In last Thursday’s “State of the Dog” post, I mentioned Sampson’s arthritis and his continuing struggles with Illiosoas muscles.  I shared the options we had for helping make him more comfortable.

Before I share with you the treatment we chose, I’d like to thank all of you for the wonderful suggestions. I can’t believe I didn’t think of acupuncture or chiropractic work to help him. These will definitely be added to our arsenal of treatment options.

Right now I have Sampson on a good hip and joint supplement with Glucosamine and MSM in it. He also gets an Omega oil (Omeagese) and a natural anti-inflammatory Zyflamend, as well as a good multi-vitamin and a mineral supplement.

To treat his arthritis and help ease his pain, I chose to try the Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF). My understanding is this treatment was originally used with horses to help heal broken legs, a huge breakthrough considering in the past horses were prone to be euthanized if they broke a leg.

The technician that did Sampson’s treatment told me it is this close to being approved by the FDA (which really means shit to me, because I don’t trust those sons of bitches as far as I can throw them) and it’s also used by humans.

I was told the side-effects could be increased panting (Sampson was panting a bit when we first got there, but quickly settled in) and possibly some increased thirst, which he didn’t seem to have.

Sampson was very receptive to the treatment.

This is a fairly large machine with tubing and paddles. The tubing is used for wrapping around a limb (as shown in the photo). This helped to get both the upper part of Sampson’s thigh, as well as working on that stubborn Illiosoas muscle.

The pad is used to place on those easier to reach places.

Since it’s an electric pulse I was concerned about a sensation, but I put my hand on the paddle and could feel absolutely nothing and Sampson laid there the whole time and wasn’t bothered by it a bit.

His treatment focused on those wrists and paws, as well as the Illiosoas and his knee.

The first treatment was only for 15 minutes, while the next two, which I have scheduled for today and next Tuesday are for half an hour. While it seemed to me that Sampson felt a bit better right away, the technician said that most people see improvement after a minimum of three treatments. (Which is why I scheduled three.) 🙂

The very next day I listened to a podcast about reversing arthritis and one of the vets stated that PEMF didn’t work on arthritis and if the dog had cancer or had the possibility of getting cancer, the PEMF could acerbate it. I did consult with Dr. Google and could find nothing to support that.

So I called my vet and talked to her. She was very reassuring. She told me she has researched it extensively and she’s found nothing to indicate it is cancer causing. She also has access to information I don’t and while she couldn’t print it off to share with me, she could tell me that research has shown PEMF treatments given daily for years showed no adverse effects, although long term whole body treatment has not been studied.

After talking with my vet (and reading all your amazing suggestions) I’ve decided to add some chiropractic adjustment and some acupuncture to his treatment. And of course, we always have the pain medication if all else fails.

Sampson just took it all in. Happy to have people paying attention to him.

All told, I’m feeling pretty good about the treatment plan we have in place for Sampson, and I’m optimistic we can get him feeling a lot more comfortable.

When I first started this blog it was to generate interest in a children’s book I wrote about Sampson.

I quickly discovered dogs like Sampson don’t give you a whole lot to write about.

Yes it’s true he does have his moments.  Like the day he dragged me across the street to meet another dog.

Epic trainer fail right there.

And yes, I did have to grab him by his harness to keep him from dragging me over to the chatty neighbors, but for the most part, he is the sweetest, most loving, easiest dog ever.  He wins people over wherever he goes.

Friday morning he had a vet appointment to check his glucose level.  Last year when he had the blood work for his ACL surgery the surgeon let me know that Sampson’s blood sugar level was a bit on the low side, not enough to cause complications during surgery, but he requested I follow up with my vet at a later date.

Eleven months is definitely later.  With the struggle Sampson had after the surgery, then Delilah’s tooth and elevated liver levels, I totally forgot about checking his levels.   

So Friday morning found us waiting at the vet’s office.  Sampson as usual, strolled in and announced himself.  After being fawned over by the girls in the front, he settled down to wait until we were called.

Dr. Soutter checked Sampson’s ears to see if she could find a vein to get a drop of blood, but she couldn’t.  She had to use a needle and take a tiny bit of blood out of his back leg.  Delilah would need a vet tech to come in and hold her, but not Sampson.  Dr. Soutter said, “He’s such a good boy, if you can just hold his head, we’ll be fine.”

And we were.

She asked if he had eaten, and he had.  She said if the results were very low, or very high we would need to do another test, but with him fasting.

Luckily for us, the glucose showed Sampson’s levels at 82.  Dr. Soutter said it was on the low side of normal, but as long as it was over 70, she had no issues.

No further testing required.