Aspirin Usage in Dogs for Pain

As a practicing veterinarian, I am presented the question about aspirin usage in pets for pain control. This topic is certainly one of importance as it seems that a high percentage of pets are afflicted with painful conditions such as arthritis. Over the counter pain medications (OTC) are numerous and include most commonly Aspirin (acetylsalicyclic acid)and Tylenol (acetominophen). We have many clients that attempt to use these types of medications at home to control their pet's pain, but caution must be used for many reasons.

Most of the OTC pain medications fall into a class of drugs called "non-steroidal anti-inflammatories" or simply NSAIDs. These medications inhibit cyclooxygenase enzymes and thus reduce the production of an inflammatory molecule termed prostaglandins. Now, the topic is much more complicated than this and there are a couple of different types of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes as well as multiple forms of prostaglandins, each with their own action and impact on our health.

The point is that these medications may all fall into the same category of being NSAIDs but there may be significant variation in terms of effectiveness as well as toxicity. Also, these medications are labeled for human use and thus results in animals have not been studied extensively. Known side effects of these medications, based on human data, include gastrointestinal ulcerations, bleeding and possible kidney damage.

Aspirin has been used in pets as well as in horses for a long time, however, the results in terms of pain reduction can leave a lot to be desired. Aspirin can commonly have side effects of gastric ulceration, GI bleeding, vomiting and anorexia not to mention a reduced ability to clot their blood. Overdosage of aspirin can have life threatening complications due to an worsening of the above mentioned side effects.

Acetominophen or Tylenol is another commonly administered OTC NSAID in pets by their owners. Acetominophen should NEVER be administered to cats due to a potentially life threatening toxic reaction. Usage in dogs can create the same side effects as seen with aspirin, however with prolonged usage, acetominophen can also have toxic side effects in dogs resulting in death.

In the veterinary field, we have species specific prescription pain medications that fall into this same drug classification (NSAID). They appear to have fewer side effects, but none the less can have life threatening complications. None of these medications are completely safe and free of side effects.

The best practice in my mind and in my practice is to utilize natural remedies such as our Cur-OST formulas that have proven anti-inflammatory properties, similar to the NSAIDs but with minimal side effects. Our Cur-OST line of products were created specifically for our patients to help reduce the need for prescription pain medications, provide relief naturally and provide an improved quality of life.

Always use caution with prescription or OTC pain medications and consult your veterinarian before usage. Side effects are common, especially in those pets that may already have underlying health issues.

All my best.

Tom Schell, D.V.M.

Suspensory Desmitis

A new challenge for Cur-OST presented itself this week. We have an 11 y.o TBX admitted to our hospital for rehab purposes. The story behind this guy is that he sustained damage to the right rear suspensory ligament, lateral branch, about 1 year ago. He has been through many different types of treatment, including shock wave therapy, with minimal results. He is also on several supplements each day with a dose of phenylbutazone usually on an every other day basis to control pain. He is fairly sound at the walk, but the lameness quickly becomes evident at a light trot. He has obvious enlargement and thickening of the ligament just above the fetlock joint. Our goal is to improve this guy's quality of life, decrease the pain and improve motion. Future competition is not a priority, but more so we just want to make his life more comfortable and reduce his need for phenylbutazone due to potential long term health consequences. Our initial therapy included removal of his current shoes, allowing him to go barefoot and re-establish normal balance in his feet. We also started him on Cur-OST Green twice daily for 14 days as a starter. As a side therapy, we are also performing cold laser therapy to the suspensory region on a twice weekly basis.

Today is actually day 8 of therapy. We have performed 3 laser treatments, removed the shoes and continued the Cur-OST Green. He is currently off of bute for the past 4 days as well as his other supplements. He is doing very well, feels comfortable and moving freely when turned out in a small area. To be honest, we were anticipating a very painful horse once the shoes were removed due to his conformation and under-run heels. No problems encountered post shoe removal. So far so good...keeping our chins up but realizing we are still very early in the recovery process. We have used our Cur-OST Green formula with acute tendon issues with good success, but this type of injury will be a first and a new challenge for our product.

Case updates to follow....stay tuned.

Tom Schell, D.V.M.

