How I helped Bella, my dog, live a good life with Displasia.
My first blog about nursing a dog and not a human.
About 4 years ago, I was grieving over the loss of the best dog ever, Rocky. I think I still am in a way and I’m starting to wonder that as we age, maybe we are all constantly grieving the people and things we’ve lost as time passes. But that’s another story and now on to Bella-It had been a year since I had to put my beautiful dog Rocky to sleep. He got the Big C and we had to put him out of his pain when he got to the point that he couldn’t tolerate his own breathing. When I started to get over his departure from us, I decided to get a new puppy and that’s when I added Bella to the family. I ‘d always wanted a Chocolate Lab, but couldn’t afford a pure bred, so I went to the local ad sheet delivered to my house. I didn’t know at that time, but occasionally the breeders that advertise in these ads tend to over breed to increase their profits. I’m not trying to disparage this fair trade and many of these breeders are excellent, producing beautiful and healthy puppies. I found Bella via these ads. She’s a beautiful, huge, chocolatey dog with a luxurious, soft coat meant for sinking your fingers into. She’s outgoing, friendly with zero aggression in her demeanor. She smart, easy to train and the best companion anyone could ask for -and she’s had health issues ever since she turned one. She’s way too young for this and that’s why I’m almost 100 percent certain it’s due to overbreeding.
It started at about the time she turned one. I noticed she wasn’t sitting on her hips. She had a really cute posture and sat just like a human on a comfy couch with their legs to the side displacing the weight from the hips. I also noticed that when we went for walks, she came back exhausted and would pant for at least 15 minutes before her breathing became deep and relaxed again. When she ran she hopped like a bunny with her hind legs. I started to do some research and found out that these were classic symptoms of Degenerative Hip Disease or as Vets call it Dysplasia. I couldn’t believe that such a happy go lucky puppy could be struck with this disease. I took her to the Vet and they confirmed my layman’s diagnosis. The vet completed a very painful exam, which I had to abruptly request that he stop, due to her whimpering and squirming. He offered expensive hip surgery and he ordered medication. I couldn’t afford a 2,000 thousand dollar surgery at the time-especially when there’s no guarantee that it would relieve her pain. I decided to give the medication a go and explore holistic options. The medication gave me hope, but when I gave it to her, she would become lethargic and listless. I thought what is the point if this will be her life? This isn’t a life for a puppy, doped up and unable to play.
So I went back to internet and started to research natural treatment for Dysplasia. I found out that with gentle exercise, supplements and a lot of love that Bella could live a fairly decent life. I started a relaxing exercise regime of once around my small block a day. This small, but effective walk is enough to loosen her joints and stimulate her senses. Studies show that dogs need to smell, sniff and explore to stimulate the pleasure centers of their brains. The next component of her regimen was adding joint supplements in the morning. The supplements are all natural, full of vitamins and contain glucosamine from animal by products of shellfish and chicken liver. The supplements are supposed to support her cartilage, lubricate her joints and maintain her muscles and I really believe they do. When I run out for a couple of days, she becomes quite stiff again and whimpers when she gets up. The last step was a diet to remove the excess weight and take the pressure off her joints. The diet is simple-decrease the amount of dog food, add fresh veggies and fruit. Since I make fresh veggies and fruit for myself everyday, this was really easy. Just a few bites seem to do the trick. She quickly lost weight. All of this combined is working really well so far. What started out as a sad dilemma is now a success story. Bella is three now and I posted a photograph, so everyone can share in the beauty of her glossy coat and gorgeous form. Would you be able to tell something is different about Bella? Maybe if you’re really familiar with dog behavior and form. She’s still a typical lab- perpetually playful, except that she tires easily, sleeps a lot and cannot pursue athletic Labrador sports such as frisbee chasing or making a hike with me. Her muscles are somewhat flaccid and her coat is unusually loose and soft like a velvet rug. The trade off is fine. I still have my Bella, we’ve been lucky enough to avoid a costly surgery and she’s always excited to be boosted into the back seat for a trip to the dog spa or dog park. She loves everyone and is our ambassador around here.
