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Arthritis and Antibiotics
Dear Dr. Lee,
My dog has been diagnosed with arthritis in the hips. His pain and stiffness seem worse in the cold weather, and the medicine prescribed by my vet doesn’t seem to be helping much. Is there anything else I can do to keep him comfortable? He’s getting older now and I hate to see him in pain.
E. M.
Dear E. M.,
Arthritis is common in older pets as well as humans. First let’s look at the Western Medical perspective, since this is what you’re currently using. Western Medicine has basically two categories of arthritis: either it is immune mediated, meaning the body’s immune system has gone wrong and is attacking some of its own tissues, or it is due to degenerative changes. Degenerative changes can be secondary to infection, poor bone development, trauma (such as a torn ligament), or age related changes (wear and tear). The majority of arthritis we see is due to degenerative changes and, apart from treating specific infections if present, most degenerative arthritis is treated with Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). These drugs work basically the same way as aspirin, with variations to help protect the stomach etc. (as an aside, please don’t give any NSAIDS or Tylenol you have around the house to your pet without first consulting your veterinarian, as they may have serious to lethal side effects for them).
Now let’s take a look at the Chinese Medical point of view. You could still use the above basic categories of arthritis, but degenerative changes are broken down into further categories, and they are treated differently. For example, your dogs’ arthritis is worse in cold weather – not an uncommon problem. However, NSAIDS have a cold energy, and so do little to help with this type of arthritis. The Chinese Medical approach would be to warm the affected areas of the body, and get the blood and energy moving more freely through them. This is accomplished with acupuncture, herbs, massage, and other techniques, including changing the food to better solve the underlying problem. Other types of degenerative arthritis are worse with damp, or some with heat, some are more just stiffness than pain. Acupuncture points, food choices and herbal choices will be different for all of these types of degenerative arthritis, resulting in the whole pet being treated, not just the joint pain. Furthermore, as the pet responds to treatment, the treatments themselves change to maintain overall balance in the body. So don’t be discouraged, there are options out there for your canine companion!
Dear Dr. Lee,
My cat recently needed to be treated with antibiotics, but they seemed to upset her intestines, and her stool hasn’t been quite right since, any suggestions?
C. K.
Dear C. K.,
Antibiotics work to kill the bacteria which is causing a health problem (or the “bad” bacteria),
but they also end up killing some of the bacteria we need to stay healthy (“good bacteria).
This primarily happens in the intestines. When the bacteria in our intestines is thrown off,
the cells lining the intestinal wall will not be nourished properly, resulting in poor digestion
and often loose stools. The best way to approach this problem, in my opinion, is by supplementing
the diet with “good bacteria”. I usually like to give this in the form of probiotics, which are
concentrated forms of bacteria. They come both in powder and capsules. Some people also like to use
yogurt, but I prefer the probiotics. They can be given preventatively, at the same time as antibiotics,
or any time a problem develops. Cats and small dogs get ½ the human dose, larger dogs get the full human dose.
Usually I recommend just sprinkling it right on the food. You need to be careful to buy a good quality probiotic,
as some of the poorer quality ones are full of dead bacteria by the time you buy them, and therefore do no good at all.
But once a good quality probiotic is given, it likely won’t take long before your kitty returns to normal stools.
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