Hip Dysplasia: Alternative Medicine Saved Our Dog from Euthanasia

This is a personal story of Jack, our Australian Shepherd. He is our miracle dog. The week before Mother's day his dysplasia became critical. We were told by our vet to have him put down. Being an herbalist, I first wanted to research alternative medicine. It is now August and he runs now with joy. He is in the best shape since we acquired him two years ago as a save dog. I hope his story will give hope to other owners with dogs that suffer from arthritis and hip disease problems.

Jack was acquired as an adult dog from a family who did not understand his needs. He had been abused as well. I knew from watching Jack that his slowness was due to health problems. Aussies are generally full of energy and on the go all the time. When an Aussie is slow moving, there is usually a reason. We took him anyway.

I have worked with Aussies before and with hip dysplasia so immediately put him on nutritional program. This program includes Omegas 3's, Vit C, MSM, glucosamine, calcium and magnesium. This regimen came from several vet books I have in my library on alternative medicine for dogs. We also gave him brewer's yeast in his high quality dog food. We walked him twice a day, starting out slowly. When we first walked him, he would suddenly sit down due to the loss of control in his hind quarters. Even though he loved his walks, you could tell he was in pain from his eyes. When Aussies are happy they smile.

After several months, he was significantly improved but was not up to the level I felt was possible. We moved to a new house that was steep with rock steps and uneven landscape. At first he struggled up the steps but as time went on got better. He loved to chase the lizards on the property. We did not walk him as much at this time because of our schedule. I continued to give him the supplements.

Toward the middle of this year, I decided to try reducing his supplements for cost sake. That was a painful mistake. It was the end of April and we were really busy. The day before, we noticed he was limping but we were gone all day. We got back late that night. The next morning when it came for him to go out, he wouldn't move. We coaxed him but all he could do was drag his hind end a few inches. Along with that he had lost control of his bowels. Jack is 85 pounds and we could not lift him easily. We put him on a rug and carried him out doors on the grass twice a day. He could not support his legs, they just crumbled under him. We were heartbroken. We called a vet who said it would cost several hundreds of dollars for lab tests and x-rays. He said that if he was that bad, it would be better to have him put to sleep. He said even if we spent the money, his quality of life would be terrible. He told us to put him down.We almost made that decision. We discovered it would cost almost $200 to put him down. I decided instead to see if that same money could be better spent to find a possible alternative to death. Being an herbalist, I went to the computer to see if there was any thing else to try. After much time researching hip Dysplasia, I found a website I was unfamiliar with.

The website was Vetionx. They manufacture homeopathic remedies for animals. The site had pages of testimonials from dog owners. Most of the dogs were not as critical as Jack was. We make the decision to try this homeopathic remedy before having him put down. I ordered it priority and prayed.

While we were waiting on the remedy, I put him back on his vitamin regimen again. I also gave him herbs for inflammation. After two days of the regimen, he could stand up but only for a short time. He still had little control over his hind quarters and legs. He improved a little. He still had no control over his bowels.

It was 4 days later when we received the Arthro-iox in the mail. He had not improved any further. This formula is indicated for symptoms of pain, inflammation, stiffness, and swelling associated with arthritis, hip dysplasia, and injuries. I was instructed to give him a larger dosage because of his critical state. I gave him the first double dose at 4pm in the afternoon and another double dose before we went to bed. The instructions said it could be two weeks or more before we saw improvement.

The next morning when I went to let out our other dog, a Laso, to make his AM bathroom run, Jack struggled to his feet. He weakly walked the twenty feet out the front door. He urinated then managed to wobble back in and collapse. We were shocked. Our hope was revived but he was still critical. This could be just a short improvement so we didn't want to get our hopes up. We gave him three double doses that day. He did not attempt to walk the rest of the day. That night when it was time to go to bed, I called the dogs. To our amazement Jack struggled up on his feet with more strength. He was able to walk out to the front lawn and do his business. He had more control of his hind end and legs than in the morning. I cried with relief and joy.

For almost a week, he has been forced to stay on the tile because he could not control his bowels. We made the decision that night to let him stay in the part of the house where it was carpeted, near our bedroom. We thought it would encourage him to get well. He was a good 30 feet from our bedroom where he usually slept. By the morning, he had moved to our bedroom and there were no accidents. This was a miracle in itself.

That second morning, we held our breath and called both dogs. When I opened the front door, he not only was able to get up more easily but walked from the house to the lawn with much better control of his legs. He then made his way to the gate that went up to the steeper end of the property. That involved several steps. We did not think he was capable of that period. When we got to the steps, he slowly walked up them. We could not fathom how much better he was. He never again got worse and proceeded to get stronger with each day.

This is almost September and in this time period we moved to another property that is flat. We go on walks twice a day and he runs with tail flying high and joy in his steps. He is not in pain. He is a miracle in the power of alternative medicine. I have been an herbalist for 30 years. In those years I have been able to help many people and a number of animals. I have never experienced such a dramatic recovery in an animal.

We continue to give him the supplements plus the Arthro-ionx. It is expensive but the Arthro-ionx has given him back his quality of life. I am indebted to this product for saving Jack. I feel the other supplements are necessary as well to support his compromised bone problems and health. Every day we are deeply thankful we did not have him put down. This is our story of our dog and his remarkable recovery.

References:

http://www.vetionx.com/arthro-ionx.php