Hi, I'm after some advice if possible. I have a 4 yr old lab who has elbow dysplasia and had an op to remove fragments on his left front elbow 10 mths ago. He's always had a slight limp since and we have managed his condition with yumove active tablets and restricted exercise when required. He has recently had a severe flare up where he is severely lame even when trottiing. We saw the vet Friday who prescribed metacam and continue with the yumove tablets. We have also been to hydrotherapy 5/6x over the past few months but at £36 a time we do not see this as a long term treatment but still take him once a month. Some people have said I should try Tumeric with water, peppercorns and coconout oil and make a paste? Has anyone tried this and have they found it useful? We know there is no cure for his condition but would really try and find something that would help reduce his stiffness and stop him having severe relapses. Any helpful advice would be much appreciated. Regards, Brett
It's always tough seeing your dog in pain... Can totally understand you exploring all avenues for try to find something that might help him. I'd say that compared to a proven anti-inflammatory like metacam a turmeric/pepper/coconut paste is not going to have any effect (other than improving a curry). There has been a lot of research into the effect of tumeric and its components on various human health outcomes and good quality studies don't show a benefit. There's a lot of anecdotal stuff on the internet (that has no credence) and a lot of people flogging it for sale. But the actual evidence suggests it's just hype or hugely overstated. So I'd talk to your vet about other treatments that have got scientific evidence behind them. Pentosan/Cartrophen (same thing) would be worth investigating. I've used that and metacam for a dog with arthritis and both helped.
I agree with Rachael on this one. Best to stick with a proven pain relief med than to fiddle around with unproven home remedies.
My little dog Nell has a low grade luxating patella , I also use Yumove , as advised by my Vet , and supplement with Metacam when she needs it which thankfully isn't too often .I would agree with the others , stick to your Vets advice , there really are some frankly unbelievable suggestions and recommendations out there which have no credence x
