Prescription Drugs, Baby Aspirin or Natural Alternatives for Dog Pain Relief?

You may ask yourself when is the best time to use aspirin for your dogs arthritis, or joint pain? My dog Mary will be 17 this summer, even though she has slowed down she is in remarkably good shape for a dog of her age; especially considering that she is a large breed Lab/Ches mix. Mary seemed to start experiencing some arthritic pain in her early teens it was at that time I started doing some research and made some choices as to how I would treat her pain.

Step one, journal. When does your dog seem to be in pain? Consider time of day, current weather, exercise routine etc. Next, look at your dogs diet. Have you researched what is really in your dogs food? Look for dog food brands that are high in protein, omega fatty oils, fruits, vegetables, good grains, and chelated minerals. I can not emphasize how important it is to read your dog food ingredient labels. Avoid ingredients such as meat byproducts, artificial colors or flavorings, any food that relies on poor quality grain, such as corn gluten meal. Cheap grains will artificially boost the protein rating of your dogs food, without adding any benefit.

Get a complete physical for your dog and discuss the details of how your dog seems to experience pain. Your Veterinarian may prescribe pain relievers such as Rimadyl. Should your vet prescribe pain relievers such as Rimadyl or Carprofen, please research these drugs extensively. Prescription pain relievers for dogs, perform miracles for some, and cause death to others. Use prescription drugs with extreme caution. Keep the fact in mind that drug companies make incredibly huge profits from pushing these drugs however, like I said before these drugs can perform wonders with many dogs.

In Mary's case, we have not gotten to the point of using prescription drugs. For the first few years, I made some additions to Mary's food, using natural plants, herbs and oils that are proven effective in reducing inflammation, thus reducing pain. Some plants, herbs and oils effective against pain are Alfalfa, Yucca, Turmeric and fish oil. Another relatively safe, over the counter, dog pain relief home remedy is baby aspirin for dogs. Baby aspirin does come with possible side effects. Mary takes aspirin only on days that she seems to be experiencing higher levels of pain.

Mary did get some relief from the addition of plants and herbs to her food however, as her age progressed we moved to a natural chewable supplement that has been even more effective. I do still add fish oil to Mary's food and believe that fish oil can benefit dogs and even cats of all ages.

Hopefully, I can write another article in a year and tell you how Mary has progressed. I am just thankful that she has been with me for so long. Should her time come, I will fondly remember all of the great years we had together and would only hope that I will have more companions as beautiful, gentle and loving as her in the future.