Dog with Arthritis & Weak Rear Legs: Homeopathic Remedies

by | May 10, 2019 | Arthritis, Ask A Vet, Holistic Medicine | 0 comments

by RA

I have a 10 year old (estimated) mixed breed (Shiba-Inu/Chihuahua we think) senior rescue dog we adopted in May 2014. He has many isuues and our vet has worked with us on many of them. Primarily, he had full-mouth dental extraction due to severe gum disease and infection and has recovered nicely from that and adpated to life without teeth.

He is partially blind, has corneal scarring, partially deaf and has arthritus and very weak rear legs. He walks constantly and circles several times before he lies down.

His rear legs are thinner and weaker than his front legs, when he walks he is wobbly and at times tries to keep his weight off his left rear leg and lets in slide under his body from time to time.

All in all he gets around ok, we go for short walks in the yard and he walks around in the house. I carry him up and down stairs or anything he cannot navigate. He is a great little dog and we have been treating his leg issues with rhus tox daily and arnica when he seems to be having pain since May.

He recently had an episode where his left leg seemed to be bothering him more than normal and with each step he would hobble as if it hurt him (I did not see him injure it). He also had more difficulty getting up after lying down. After 3-4 days he seems to be getting better.

My wife wants to start him on Conium Maculatum which she read in Veterinary Materia Medica is a remedy that treats older dogs with difficult gate, trembling, loss of strength while walking, pain and stiffness in legs.

My question is “is this the right remedy or do you recommend another such as rhus tox for maintenace of our aging dog with rear leg weakness and arthritus issues – without resorting to medical/Rx drugs” – keeping in mind that without teeth any meds are difficult.

Thank you for your help.

RA

Comments for Dog with Arthritis & Weak Rear Legs: Homeopathic Remedies

Oct 02, 2014My Online Vet Response for: Dog with Arthritis & Weak Rear Legs: Homeopathic Remedies
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

October 2, 2014

Hi RA,
Considering all of the ‘issues’ and chronic illness that you have described for your little guy, I am not sure he will respond to a ‘constitutional’ based homeopathic remedy.

1. Full mouth dental extraction because of severe chronic gingivitis
2. Corneal scarring causing partial blindness. (was the cornea scarred due to trauma or from ‘dry eye’ (kerato conjunctivitis sicca)?

3. Partial deafness–was this due to recurrent ear infections, so that his ear canals are closed? Or due to age? If the latter, then I am suspicious that he may be older than 10 years.

At this time alternating between Arnica and Rhus tox, is only treating the symptoms he has of arthritis, not treating any symptoms of the eyes, ears or mouth. Throwing Conium maculata into the mix, will confuse the case in my opinion.

Is there a reason that you would not consider acupuncture for his arthritis?

In the meantime, feeding him a RAW diet would certainly be beneficial in helping to boost his immune system, provide him with nutrients and moisture for his joints. Does he have any patellar luxations or cruciate problems in his left knee? Perhaps the problem is not all centered around arthritis in his hips and back. See our page on 10 Best Dog Food Options, https://www.organic-pet-digest.com/10-best-dog-food-options.html. And consider introducing some RAW food into his diet. I would definitely NOT feed him any dry food.

He may need to have some glucosamine/chondroitin supplements. Check out DGP–Dog Gone Pain. A collagen supplement with Boswellia, Feverfew, and other herbs to treat joint problems.

Ligaplex from Standard Process is an excellent supplement to repair ligament tears in the knee.

Has he had a blood panel to make sure he has no other internal health problems, kidney or liver weakness, anemia, etc.

And I would suggest you seek the help of a holistic veterinarian to determine if your little guy would be accepting of acupuncture treatments or if there is a constitutional homeopathic remedy to treat his WHOLE system. The main problem may be from ‘vaccinosis’. And remedies such as Thuya or Sulphur, may be what he needs to improve his health.

And he should NEVER have any more vaccinations EVER. A holistic veterinarian will be able to write an exemption for him.

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

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