Dog with Osteoarthritis

[HA! Support]

From member Kai L:


Hello @Dr. Jeff and @Dr. Christina

My chow chow Remy, male dog, 6 yrs old has arthritis but normally he does not limp. Diagnosed osteoarthritis 2,5 yrs ago in both front legs three different places. Now with cold weather and minus degrees limping started two weeks ago. We live in Estonia, Europe.
He has a severe limp on his right leg and stiff when getting up.
I have given wild fish oil, glucosamine, chondroitin, cbd time to time, homeopathy remedies arnica, rhust tox, dulcamara but nothing has helped. Maybe too short period and no proper protocols.
In addition his stomach makes sounds (gases) every other day. Most likely ibd, leaky gut, colitis, gastritis or something like that.
He gets daily probiotics but still stomach issues and mucus has been in his stool for years now. I tried dr Jeff recommended Adored Beast probiotics. Unfortunately they did absolutely nothing. Synbiotic d-c is somehow helping.
He eats raw meat with boiled mashed pumpkin, currently wild animal which he does not tolerate well but other proteins he doesn’t handle at all.
He has frozen sardines and our local herring as well. Dessert is freeze dried reindeer kidneys and duck hearts.
Sometimes celery juice and hmds but so hard to get in with syinge, he starts coughing every time and runs away.

Doctor’s only want to do librela injection which is deadly for dogs. He got one injection 2023 june. After that a month later he had bad anaplasmosis.
2025 summer he had twice anaplasmosis with high fever.
In August poisoning from Advantix.
2025 December bad infection and fever, inflammation rate was high but tests never showed what infection it was. He got antibiotics and paracetamol.
Meanwhile after antibiotics for few weeks things were good actually, full of energy.
And then few weeks later in the beginning of January 2026 started limping and digestive issues getting worse.
Two days ago he had massage, craniosacral therapy and acupuncture. He felt better after, more energy but today he is limping a lot again.
How can I help him?
I’m devastated and crying. Just don’t know how to help him and what doesn’t cost a fortune because I’m unemployed and having partial work disability

Please help

Thank you, Kai

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Kai!

I'm sorry for the slow reply.

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that Remy was diagnosed with arthritis at such a young age!

How can I help him?

It sounds like you're already doing everything right.

There are absolutely other great things to do for him to have the best life possible.

Many of them are discussed in the HA! 101 course. If you haven't taken it yet, I recommend that you do so.

Here's one of the great joint supplements that you might be able to order in Estonia:

Hip & Joint - Natural Joint Support

Hip & Joint Natural Joint Care is a blend of natural anti-inflammatories backed by science. Improve pain and mobility without the unwanted side effects of prescription drugs.

fourleafrover.com

However, even more important than food and supplements is building his vitality.

Focus on whatever makes him happiest.

As a Chow, he may want to sit outside and sniff the air on really cold days.

Or he may especially love a certain treat, interactive game, etc.

I'd also strongly advise at least 4 snuffle mat sessions using freeze-dried heart as special treats in the mat.

Here's more about the healing power of love, happiness, and cellular energy:

The Happiness Protocol in Your Pet's Life

At HA! we are committed to much more than helping pets become dis-ease free. We promote restoring and maintaining vitality, balance, energy, & happiness.

www.holisticactions.com

HA! Happiness Protocol: 7 Ways to Optimize Your Pet's Life

How can you empower your pet to live their happiest life? Here are seven activities to implement and boost your pet’s behavior, energy, appetite, and mood.

www.holisticactions.com

Breathing: A Powerful and Surprising Way to Increase Your Pet’s Health and Happiness - Holistic Actions!

www.holisticactions.com

 

[Dr. Christina]

Dear Kai,
As Dr. Jeff said, you have been doing exactly what is needed.

While we all want to be healthy and have our companions be healthy and not in pain, there is no one right answer. For some dogs, the steps you have taken would have been enough to balance the vitality so all symptoms would naturally resolve. For others, like Remy, their life path may take a lot more work on your part, so he is lucky you are committed to good health.

While you are trying new approaches, changing foods, adding supplements, starting energy treatments, etc, the most important help for your dog is your partnership in the Quality of Life. Dr. Jeff addressed some of the links we have for that, and there are more at the Resources Library and Past Webinars list.

Specifics and next steps for you starts with taking the 101 course and create a virtual holistic treatment team. At Holistic Actions we are not the team actually treating your dog - we are empowering you to find ways to help Remy's quality of life.

I am sorry you have had challenges with the web site. Are you able to access the resources section and the 101 course as well as the forum? Hopefully AI can help you translate all of our resources.

You have used good supplements which may have slowed the progression of the arthritis. Maybe take a moment now that Remy is worse to see if there have been any recent triggers other than the cold (vaccines, chemicals, change in your schedule, etc). While the homeopathic medicines you tried could have helped, they were more "bandaid approach" ones, not specifically tailored to Remy's individual characteristics. I looked briefly for a homeopathic veterinarian in Estonia. Latvia and Lithuania - could not find one. There are members of the International association of veterinary homeopaths who do consult virtually and are excellent - I tried to use their finder and had trouble, so I would contact them directly instead, asking for ones who can help virtually. The Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy does specifically list ones who can work virtually. The homeopath ( or a good acupuncturist) will be addressing all the symptoms (gassiness, gut, lameness, inability to eat all proteins).

Focusing on the Quality of Life described in Lesson one of the 101 class is key. If he is limping, yet happy, continue what you have added in. Learning (at HA site) about response to treatment (cure, palliation, suppression, nothing) can help. While only in English, downloading the Healthy Dog Journal can help, or you can read this short article on keeping a journal and you can create your own. The key is to have a list of symptoms, quantified, then note the change in each, especially BEAM (Behavior, Energy, Appetite, Mood). Be patient, giving enough time to evaluate (unless worse, of course).

We agree that librela would be best only used when all other treatments have failed, and with your young dog there is so much more you can do.

I am not sure when the foot was swollen and if it is better, related to getting the massage, craniosacral therapy and acupuncture. He felt better after, more energy but today he is limping a lot again. These are all excellent possibilities for deep healing. It will take time and patience. You may ask the acupuncturist to show you the points that you could massage at home in between the treatments, which at first may need to be frequent - this can help lower your cost. Same thing is true for the massage - you can do it yourself. You can also learn many approaches by watching the replays of speakers (T-Touch, Eden energy medicine, WEBB, Bengston, EFT, and more). Because you did 3 things at once (same person?) it is hard to tell which worked the best. Very good Traditional Chinese Medicine (acupuncture, acupressure, Tui Na, herbs) has to best chance for a deep healing. The other two can be very helpful. Maybe you can do some type of barter with those healers.

I know you are in tears for his pain. Remy does not want you to cry. He may limp, but he is fine with the process of healing, so learn from him to be as happy as possible in every moment. For soothing his symptoms, one suggestion is to try feeding the different local proteins (Finnish fish, for example) raw or cooked, and alternate the different ones every other day (you said he will do well for a short time). Work with the cold weather - bundle him up in sweaters and booties, give a heated massage when you get home, cuddle yourself around him to warm him up, etc. Examine the red paw to see if there are cuts (from ice?), and do buy booties (sometimes you need to try different ones).

I know this was a lot to translate. Please post any questions, and a follow-up on how Remy is doing and what you find helps the most.

Dr. Christina