Help for ACL Injury in Dogs & Cats, Niacinamide

Arthritis has always been the most common problem we see in older pets, and now we’re seeing it in young dogs because of the high incidence of ACL injuries.  When the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee is damaged, the joint loses stability. Over time, instability leads to the development of arthritis.

We can help dogs with unstable knees with surgery, and this will help stabolize the knee, but it will not eliminate the development of arthritis, it just delays the age at which the arthritis develops.

Signs of pain

There are behaviours that indicate pets with knee injuries and other causes of arthritis are in pain:

·          Slow to rise from sitting position

·          Circle multiple times before sitting or laying down

·          Make a plopping sound when they lay down because they can’t bend their knees and get close to the floor

·          Lag behind when walking

·          Sit down on walks

·          Reluctant to jump into the car

·          Grumpy

·          Snap when accidentally get nudged

To help these dogs, we use the following therapies

1.     Acupuncture, including points GB 34 and ST 36 at the knee

2.     Laser therapy, especially the setting E

3.     Herbs & supplements, including boswellia & turmeric, Sasha’s Blen

4.     Omega 3 fatty acids, including Vet Plus Missing Link with 1000 mg glucosamine/tab

5.     Homeopathy, including Traumeel & Zeel

6.     Rehab exercises, including stretches, full range of motion, walking backward

7.     Salt water swimming with no quick foot-planted turns

8.     Adequan injections

9.     NSAIDs, including Metacam, Deramaxx, EtoGesic, Rimadyl, Piroxicam

10.  Supplements including Niacinamide

 Pet families are often familiar with the first 9 steps, but many have not heard of using Niacinamide.

Niacinamide also called Nicotinamide

Niacinamide is a systemic therapeutic agent. It improves joint mobility, muscle strength, decreases fatigability. It increases maximal muscle working capacity, reduces or eliminates arthritic joint pain. Niacinamide heals broken strands of DNA and improves many kinds of CNS functioning.

Unlike many of the other therapies, Niacinamide works slowly. It takes three months of niacinamide therapy before we can judge effectiveness.

No matter what we do, some joints are so injured by the arthritic process that no amount of niacinamide therapy will cause improvement. These dogs are great candidates for stem cell therapy.

We carry Niacinamide at WaterWorkz.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Feeding Cats Chicken Gizzards, WIngs, & Necks or using Health Mouth

In the wild, your cat would eat 8-9 mice every day. That’s scout out, chase, catch, kill, and devour. You may have lost sight of what a tremendous hunter your cat is, but if you look into its mouth and see red, inflamed gums, and dental calculus, be reminded that your cat is not eating what nature intended.

If your cat is hacking up hairballs, is constipated, or is bored, it is not eating as nature intended. Nature intended for your cat to eat mice.

There’s not much meat on a mouse, but there is lots of skin, hair, gristle and bone--material that

· strengthens your cat’s teeth and gums,

· helps remove plaque, and

· naturally cleans.

Because mice are not commercial available, except as feed for snakes and captive birds of prey who are often fed mice, I recommend feeding cats chicken necks, duck wings, whole quail, and rabbit "chunks.

To make this safe for your cat, take the chicken wings or necks from the fridge and remove fatty tissue. (Mice are extraordinarily lean. (Twiggy was a great example of a mouse.)

Warm to body temp of 38 C or 100 F by soaking in hot water or neuking for a few seconds. Don’t cut up the treat and don’t really cook it. Just warm it to body temp. The bigger the pieces are the more likely your cat is to chew them appropriately, so don’t cut them up.

A chewable alternative is chicken gizzards, a gristly delight, except in the deep South where gizzards are a deep fried delicacy. Many cats, like Southerners, love chicken gizzards.

If your cat can't stand gizzards, and doesn’t have the carnivorous heart of a killer, but you’re worried about its dental hygiene, put Healthy Mouth in its water. Healthy Mouth is an organic supplement full of antioxidants that can help your cat’s gums & teeth. Healthy Mouth has the seal of approval of the Veterinary Oral Health Council. Not as good as mice, but lots easier to provide because you just add a little to the water. It’s ideal if multiple pets, including cats & dogs share the same water bowl.

We carry Healthy Mouth at WaterWorkz. If we have mice, we won't admit it.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Anxiety Meds for Dogs & Cats, Zylkene

Is your pet anxious? Does your pet cower when there’s thunder & lightning? Does your dog tremble and shake when you load it in the car or your cat cringe when you get the carrier to travel to the vet clinic? Does your pet run and hide under the bed when company comes?

Trembling, shaking, hiding, cowering are all signs of anxiety. So, too, is biting. That’s right, for some dogs and cats, anxiety provokes aggression rather than cowering. These pets often display signs of anxiety & fear before they bite, such as moving backwards, pulling the head closer to the body, or looking away. If we don’t stop whatever is causing anxiety, they lash out.

Zylkene may help. Zylkene is a milk-based tranquilizer that calms pets without causing harm to the liver or kidney. Zylkene is an over-the-counter med, which means you don’t need a prescription to use it. We carry Zylkene for dogs & cats at WaterWorkz and encourage everyone to keep some on hand for travel & holidays with fireworks. It is a capsule that’s easy to open and mix with food or wrap in a treat and give on its own. Zylkene is not likely to interfere with any other meds a pet is taking, but if you’re concerned schedule a visit with Dr. Pollen to discuss your particular pet’s situation.

Zylkene is given once a day. It is best to give it for 2 days prior to anxiety-producing event, then again on the day of the event. By the 3rd day, pets are calmer and less upset by factors that normally trigger alarm bells. When necessary, such as with kennelling, Zylkene can be given daily for an extended period.
Although Zylkene is made from casein in milk, it is lactose free, so not likely to cause problems in lactose-sensitive dogs & cats.
In addition to Zylkene, we encourage pet families to use calming herbs, homeopathy, flower essence, essential oils, pheromones Adaptil and Feliway, body wraps or Tellington TTouch thundershirts, and conventional tranqs, such as Alprazolam, to reduce anxiety.

If your pet has a brain, it’s able to think, and some of its thoughts are going to be anxious thoughts. Anxiety reduces a pet’s quality of their life is, but you can change that. Discuss using Zylkene and all the other techniques we have for bringing peace of mind to the pets we love.
Zylkene is licensed for use in Canada and England, but not in the US, so it is not available through Amazon or US internet pet suppliers.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad