Clare Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Poor Murf is struggling with arthritus now in both his front ankle joints The Cartrophen is of limited help, although does give him some relief, anti-inflamatories don't seem to help, and he is on CortaFlex. The vet has now said the next course of action is the pain relief route, which isn't going to help as such just mask the detioration. My vet has just suggested referring him for Myotherapy Galen Therapy Centre which is a form of physio, it is reasonably new and he has only just started referring patients for it, it has helped some of those he has referred. But the place is a 90 minute drive, when the M25 is behaving itself and they don't do weekend appointments, I am not even sure I can get four days off work. I of course will do whatever is needed but this seems to be a shot in the dark, and I wonder if I would be better off trying to find someone nearer who does normal physio. I am sure my vet in the past has said physio would be no benefit for athritus, so its seems a bit of a turnaround, but am more than happy to give it a go, just wondered if anyone had any experience of using it, and/or could recommend anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple_mog Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 My vet has just suggested referring him for Myotherapy Galen Therapy Centre which is a form of physio, it is reasonably new and he has only just started referring patients for it, it has helped some of those he has referred. Hey Clare - replying as a massage therapist for humans and dogs - the Galen myotherapy is essentially another name for massage therapy/remedial massage therapy so there may well be someone closer to you though I would make sure they have reasonable levels of experience. So long as its osteoarthritis rather than inflammatory rheumatoid type massage may well help. I have certainly worked on both humans and dogs with arthritis and find its most useful earlier on in the condition before bone degeneration or spurs develop, very helpful if you can teach a partner or owner to do mini-tx in between sessions as it needs regular work to see benefits, and important to be aware of pain levels ESP if on pain killers as too much work can cause inflammation and pain following treatment. I'd also recommend acupuncture if you can find a good vet, preferably one who uses TCM or 5-element styles rather than the more basic western approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clare Posted July 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Hey Clare - replying as a massage therapist for humans and dogs - the Galen myotherapy is essentially another name for massage therapy/remedial massage therapy so there may well be someone closer to you though I would make sure they have reasonable levels of experience. So long as its osteoarthritis rather than inflammatory rheumatoid type massage may well help. I have certainly worked on both humans and dogs with arthritis and find its most useful earlier on in the condition before bone degeneration or spurs develop, very helpful if you can teach a partner or owner to do mini-tx in between sessions as it needs regular work to see benefits, and important to be aware of pain levels ESP if on pain killers as too much work can cause inflammation and pain following treatment. I'd also recommend acupuncture if you can find a good vet, preferably one who uses TCM or 5-element styles rather than the more basic western approach. Thank you This is my worry, I think he may be past the point of physio helping. I don't know if it is osteo or rheumatoid But both joints are enlarged and very bony, and have restricted movement, one hardly moves the other is slightly better, I think the joints have fused, if that is the right term? Would accupunture help regardless of the severity or type? My vets do it but he hasn't suggested it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple_mog Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Thank you This is my worry, I think he may be past the point of physio helping. I don't know if it is osteo or rheumatoid But both joints are enlarged and very bony, and have restricted movement, one hardly moves the other is slightly better, I think the joints have fused, if that is the right term? Would accupunture help regardless of the severity or type? My vets do it but he hasn't suggested it hey Clare I am fairly sure that dogs don't get RA as such, but from what you have described I'm not personally sure I would massage an animal at this stage. I would potentially offer craniosacral therapy and/or myofascial release - both of which are very gentle on the body with less movement and mobilisation. Not sure if this therapist would use these techniques? Re: acupuncture I am really surprised your vets haven't suggested it, but some vets seem to take the training and then either don't use it much or use it in a very recipe-style fashion following rigid treatment protocols. Are there any vets near you that specialise in complementary therapies? Might also be worth phoning the Galen place and see how you feel about it? I certainly wouldn't want to put you off trying treatments though! It may be that the idea with the massage etc would be to help support the rest of his body in dealing with the severe restrictions (at least that's what I would do) but not sure what your vet