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Orthopedic concerns

AndrewS

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We have a dog Oliver, who is a 5.5 yr old pure beagle, that was unfortunately neutered too young at 6 months and weighs appx 50 lbs.

He is very reactive in a playful way to any animal he encounters, he is strongly food motivated. We rotate between homemade recipes from Dr Judy and SmallBatch raw, he is fed these exclusively.

We only do rabies per state law, and bordetella per daycare. Distemper combo is titered every 3 years, no other vaccines. We are a toxin free house, using an air-purifier, and we use a variety of supplements from Dr Beckers Proactive Paws and Woof Creek. No other meds.

The primary concern is that his gait is off, he sits lopsided, sometimes struggles to jump up, and seems depressed, we’ve noticed this on and off the last six or so months, at first, I thought nothing of it. But after watching some episodes of The Inside Scoop videos from Dr Judy, i’ve learned this is not normal. The condition seems the same regardless of any conditions, or timing.

No diagnostics have currently been done, but we do have an orthopedic evaluation scheduled with our primary veterinarian, she is however, conventional, but open to and respects my holistic point of view, i’m hoping to use this platform as a way to be prepared for that appointment.

Any suggestions or help? @Dr. Jeff @Dr. Christina
 
Definitely diagnostics, looking for joint issues, localized pain, muscle wasting, nervous function, etc. Then just don't panic, whatever you discover. Find a skillful animal chiropractor, perhaps, and/or a Chinese medicine practitioner/acupuncturist. An animal communicator might also give you valuable information about cause and/or persistent thought patterns. You mentioned "conditions" - are there any situations which seem to provoke symptoms, change in sleep habits or positions, reactions to locations or individuals?
 
Definitely diagnostics, looking for joint issues, localized pain, muscle wasting, nervous function, etc. Then just don't panic, whatever you discover. Find a skillful animal chiropractor, perhaps, and/or a Chinese medicine practitioner/acupuncturist. An animal communicator might also give you valuable information about cause and/or persistent thought patterns. You mentioned "conditions" - are there any situations which seem to provoke symptoms, change in sleep habits or positions, reactions to locations or individuals?
He just seems especially restless at night. He is up and down the bed, changing positions quite regularly. From our bed, to his bed, to under the bed.

I do follow TCVM principles, and thought he just ran hot and so I’ve tried cooling proteins and see no significant relief. We have an appointment scheduled for him next Thursday, they are doing a comprehensive evaluation that includes orthopedic testing, including 3 x-ray images.
 
Welcome to HA!
A first step would be to carefully read the article on finding holistic veterinarians to be on your team, and follow the instructions carefully, going to each organization's site. Having a great chiropractic, osteopathic or holistic PT would be excellent.

Also, download the Healthy Dog Journal and create the timeline and master symptom list, including any of the BEAM and Early Warning Signs. Add in the information your conventional veterinarian gives you. Ask to be shown what she means for any comment and see if you can observe what she is describing.

If you have time before your appointment, do a search on the HA! site for HMDM (Holistic Medical Decision Making) lameness, and read in the resource library on lameness. The webinars and articles in these will help you best interact with the conventional veterinarian. Because you are on the holistic road, you may want to take time to ponder the veterinarian's suggestions for further tests, as a holistic vet may or may not need all of them. You may realize that conventional medicine is focused on a diagnosis for the symptoms, then attempting to stop each one. We use symptoms as clues to the underlying state of vitality and balance, as you will learn more about in Lesson One of the Fundamental 101 course. Often people feel pressured to do testing and treatments right away - you can always reschedule another appointment.

Notice if there is a difference in the nightly agitation or the lameness in different weather, or times of day, or depending on how much attention you are giving.

You may also enjoy learning some soothing approaches from Dr. Laurie McCauley's you tubes or her virtual classes. And search for the 2 talks on Tellington-T-touch as that may help as well.

Keep learning, and post what transpires in the exam.

Dr. Christina
 
Welcome to HA!
A first step would be to carefully read the article on finding holistic veterinarians to be on your team, and follow the instructions carefully, going to each organization's site. Having a great chiropractic, osteopathic or holistic PT would be excellent.

Also, download the Healthy Dog Journal and create the timeline and master symptom list, including any of the BEAM and Early Warning Signs. Add in the information your conventional veterinarian gives you. Ask to be shown what she means for any comment and see if you can observe what she is describing.

If you have time before your appointment, do a search on the HA! site for HMDM (Holistic Medical Decision Making) lameness, and read in the resource library on lameness. The webinars and articles in these will help you best interact with the conventional veterinarian. Because you are on the holistic road, you may want to take time to ponder the veterinarian's suggestions for further tests, as a holistic vet may or may not need all of them. You may realize that conventional medicine is focused on a diagnosis for the symptoms, then attempting to stop each one. We use symptoms as clues to the underlying state of vitality and balance, as you will learn more about in Lesson One of the Fundamental 101 course. Often people feel pressured to do testing and treatments right away - you can always reschedule another appointment.

Notice if there is a difference in the nightly agitation or the lameness in different weather, or times of day, or depending on how much attention you are giving.

You may also enjoy learning some soothing approaches from Dr. Laurie McCauley's you tubes or her virtual classes. And search for the 2 talks on Tellington-T-touch as that may help as well.

Keep learning, and post what transpires in the exam.

Dr. Christina
So I’ll be honest, I’m struggling to find this helpful or to find the resources that I need using the links that you provided. I’ve searched the files and the webinars, and I am not finding what I need.
 
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