A lot of folks expect the solution for arthritis to come out of one bottle, but it takes more effort than that. Here’s how I manage arthritis in my 10.5 year-old freagle, Sasha.
Arthritis can be defined as 'a disease causing painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints'. It's one of the most common ailments to afflict our dogs, particularly as they get older. Sasha has been living with it for the past few years, owing to her beginnings in life as a caged animal with poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Quite often, I'm asked what I do to help her manage. She's now 10.5 years old.
I'm going to start with the nutrition she gets, which is at the very core of wellness in any body. Grain-free diet, which includes a variety of meat protein to help build muscle and tissue to support her joints. Grains cause inflammation. Fish is an important part of her diet for it's rich in Omega 3. In addition, she gets Green Lipped Mussel and Golden Paste everyday. Moringa powder, bones to chew on, chicken feet and bone broth a few times a week. Nothing I say about our dogs' diet is complete without a shout out to our guide, Georgina Coelho.
I'm very careful to keep her weight in check, for being overweight would mean more pressure on her joints. She is never forced to walk any more than she wants to. When she communicates that she's had enough, we simply bring her back home. We don't allow her to climb stairs. She's a tiny packet, so can be carried easily. We've reduced the height of our bed so she doesn't have to jump on and off which would adversely impact her joints. Dog beds are stacked close to the couch near her favourite spot so she can hop on with ease.
CBD oil has been a recent addition and it has been a game changer. We don't get this in India unfortunately but we get friends travelling down from abroad to bring it for us. It has helped in reducing stiffness of her joints making her movements more fluid, reduced recovery time on days when she has chosen to walk longer distances.
All too often, I'm hearing of dogs as young as 8-9 years being unable to even get up due to arthritis. A lot of folks expect the solution to come out of one bottle, it doesn't work that way. It takes consistent effort. Every effort is worth it when we watch them enjoy their lives and not struggle with debilitating pain on a daily basis.