In last Thursday’s “State of the Dog” post, I mentioned Sampson’s arthritis and his continuing struggles with Illiosoas muscles.  I shared the options we had for helping make him more comfortable.

Before I share with you the treatment we chose, I’d like to thank all of you for the wonderful suggestions. I can’t believe I didn’t think of acupuncture or chiropractic work to help him. These will definitely be added to our arsenal of treatment options.

Right now I have Sampson on a good hip and joint supplement with Glucosamine and MSM in it. He also gets an Omega oil (Omeagese) and a natural anti-inflammatory Zyflamend, as well as a good multi-vitamin and a mineral supplement.

To treat his arthritis and help ease his pain, I chose to try the Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF). My understanding is this treatment was originally used with horses to help heal broken legs, a huge breakthrough considering in the past horses were prone to be euthanized if they broke a leg.

The technician that did Sampson’s treatment told me it is this close to being approved by the FDA (which really means shit to me, because I don’t trust those sons of bitches as far as I can throw them) and it’s also used by humans.

I was told the side-effects could be increased panting (Sampson was panting a bit when we first got there, but quickly settled in) and possibly some increased thirst, which he didn’t seem to have.

Sampson was very receptive to the treatment.

This is a fairly large machine with tubing and paddles. The tubing is used for wrapping around a limb (as shown in the photo). This helped to get both the upper part of Sampson’s thigh, as well as working on that stubborn Illiosoas muscle.

The pad is used to place on those easier to reach places.

Since it’s an electric pulse I was concerned about a sensation, but I put my hand on the paddle and could feel absolutely nothing and Sampson laid there the whole time and wasn’t bothered by it a bit.

His treatment focused on those wrists and paws, as well as the Illiosoas and his knee.

The first treatment was only for 15 minutes, while the next two, which I have scheduled for today and next Tuesday are for half an hour. While it seemed to me that Sampson felt a bit better right away, the technician said that most people see improvement after a minimum of three treatments. (Which is why I scheduled three.) 🙂

The very next day I listened to a podcast about reversing arthritis and one of the vets stated that PEMF didn’t work on arthritis and if the dog had cancer or had the possibility of getting cancer, the PEMF could acerbate it. I did consult with Dr. Google and could find nothing to support that.

So I called my vet and talked to her. She was very reassuring. She told me she has researched it extensively and she’s found nothing to indicate it is cancer causing. She also has access to information I don’t and while she couldn’t print it off to share with me, she could tell me that research has shown PEMF treatments given daily for years showed no adverse effects, although long term whole body treatment has not been studied.

After talking with my vet (and reading all your amazing suggestions) I’ve decided to add some chiropractic adjustment and some acupuncture to his treatment. And of course, we always have the pain medication if all else fails.

Sampson just took it all in. Happy to have people paying attention to him.

All told, I’m feeling pretty good about the treatment plan we have in place for Sampson, and I’m optimistic we can get him feeling a lot more comfortable.