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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Is Your Dog a Pain in the Neck? or Just In Pain?

Arthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects over 50% of dogs at some point in their life. We’ve been successful in prolonging the length of our companions’ lives, but with that advanced age comes joint degeneration from prolonged wear and tear.

Osteo-arthritis, or degenerative joint disease (DJD) is the breakdown of the smooth cartilage in the joint that results in bare bone rubbing against bare bone. This results in DJD: lost cartilage, remodeling of bone surface, and subsequent stiffness, inflammation and pain. Common areas of arthritis in the dog are hips, knees, back, elbows and wrists. How can you tell if your dog is suffering from DJD? She may exhibit one or more of the following:

  • Decreased physical activity
  • Stiffness after sleeping or prolonged laying down, difficulty rising
  • Lameness/uneven gait, or favoring a certain joint, with limping or hobbling
  • Lagging behind on walks, reluctance to walk, run or play
  • Difficulty going up or down stairs, reluctance with jumping into car or onto a couch
  • Difficulty in urinating or defecating, possibly with ‘accidents’ in the house
  • Sudden whimpers or barks during play or exercise
New advances in veterinary medicine have made it possible to offer many options for the management of DJD. To keep Fido fluid and fit as he ages, remember these points:
  • Weight control - keep him lean!
  • Daily anti-inflammatory supplements & pain management
  • Movement - Provide daily, low-impact, low-to-moderate intensity walks
  • Treatments with joint lubricating injections of Adequan
  • Soft, warm bedding
  • Treatments with deep-warming, cell-stimulating therapy laser
The most modern and perhaps most effective tool against arthritis is the therapy laser. Like its bigger brother, the surgical laser, the therapy laser uses light energy to do its work. This progressive treatment tool is used by human orthopedists, physical therapists and all major league sports teams. Therapy laser delivers diffuse photo-energetic light to penetrate deep tissues. Light energy can reach sore joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles, and also reduce inflammation and block pain receptors. It aids tissue repair, increases blood flow and accelerates new cell growth. It inhibits scar tissue formation and improves nerve function.

The therapy laser is non-invasive and requires no prior preparation or sedation. It can also be for many other applications: skin and ear infections, itchy skin irritated by allergies, post-operative pain relief, and to accelerate healing.

Contact Bernardsville Animal Hospital to explore the applicability of laser therapy for your pet, and an initial complimentary demonstration. 41 Morristown Rd. Bernardsville. 908-766-0041. BernardsvilleAnimalHospital.com.

Local Insights
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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