CHARLOTTE – We love all of the senior fur babies that visit us at Passionate Paws Animal Hospital. While old age is not a disease in itself, as our pets get older they may develop certain conditions that are symptoms of advancing in years. With new integrative veterinary advancements we can now help our fur babies better enjoy their golden years. May is National Arthritis Awareness Month and we wanted to take the opportunity to discuss some of the alternative options to pain management that we offer at our hospital. 

Nutritional supplements are a wonderful way to proactively help your fur baby age and reduce the risk of potential health issues. They provide the body with essential nutrients that help support healthy function of organs, skin, and ligaments and tendons. There are some companies that even combine traditional nutritional supplements with herbs to give our pets a more enhanced option.

Chiropractic Care is another treatment we use for disorders of joints specifically associated with the spine. The goal is to maintain normal range of motion of affected joints, relieve pain, and promote normal nerve function coming out of the spine.

Did you know that fur babies can also benefit from acupuncture? Acupuncture uses small sterile needles to stimulate the body to produce its own endorphins (our natural pain killer). It is most commonly used to decrease arthritic pain, help with decreased nerve sensation, and improve overall wellness. Other uses can include reducing inappropriate urination, urinary incontinence, and anxiety.

Another service that we often recommend to treat tendon or ligament injuries or to help ease an arthritic pet, is Platelet Rich Plasma. PRP uses the liquid and platelet portion of your pet’s own blood to promote healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joints. We will discuss this in more detail in our article next week.

Passionate Paws Animal Hospital is a proud member of the Union County Chamber of Commerce.