Canine Cancer Support

Recently we had a case that clearly demonstrated the ability of Cur-OST to support the immune system and reduce inflammation in a canine patient. Madison is a 4 y.o. yellow lab that came to our veterinary facility, Timbercreek Veterinary Hospital, in the fall of 2009 for an evaluation of a large growth on the right side of her chest. The growth was surgically removed and revealed to be a malignant fibrosarcoma, which is potentially a very aggressive cancer. The cause of this type of cancer is unknown but can be commonly associated with various vaccines, which can elicit moderate inflammatory reactions. It was unfortunate in this young of a patient. Madison did well post surgery but the overall prognosis was guarded and the owners had elected only to pursue natural therapies to help control the cancer. I chose to use our Cur-OST SA product in this patient to not only support the immune system, but also to reduce inflammation that can be associated with cancer. The main herbs in our formula, Curcumin and Boswellia, have been shown in clinical trials to have anti-cancer type properties. Madison did very well for the next year and a half with no relapse of the cancer. The owners had decreased the amount of Cur-OST that she was getting on a daily basis for the past several months, possibly due to perceived full remission. She continued to do well, but presented to our hospital about one month ago for evaluation of a small nodule that had re-developed over the right chest region. The lump was firm and resembled the prior fibrosarcoma that was resected. Aspiration of the nodule indicated possible cancerous cells but overall determination could not be performed without a biopsy. The owners elected to monitor and I had recommended to increase the Cur-OST back to the original high dose of 1/2 tsp per 10 lbs. daily. The owners followed our instructions and brought her back in one month. The change was phenomenal! The lump had reduced to about 1/2 the prior size and now was very soft in nature. Apparently, the mass was going into a remission type state and resolving. Overall, Madison was and still is doing great, enjoying her life !! Absolutely amazing!

Patient vs The Disease

For the majority of my professional career as a veterinarian, I have treated the disease that presents to me instead of the patient. Not only is this philosophy drilled into our heads as students of medicine, but it is also presented to us at educational courses that we may pursue. Let me explain a little further. Let's say we have a patient present with chronic ear infections or maybe even recurrent urinary tract infections. The majority of practitioners would elect to treat the problem at hand using topical antibiotic solutions in the ears or oral antibiotics for the case of a urinary tract infection. This is all good and the proper thing to do but we have to also ask ourselves as to why this problem keeps recurring. What is it in the patient that makes them susceptible to these problems? Is is an immune based problem? Is it a malformation or defect of some sort that is predisposing the patient to these problems? The bottom line is that there has to be a variable somewhere that is contributing to the problem. Take for instance a day care full of toddlers. What makes some of them more prone to ear infections and upper respiratory problems while others are rarely affected? Is it the diet, something in the environment, a toxin? What is it? That is the ultimate question and one that in many instances is never answered, but none the less a question that needs to be asked in any instance of a recurring health condition. This question needs to be asked as well of the more serious medical conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, back issues and even cancer. I have to applaud the human medical community lately as there is more information regarding proper diet and the impact on health, but that information is not enough. We, as medical professionals, need to enforce this information and educate our patients. Diabetes is not cured by the administration of insulin...it is controlled. Cancer is not cured by radiation or chemotherapy...it is controlled. The problems do not go away and in many instances continue to burn like small embers in the background, waiting for an opportunity to flare back up. Only by finding the flaw, per se, that allowed the disease to get a foot hold, will we then be able to "cure" the disease. A simple story that will convey this message is as follows. As a veterinary student on a farm call with a local practitioner, we were called to examine a colicky horse. The veterinarian examined the animal and was unable to find a cause of the pain. He then administered a pain medication called Banamine. The horse responded and resumed eating. I inquired as to what the problem was with the horse and the veterinarian responded that he had a Banamine deficiency. I honestly think he believed this to be true. The medication resolved the acute problem at hand, but we didn't dig deeper to find the cause, which might have been able to be corrected to prevent future problems.

Food for thought from Nouvelle Veterinary

Tom Schell, D.V.M.

Welcome

We want to welcome everyone to our newly designed corporate website. Many months in the making and it has turned out wonderful. A big thank you to J2 and IDR for their assistance and ingenuity! A brand new look from the website down to our labels and logo design. Cur-OST has made huge strides from our days of being a custom formulated anti-inflammatory supplement for a small group of equine and canine patients to now helping to improve the quality of life for horses and dogs across the United States and abroad. Thank you to all of our loyal customers !