Volume 2 - Issue 2

Greetings,
Welcome to this month's issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Please pass this along to your friends!

Table of Contents:

  1. Featured Articles from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center
  2. Pet Foods and Arthritis
  3. Pet Arthritis Message Boards

Featured Pet Arthritis Content

  1. A Guide to Glucosamine Products for Pets
  2. Canine Hip Dysplasia
  3. Stories of Users of Rimadyl
  4. Natural Arthritis Relief for Pets
  5. Recommended Books on easing arthritis pain in Pets
  6. Using Glucosamine to Ease Arthritis Pain in Pets

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Pet Foods and Arthritis

By J.R. Rogers

Pet Food Ingredients and Arthritic Pets
We have talked about the importance of nutrition in treating arthritis in family pets. What we have not discussed is the significance of the ingredients in the pet foods you buy.

Obesity is only one Issue
By now you should all understand that a pet that carries excess weight is placing a greater burden on their arthritic joints. However, that is only one component of the problems when viewing nutrition as important in treating your arthritic pet.

Many of the dog burger-type products available on the market contain either corn syrup or sucrose (derived from cornstarch.) Both will cause highs and lows in blood glucose, just as white sugar will. As your pet's body is trying to convert these sugars into a form of energy, it is depleting the B vitamins and magnesium that are necessary for joint health. At the same time, when your pet consumes these (sugars) their body stores the excess fat and of course, the result is added and unnecessary weight.

The (Hidden) Sugars in Dog Food
When you are in the store buying your pet's food, take the time to read the label. Sugar comes under many different names and it is a list you should at least have some familiarity with. In dog foods, it usually comes labeled as: corn syrup, corn sweetener, molasses, maple syrup, sucrose, dextrose or fructose. How big is the problem here? In moist foods, the sugars may constitute as much as 25% of the food.

The Cat Food Sugar Connection
In cat foods, this (sugar) is usually listed under the ingredients as Propylene Glycol, which means that for every meal the calories comprise up to 10% sugar. Of course, the consequences to your cats are exactly the same as they are for dogs.

Your Options
To avoid this (sugar) problem, there are a couple of options you can explore. If you have the time, you can purchase organic meats that contain no hormones and prepare them yourself. We have also talked about preparing your own pet food from "scratch." Just mix some meat (or fish), raw vegetables, nuts and grains. Mix and blend them well and prepare extra portions, which you can freeze into additional containers. (This saves you from having to do this on a daily basis.)

Another way to approach the problem is to purchase the better quality pet foods and mix them with 50-60% other fresh foods. This will cut down on the intake of those sugars considerably.

Be Patient
If your pets are accustomed to eating those foods that contain these excessive sugars, be patient when making the transition over to healthier ones. They are likely a little "spoiled" and it may take two or three days to get them switched over to their new food regimen.

This simple elimination of sugar(s) from your pet's diet is well worth the minor aggravation they may give you while moving them over to their new diet. Remember, it is in their best interest and this simple step will aid greatly in reducing their arthritis pain and discomfort.

See you next time.

This Just In

My Sheltie, Socks, was badly injured in a dog fight with a much larger dog. He was cut and bleeding, so we took him to the vet for surgery and stitches. He was progressing nicely and we brought him home on a Friday afternoon so that I could monitor his progress over the week-end. The prescription drugs were Rimadyl 100mg for pain and Baytril 58 mg. Sunday night the dog began to have seizures similar to epileptic fits. He rejected all foods and tried to cover the foods with newspapers to hide the contents. His nose was raw from shoving papers and towels over the food . He would not drink water and rejected all attempts at nutrition by clenching his teeth. When we monitored his outside movements, he was dizzy, fell frequently, was disoriented and fell to the ground with seizures, one after another with intervals of 30 minutes. During these seizures, he would fall heavily to the ground, his heart rate increased, he was immobile, and he did not respond to my voice. I felt he was having mini strokes or heart attacks. I continued to give him the Rimadyl for pain (typed on the prescription), 1/2 a tablet in the morning and afternoon. We took him back to the vet on Monday since he opened his stitches due to the violent seizures. The vet attributed the seizures to stress relating to the dog fight. However, the animal was not prone to stress attacks. He had been involved in fights before and never had seizures.For his size, he knew no limitation about challenging dogs larger than himself. His eyes were glazed, he did not know where he was, he staggered and weaved around, and could not follow me into the house. I force fed him fluids, but he rejected all efforts to eat himself. He did not urinate or defecate for several hours. We planned to take him back to the vet's for fluid feedings, but he died before we could take him back.

I shared this experience with a friend who has a vast knowledge of animal treatment and writes for a national magazine. I was told that the Rimadyl is not a drug for pain, but a prescription for older animals who have arthritis. My dog had all of the negative symptoms from Rimadyl listed in web sites. How can a vet be allowed to prescribe this drug for pain when the side effects are disastrous? Should not the dog's owner be notified of the side effects? We spent over $600.00 on my dog and I feel that he was killed by the wrong drug. He recovered from the dog fight, but not the vet's prescriptions. There should be some warning on Rimadyl so that people have the option not to administer a drug that may be fatal to a injured animal. I had this dog for eight years, the puppy of my loyal Sheltie, and I do not feel that he got adequate prescription care.

Lynne Burger

This email was submitted by Lynne Burger to help inform people of possible dangers with prescription medications. Please talk to your veterinarian and take time to educate yourself on possible dangers and side effects of prescription medications.

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Pet Arthritis Message Boards

A feature to our Pet Arthritis Resource Center is the Pet Arthritis Message Board. You can post messages, ask questions, learn more, and meet friends. You can post messages in any of the following sections.

Dogs

  • Canine Hip Dysplasia
  • Arthritis in Dogs
  • Glucosamine for Dogs

Cats

  • Feline Hip Dysplasia
  • Glucosamine for Cats
  • Arthritis in Cats

Other Animals

  • Arthritis in Other Animals

Here's a few sample posts from the Forum...

heather
Posted on 07 Feb 2003

My 7 year-old Staffordshire Terrier lost his front right leg to a car at 7 mos. Over the past 2 years, he has developed soreness and mild muscle atrophy in his left shoulder, but our main concern is about his hips. The last radiographs taken 2 years ago revealed the beginnings of arthritis. It seems the "longer" walks or hikes leaves him painful and with lameness in the rt rear leg. I need help- he doesn't swim very well for obvious reasons, he developed a gastric ulcer when placed on Etogesic, and Rimadyl doesn't seem to have much effect. Neither does the Adequan injection series. He's on a large breed diet with glucosamine/chondroitin. Any suggestions or success stories of treatments would be great.

Pam
Posted on 03 Feb 2003

Deramaxx product literature reveals erosions of the intestines at 2.5 times label dose, and as doses increase so does kidney damage. To quote the company's own literature, "All dogs should undergo a thorough history and physical examination before the initiation of NSAID therapy. Appropriate laboratory tests to establish hematological and serum biochemical baseline data prior to administration of any NSAID is recommended." Sadly, few dogs have this extensive and regular testing prior to chronic administration of NSAIDS, which is why I see their owners bringing them in for second opinions for treatment of serious side effects.

Post your own message on The Pet Arthritis Message Board now!

This concludes the February Issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Look for the next issue in your inbox on March 15th, 2003!

Please forward to any friends that have pets with arthritis and who would be interested.

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Have a great February from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center and The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. See you next month!

 

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