By Canine Arthritis and Joint
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  I cannot stress enough how important a diet is in managing pain and inflammation in an arthritic dog. Even if your dog is young, you should always start early to decrease the aging process of joints. A home prepared diet is your best. Raw being the very best you can provide, cooked being the second. The problem with cooked is the nutrients  are cooked out so you must provide additional supplements to maintain a balanced diet. Third on the list is a raw commercial dehydrated diet. These are expensive and lack moisture. Even adding water, it still has less moisture than other foods. Raw foods have an excessive amount of water and is needed for the body. High quality canned is next down on the list. These contain moisture but also are filled with cheap ingredients and synthetic vitamins mostly that come from China and other countries. As for kibble/dry foods, well there isn't much good I can say about kibble. It's the worst on the market. It is a convenience for humans ONLY. It is equivalent to feeding cardboard. Yep, it's that nutritious. It lacks quality ingredients. It may contain 4-D meat along with artificial preservatives. If you haven't read my article on Kibble Kills, you need to read it. It is an eye opening article. Kibble CREATES diseases and illnesses due to its low quality ingredients in foods. It is so overly processed, there is nothing left in it that is nutritious, This food will take out your dog's internal organs, can cause seizures, arthritis, cancer, wobblers, cushings, food allergies, skin issues, thyroid disease, autoimmune diseases. It also slightly keeps your dog's body dehydrated, no matter how much they drink. You name it, this is the number one cause of all illnesses in pets. (Vaccines being second)

So you may want to rethink what you feed your dog. It's like taking your child to McDonald's every day and ordering the same hamburger everyday. Would you feed that to your child everyday? Then why would you feed it to your pets?

​No matter what you feed your dog, always include a few supplements. You can add them into yogurt, kefir or cottage cheese for liquid or powders. I recommend liquids first, powders second for supplements. Always add probiotics, digestive enzymes, joint supplements, fish oil with Vit E three times a week...along with milk thistle. For a dog that takes medication, drinks unfiltered water, or eats commercial pet foods, your dog should be detoxed and kept on milk thistle daily (5 days on, 2 days off). Coconut oil is a great additive for health purposes. It's great internally and externally. For cuts, scrapes, & skin issues. Pretty much anything you can think of. You can even bathe your dog in it. Make sure you do a light shampoo after words or you may have an oily dog. LOL  You can feed it to them as a treat or an additive to foods. It is 1/4 teaspoon per 10 lbs twice a day. It can make for some loose stools so start with a small amount and work your way up. That also goes for Vitamin C (magnesium ascorbate) which is good for building the immune system as well. DO NOT give your arthritic dog ascorbic acid. It can cause stomach issues. Other good supplements you can add any time is milk thistle for the taxed livers that eat commercial pet foods or for older or ill dogs. Turmeric and Essiac tea are healing herbs. Great for EVERYTHING. If your dog has kidney or liver issues, please check with a holistic vet or nutritionist before giving meds or supplements. Turmeric is great for cancer as well as arthritis. When you purchase supplements, make sure you are buying high quality pure supplements. A lot of the supplement's also have preservatives in them which causes just as much harm. So learn what ingredients are best. If you're not up for that much time to spend on researching, I have a list of links that are for supplements without or contain a small amount of preservatives under my protocol for Canine arthritis.

​I truly believe that diet plays a major role in our pets health. Remember, in the holistic world of pet care, you focus on repairing and cleansing the whole body. Vets treat with modern treatments only and focus on the illness only. It's a band-aid to the real problem within. They have no clue about diet or choose not to learn so they can keep you coming back. (Vaccines play a huge role in illnesses as well. Consider titer testing instead.) You MUST heal the GUT. You have to get the digestive system healthy, which in turn builds a strong immune system. If your dog is ill or overcome with arthritis, pain and inflammation, this is where to start. Change the diet, build the immune system by repairing the gut and organs. Get on a good joint supplement along with physical therapy alternatives like acupuncture or chiropractic care. 



​Daily Activities To Provide To Your Dog

Just remember to give your pet a healthy life by providing these things:

Diet-A well balanced species appropriate diet. (RAW)

Supplements-High quality organic daily herbs and supplements along with good preservative free joint supplements.

Exercise-Daily walks (no agility or repetitive exercises)

Physical therapy-Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Hydrotherapy and daily massages at home..specifically around the spine area.

The spine is the brain to the blood lines. It supplies blood to all parts of the body. If you keep the spine in line, it will supply healthy oxygenated blood cells to the weak parts of the body and help it to heal faster. It is your lifeline to a healthy body.

If you will do these things daily for your pet, you will have a healthy dog with a strong immune system. This will protect his/her organs, muscles, joints, skin, and overall pain free & healthy life.


The Power of Massage​

What you can do for your dog at home is give him/her a massage. A daily massage will keep blood circulating in the areas where arthritis is a problem, as well as contribute to better blood flow throughout the entire body. Your dog will truly love the attention and enjoy the time you spend with them. Take 5-10 minutes of your day, sit down on the floor and rub your baby. When you keep the muscles relaxed, there is less pressure on the joints trying to pull the bones out of place, especially the spine. Even rub the paws and, if your dog will let you, work in-between the toes. If you get in the habit of massages, they may eventually let you rub in between, which also helps when it comes time for a nail clipping.


Vaccines-The Damage They Do

Did you know that vaccines cause more harm to your pets? Most vaccines last 5-7 yrs. Getting shots every year is hard on the immune system and is known to cause chronic disease and even death. Also, they can shorten the lifespan of your canine and feline friends. Vaccines have a lot of mercury in them. According to your lifestyle, shots other than rabies may not be needed once the puppy has had its boosters. There is titer testing available as well. The Rabies vaccine, is only required every 3 yrs. If you live out in the country where rabid skunks roam, consider titer testing and vaccinate if needed.
Today we can start by providing a better diet, more supplements in your dog's diet, less medications and fewer vaccines. Remember, the key to getting your dog better is building the immune system. You can't do that by feeding a low quality diet, giving medications and yearly vaccines.

To read more about vaccines..click here

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