Comments on: imaginary social dilemma

By: Susan W.

Susan W. — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:41:33 +0000

You guys, if you’ve got dogs whose backs or back ends are seizing up due to arthritis or other skeletal problems, get your dog to a veterinary chiropractor or a human chiropractor who also treats animals. (Obviously, Alison, this isn’t Pepe’s problem.) My previous Bouvier, Caleb, had spondylosis (fusion of the spine) that started when he was five. We started taking him to a vet chiropractor then and kept him going for six years. He retained most of his mobility and was able to live a good life with his condition until he died of unrelated causes at age 11. As he got older, the vet said there was no comparison between him and her other dog-clients with similar problems whose people did not want her to do chiropractic care but who did want her to prescribe steroids or other drugs. She said she could see from the dogs’ faces when they came in that Caleb was enjoying his life while the other dogs were not happy campers. In all those years we never had to put Caleb on steroids, which suppress the immune system, or on NSAIDS which have other issues. We did have him on glucosamine and other natural supports, though.

Recently, I adopted an 11-year-old Bouv who has seriously arthritic knees as an after-effect of having being confined as a puppy in a crate all the time so he never developed proper use of his back legs. After he was adopted by his second family at six months of age he learned to compensate amazingly well but this put stress on his back. By the time we got him, his knees had become arthritic over time and his spine was out of alignment all over the place. He couldn’t walk, trot or lope normally and has trouble getting up from the floor.

We took him to the chiropractic vet who had helped Caleb. After just four treatments Baron is moving so much better that people who knew him in his earlier life do a double-take before they recognize him. Even we are shocked — it’s helped him so much more than we ever dreamed. Our spirited old boy has got a life again! It’s obviously never too late to start.

Hope I haven’t taken up too much space here! I always feel like I don’t get the social rules of blogging (or of responding to blogs), if there are any! I’m just so excited about what chiropractic can do for dogs, though, and want to spread the word!

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:59:54 +0000

I have an 11-year old pug whose back legs are slowly becoming paralyzed, so we can no longer walk him around the block. It breaks my heart! I’m pretty close to ordering him one of those wheelie carts to give him his freedom back but just haven’t yet gotten up the nerve. (Plus, they cost over $300.) Or maybe I’ll just get a stroller from babies r us …I think he’s too stocky for a baby carrier.

By: alison

alison — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:04:23 +0000

Deirdre,
Poupoune would love a pit bull outfit. With great big shoulder pads and stilts, so she would be tall and impressive. And laser beams for eyes, yeah!

Char,
Thank you, I think you’re right. That’s a good way to look at things.

Ina,
I took that as a challenge, you know. You’re a librarian so you are a worthy opponent to pit my search skills against. And I couldn’t find any chihuahua costumes for kids either. Touché!

Susan,
1) Ahem. I made it. The previous time we’d gone for a walk I had to carry him in the crook of my arm most of the way, which was tiring and annoying. So instead of leaving him home I made a baby carrier and hoped vainly that his stamina would reappear and that I wouldn’t have to use it in public.
2) I wrote you a post!

Roz,
You are so cool! You may be on to something.

By: alison

alison — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:57:01 +0000

Leanne,
I had been thinking that I could avoid all this ridiculousness by getting a great dane next time, but I hadn’t been thinking of the arthritic hips and dragging them around in a cart bit. I guess the point is that you can’t get out of aging pet care. This is good: that means I can stick with little dogs. I don’t think I have the discipline to be a good boss for a great dane.

By: Roz

Roz — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:20:52 +0000

If I owned a chihuahua and a bat carrier I would wear them non-stop.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:12:47 +0000

First Point – No one seems to wonder WHY you own a baby carrier?

Second Point – I thought Pepe WAS a baby!

By: ina

ina — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:15:38 +0000

After seeing Beverly Hills Chihuahua last weekend Es determined she wanted to be one for Hallowe’en. I then got to explain to her that when I searched for “chihuahua Hallowe’en costume” on ebay I got a bunch of costumes FOR chihuahuas. We both laughed.

By: Char

Char — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:15:14 +0000

Awww Alison…..Just keep walking the dog and taking along the carrier. If they are dog lovers they will understand and if they aren’t….to heck with them. You love your dog and care about his health…end of discussion.

By: Deirdre

Deirdre — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:38:58 +0000

So cute! Ruby loved it. I think you should go for it. What about a pit bull outfit?

By: Leanne

Leanne — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:34:47 +0000

hahahaha!
I think I read this somewhere already!
The bat carrier is great, unless you worry he will be cold (or make it a fuzzy snowsuit with wings outfit and call it a WOMBAT) sorry. ha ha

Nah, you need to suck it up and deal, like I did when I busted my ass dragging a 120 lb st bernard in a trailer behind my bike, struggling to start up again at every stop, while everyone joked HAHAHA That dog should be pulling YOU!! hahaha!! Yeah, and she’s 10 yrs old, taking antiinflammatories, glucosamine, steroids etc for hip dysplasia, arthritis etc…

Mostly I explained it. Sometimes I ignored it. Sometimes I just smiled. And sometimes I lost it completely and shouted “for god’s sake, if your grandmother weighed more than you would you make her drag YOU around instead of helping her out? She is OLD goddammit!”

hahaha!

I say… buy dark glasses. (for the dog or yourself.. your choice)
cheers!