After my pet had a long, drawn-out battle with cancer, I realized that I needed to do a better job with understanding my pet's needs. I wanted to be there for them no matter what, so I started focusing on my other animals. They needed more love, attention, and medical care, so I focused on those things. I started taking them in for regular checkups and working on their physical appearance. I was able to spot a few other potentially catastrophic health conditions with my animals because of my actions. This blog is all about understanding your pet's needs.
Understanding Your Pet's Needs
Non-Invasive Methods To Make Your Arthritic Cat More Comfortable
Gisele Pereira
Your long-time feline friend has been slowing down and showing signs of painful joints. The animal clinic has diagnosed them with arthritis. While your vet can offer medication to reduce pain and inflammation in the joints, there are a number of ways that you can help your cat be more comfortable at home.
Changes in Diet
Your veterinarian can recommend a low calorie, high protein diet for your cat. This will give your cat the energy they need but keep them from gaining weight, which puts stress on the joints. Foods containing omega 3 fatty acids help reduce the inflammation in the joints. Foods high in calcium and vitamin D help provide the building blocks for new bone and cartilage worn away by the arthritis.
Certain food supplements, such as glucosamine and chondroitin can also give your cat some relief. These substances promote cartilage growth in the joints.
Massage Therapy
You can take your cat in for massage therapy and learn some basic techniques that you can do at home. Gently massaging your cat's painful joints increases circulation and decreases inflammation. Massage also stimulates the production of the natural pain-killing hormones called endorphins.
Heating Pads
Place a heating pad under each favorite resting spot for your cat. You can keep the pad on low all of the time or put it on a timer to come on during the time of day your cat is most likely to visit that spot. The heat will warm your cat's joints and increase circulation which decreases swelling. It also warms your cat's muscles, which relieves tension and will help your cat to rest.
Pet Acupuncture
Some veterinary clinics employ trained pet acupuncture specialists. These practitioners are trained to recognize the energy meridians in animals much like their human counterparts learn about those meridians in people. Tiny needles are inserted into the meridians responsible for the joints. This treatment increases circulation and reduces the pain and swelling in the joints.
A related form of this is acupressure, which is done by lightly tapping on the meridians with your fingers. The acupuncture specialist can teach you how to use this at home to make your cat more comfortable.
Herbal Treatments
There are a number of herbal treatments for arthritis. Herbs such as licorice root, St. John's wort, and cayenne can reduce inflammation and pain in some cats. Talk with your veterinarian before trying any herbal remedies to make sure that they do not interfere with other medications that the animal hospital has prescribed for your cat.
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