subject: Rear Leg Pain Management & Spinal Cord Afflictions In Dogs [print this page] Back pain is common in mature dogs and anyone who has witnessed an older dog struggle to arise or even refuse to stand after lying down realizes the discomfort hip diseases cause these dogs to endure. Whether from injury, joint problems, disease, or aging, your dog may have to deal with acute or chronic pain. Pain management in dogs is an area where vast differences exist among veterinarians.
Most dogs that are experiencing pain will change their behavior patterns. You will notice that the dog is reluctant to climb stairs. Your pet will become more withdrawn or inactive. The dog will react negatively to being held or picked up. The dog may be unwilling to turn his head or seems to be guarding itself from movement or looses interest in interacting with its environment. These subtle changes may be the only way your dog will communicate a need for pain management assistance.
The best pain management strategy comes from a partnership between the dogs owner and the attending veterinarian. The veterinarian must tune in to what you tell them about the dogs behavior and activity. This will greatly aid in the correct diagnosis into the process causing the pain. Then a course of treatment and pain management can be determined.
The veterinarian has several classes of prescription drugs available to provide pain relief. They will choose the correct type of medication based on the severity of pain associated with the cause. Chronic pain often requires a combination of medications to provide relief and still maintain quality of life.
There is mounting evidence that body manipulation and massage can noticeably decrease discomfort and improve function in many dogs. This is especially true in diseases of the spinal cord affecting the rear legs and diseases of the hips. As the medication reduces the levels of pain, you can help the dog regain confidence by providing weight support and by stabilizing the hip joint.
The Walkabout Harness is designed to support a portion of the dogs hind legs while allowing them to walk with you. It is a valuable tool. The Walkabout Harness helps improvement of circulation and the strengthening of muscles. Low-level electrical current to nerves and muscle-motor fibers via electrodes placed on the skin (TENS) is effective in the muscle spasms found in intervertebral disc disease. The Walkabout Harness is also helpful in cases where spinal cord disease has cause loss of function to the rear legs. Homemade devises are rarely as effective and may actually cause harm.
SenioprPetProducts.com features dog food supplements, dog vitamins and various other products that help the pets stay healthy as they grow older. The company has also provided an online platform for pet owners and experts to discuss issues concerning the senior pets.
