What To Do When Your Dog Hurts

What To Do When Your Dog Hurts

When Otto, Nancy Kerns’ 14-year-old mixed-breed, started showing signs of age-related dementia and discomfort from osteoarthritis, she asked for help online.

The post attracted comments from readers who had experienced similar issues in the past and shared solutions that worked for them. Kerns ended up with more than 20 possible solutions, leaving her dilemma.

Kerns didn’t know which solution to try and which not to, since these solutions had helped people in the past. Also, her dog’s health wasn’t a science project she could experiment with.

When Kerns took her dog to her vet, she voiced her confusion by asking the vet a general question about what a dog parent should do when they have many options.

When your dog falls ill, the first thing to do is to contact your veterinarian. Trying random things and hoping one will work is anything but irresponsible. Suppose you try different solutions and your dog starts to get better; you may have difficulty pinpointing which solution worked.

Kerns says that although she has contacted three veterinarians regarding Otto’s case and hasn’t gotten a solution yet, she agrees that contacting a vet remains the best thing to do.

Adding that she tries certain solutions for a minimum of a month, sometimes two or three months, if told it takes time to work, and if there are no improvements, she stops the supplement or treatment.

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