groomings. It was one of the few things he enjoyed at the end. He probably would have really enjoyed a full massage.

We bought a pressure sensitive heating pad to put in his dog bed. He LOVED that and we noticed definite improvement in his ability to move around after sleeping, especially in colder months. It wasn't expensive, maybe $30? It's one that is made for dogs and doesn't get hot, it only heats up to dog body temperature. It was just enough to keep him from getting too stiff.

For the bed, none of our dogs liked dog stairs. We actually use a Poang ottoman from Ikea. It is a larger, flat surface and not cushy. We have smaller dogs and it has been great for them, though Max was about 33 pounds and liked it, too.

[dexteroni]

Dec 11, 2018 20:47:14 GMT -5 redheadk said:

We bought a pressure sensitive heating pad to put in his dog bed. He LOVED that and we noticed definite improvement in his ability to move around after sleeping, especially in colder months. It wasn't expensive, maybe $30? It's one that is made for dogs and doesn't get hot, it only heats up to dog body temperature. It was just enough to keep him from getting too stiff.

Can you post a link to the mat? Our Quincy is starting to show signs of arthritis and I'd like to try this and CBD oil. Neither of those were available the last time we dealt with arthritis either.

[isabel]

Dec 11, 2018 20:31:13 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

isabel what brand do you use? Can you post a link?

I don't have a specific brand. We were going to a local natural pet store. I know Kriser's carries it and a friend of mine used theirs with great success for her arthritic tripod pup.

[dexteroni]

Dec 11, 2018 21:30:38 GMT -5 isabel said:

Dec 11, 2018 20:31:13 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

isabel what brand do you use? Can you post a link?

I don't have a specific brand. We were going to a local natural pet store. I know Kriser's carries it and a friend of mine used theirs with great success for her arthritic tripod pup.

Thanks! We don't have Kriser's but we have a similar store. I'll check there. 

[redheadk]

Dec 11, 2018 20:56:29 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Dec 11, 2018 20:47:14 GMT -5 redheadk said:

We bought a pressure sensitive heating pad to put in his dog bed. He LOVED that and we noticed definite improvement in his ability to move around after sleeping, especially in colder months. It wasn't expensive, maybe $30? It's one that is made for dogs and doesn't get hot, it only heats up to dog body temperature. It was just enough to keep him from getting too stiff.

Can you post a link to the mat? Our Quincy is starting to show signs of arthritis and I'd like to try this and CBD oil. Neither of those were available the last time we dealt with arthritis either.

I don’t know if it was this exact one but this one is very similar. I remember that it shut off 20 minutes after the pet got up.

www.chewy.com/kh-pet-products-pet-bed-warmer-small/dp/54466

[whitemerlot]

We did acupuncture on our dog for a while. It helped when we did it twice a week, but once we tried to taper down to once a week or every other week, it never seemed to work again. He was also on gabapentin.

[Que?]

We have a 12 year old, 60lbs with a rehabilitated knee tear, arthritis and various other old guy issues. He has a holistic vet; who cares for him with homeopathics, raw food, some powders for ligaments and etc, CBD oil and acupuncture/acupressure/massage. It's all been largely helpful, you wouldn't know he has a bum knee, he runs off leash for an hour a day, and walks on leash multiple times daily (small town, we walk everywhere). He's an amazing senior, living his best life and it's all cheaper than meds and regular vet visits.

[Wallflower]

A friend's dog was suffering from bone cancer. She had a leg amputated and was in pain as it continued to progress. They tried acupuncture and it actually worked - first of all, she was a golden so she just loved having someone visit her and rub all over her - she never noticed the needles going in. But there was truly a noticeable difference in her pain levels following the treatment. It didn't last beyond a week or so, and as the cancer progressed, it was less effective. But it was enough to convince me that it was absolutely working for her.

[mrsukyankee]

I do massage myself on my dog and he likes it. But honestly, what has worked best for him are supplements - we give him tumeric & black pepper tablets, Youmove tablets and green lipped mussel tablets. The combo seems to work really well for him - he's much more like his old self on these.

[patches31709]

I have friends who use a laser therapy blanket. I've also seen them as doggie jackets. It's a big investment upfront, but probably equal to a small number of sessions at a vet. Our friends swear by it for their arthritic dog.