has in mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Lily has had both physio and accupuncture at a place on the Hogs back between Guildford and Farnham, which I don't think is far from you? Greyfriars - your vet would need to refer you. Obviously all dogs are different, but the physio helped Lily and the accupuncture didn't. There's also a large hydrotherapy pool at Greyfriars which is fantastic. Swimming has been the biggest single help over the years. In my opinion a good balance of pain relief is important - not too much that the dog overdoes things but enough to stop them miserable and not inclined to do any exercise. Hope you can find the right treatment(s) to help Murf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) Not sure exactly where you are based etc but it may be worth dropping Careli a PM & asking whether she can help or suggest someone nearby - see here for her introduction to the forum / details http://www.therefuge.org.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=30189&st=0&p=542516&fromsearch=1entry542516 It may also be worth looking into hydrotherapy as another option eg see http://www.canine-hydrotherapy.org/ Best of luck to you & Murf Edited July 29, 2009 by Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 My friend just got shiatsu done on her 10 year old Springer Biggles, which he enjoyed immensely, he had a bit of a "healing crisis" over the weekend but by Monday she said the difference in him was amazing, and she was having to slow the old boy down, he has arthritis in his shoulders. I also took Daisy to the same person to see if she could improve her scuffing, but the lady thought it was caused by nerve damage in her foot so not a lot could be done, she still very much enjoyed it though, and it only cost £15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clare Posted July 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Mog I think my vet is working on trying to preserve the joints and his mobility as much as possible before resorting to drugs, as he feels he should be drug free for as long as possible. I do have anti-inflamatories to give when he gets bad but these are now not working, if he gets bad I can go and collect some pain killers, but once on these he goes full steam ahead. He is so healthy and active in every other way it is very hard to keep a balence. Thank you for the link Ian that is fantastic We were referred to hydrotherapy a couple of years ago, and after starting really well the personnel changed and it seemed to do more harm than good, to the point that Murf didn't want to get out of the car when we got there, and normally he is a leap before you think kind of guy! But looking at Karen's link I am not ruling it out, as that place seems very professional and local ish. Off to check out shiatsu, what area was the lady in Celeste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Hydrotherapy made a difference to my bitch's arthritic joint. She also had very limited movement in the joint. My first experience of hydrotherapy was not good. There was no structure to the sessions and it was somebody different every time, despite it being run by a vet practice. My bitch started shaking at the door - despite being a swimming freak. I stopped going then. Later, a new centre opened near me and I went to see them. I had a long chat with the vet nurse who ran it, and explained what had previously happened. This centre was much different. She kept a written record of what was done on each visit, she checked my bitch over before each session and asked lots of questions as to how she had been after each session. She was quite prepared to take time getting Amber into the water. She did need a little persuasion to get into the water,but nothing drastic, and after a couple of sessions Amber was pulling me in the door and trying to jump in the pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Lady we seen is in Fife I'm afraid,a bit far for you I'd think, she works mainly with agility dogs, perhaps some of the agility folk on here would know of someone they'd recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clare Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Lady we seen is in Fife I'm afraid I had a feeling it wouldn't be in the south with such a reasonable fee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 I would not hesitate to use pain killers for arthritis, it's painful even in the early stages and debilitating when it's advanced. If medication makes the dog happier and more comfortable I don't see a reason for not using it. A low regular dose is probably more beneficial than giving it once in a while. Hydrotherapy can help alleviate some of the stiffness, and physios can show you some massage and stretching techniques, as can chiropractors. What about acupuncture - that can help, along with painkillers. Regular short walks also help, as can magnetic collars. I was able to halve the rimadyl my elderly rottie was on by using a collar and walking him three to four times a day, so that he kept on the move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EAD Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I took Benji for acupuncture which I think helped and also bought him a magnetic collar. Towards the end he was on Metacam too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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