12 Effective Natural Arthritis Remedies for Dogs

DMSO

Posted by Sam (North County San Diego) on 10/05/2023
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

DMSO on 16+ poodle

11 months ago my 16 yo toy poodle became very weak and she had trouble holding up her body. She cried lightly in my ear. She was in too much pain. The vet wanted to run many tests on her and X-rays but felt she would most likely be put down. I took pain medication for her but she wasn't well enough to take it. Her left front leg curled up and froze in that position. Then each of her three other legs stuck out like branches and froze. I held her up over the grass so she could go and held her 24/7. At this point I thought I had nothing to lose and went to the Horse Supply and Feed Store and picked up the only DMSO they had. It was mixed with aloe and was a gel. I dabbed her left front leg with the DMSO gel on a cotton ball. Within 90 minutes the leg fell back into a natural position. I continued to hold her and waited until the next day to dab the DMSO with a cotton ball down the length of her spine from neck to tail. Within a few hours all three legs that were frozen like tree branches fell back to their natural position. It took a few more days for her to hold up her body and a few more days to be able to walk up the grassy hill.

I had just moved into this condo complex and I didn't know anyone. The neighbors watched this whole thing play out. My downstairs neighbor saw my dog walking around and asked how on earth she is still with us. I told him I used DMSO. He is a chemist and very familiar with it and asked astonishingly, “SOLVENT? You used solvent on your dog?! ” I told him I did and it worked. Had I known how amazing it really was I would have used it sooner. Now I dab her hip joints, shoulders, neck or legs when needed. It felt like the miracle my pooch and I had prayed for. It's used on horses. I have no idea what for I just know it is remarkable.

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Heather (Canandaigua, NY) on 05/15/2023
★★★★★

We have a 15 year old Lhasa Poo named Sofie. On good days she will still zoom around like a puppy but those good days were becoming fewer and farther between. Arthritis was setting in and you could clearly see it in her back legs, esp. She has a 4 year old lab/boxer sister and they sleep together on a giant bed in our living room. Over the past several weeks her sister would bound up in the mornings, raring to go outside, while Sofie would either continue to sleep or try to get up painfully slow, and collapse back down on the bed. She was also having issues walking up and down the stairs so we started carrying her on the really bad days.

I wanted to improve her quality of life, if I could, and I always check EC first. I am a nurse but a deep believer in holistic health and have tried other remedies from EC that have always worked. Thankfully I already had a tub of black strap on hand so I started mixing a tsp into her wet food, twice daily, along with kibble and water. She gobbles it up. I completely forgot to mention this to my husband. 2 days later he said to me, "Honey, you should have seen Sofie this morning. She was up and running around before Luna even woke up! She ran down the stairs and up again, came in the house and started doing zoomies! " I just grinned and shared with him what I had been giving her. It's been almost a week and she's still energetic, moving well and doesn't seem to be in pain. I'm so thankful! Now I'm off to try some remedies for her cataracts. If we can get that reversed then we'll have given her the fountain of youth.

Thank you so much, EC!

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Maggie's Dad (Cedar Rapids, Ia) on 03/08/2017
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

After reading the blackstrap molasses reviews I figured I would give it a try on my 12 yo Golden Retriever. She has arthritis in her hips and is on an anti-inflammatory. Over the past few weeks she has been declining to the point where she needed help to get up off the floor and could not do a short set of steps to get in and out. Was thinking we were getting near the end with her so I tried the molasses. She has been on it for 6 days and she is doing amazing! Still a little slow to get up, but gets up on her own with no problems. I am amazed. I started out giving her 1 Tbls twice a day on a piece of bread but after a couple of days I backed off to 1 tsp twice a day and she is still doing very well. Thank you to all who posted on here before me, if it had not been for the posts I would have been making a very hard decision now instead. Hope my review helps others!

Ester C

Posted by Me (Nj) on 01/26/2014
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I give my golden retriever, age 11.5 Ester C of 1000mg per day.

Two years ago, he could scarcely walk or get up due to awful stiffness of the hind quarters. I was so worried I'd lose him! And he was suffering.

The vet's x-rays showed, to his joyful surprise, zero arthritis in hips and no hip dysplasia. His wife, the other vet in their family practice, prescribed pills for my dog. I tried a 2 week sample. I didn't see much improvement, and he would need regular screening to ensure the pills weren't causing serious organ problems (a possible side effect of these pills). Not only that, but boy, were they expensive! It would have cost $300 per month to purchase those pills.

I wished for an answer, and shortly I received it. My neighbor, who owns 5 gorgeously healthy, huge labrador retrievers, and whose daughter is a veterinary technician, said he'd share his "secret" with me.

Ester C. Yes indeed, Ester C, my friends, that was THE answer! Apparently it even helps if your dog DOES have hip dysplasia. It doesn't cure the dysplasia, but it somehow relieves their pain so they can walk again! I googled it up and down to be sure it was safe and I was providing my faithful friend the right dosage.

My Findings:

1) Apparently you must use ONLY Ester C, not regular vitamin C (it can cause stomach upset). Give the Ester C with their meal, not on an empty stomach.

2) You should load them up in increments, building them up to the proper dose, don't give the maximum dose from the start. After you've built them up to the maximum dose they can tolerate without stomach upset and suitable for their size/weight, you soon see the results. Then you can lower them to a maintenance dose: For my golden retriever, I began with 500mg per day divided into his two meals morning and evening (250mg morning 250mg evening) for several days. I then slowly increased him to 1000 per day, (500mg AM and 500mg PM). I then upped him to 2000mg (1,000mg AM 1,000mg PM).

I saw results in a couple of weeks. I lowered his dose to 1000mg and I have maintained him on 1 capsule of time-release Ester C per day in his breakfast meal for 2 years.

My boyfriend saw the difference, my sister saw the difference and I see the difference. He gets up off the floor NO PROBLEM. Now, mind you, he is 11.5 years old. He is better now than he was at age 8!

He can walk 2.5 miles again like we used to do! I never thought he'd be able to ever do that again!

And guess how much this wonderful treatment costs me? Less than $10. a month! I buy a bottle of 1000mg time-release Ester C, 60 capsules, for about $10. Can you believe it? I can buy the 90 capsules for about $15. That's a 3 month supply, folks.

I guess we're not supposed to name companies here, but it comes in an orange box and an orange bottle. I buy it at Walmart and also at my supermarket Shoprite. I'm sure any decent Ester C will do.

It is for humans, not special for dogs.

I love it and am so thankful for what it has done for my dog!

I hope this post is useful to other dogs out there. I did a lot of research before I used Ester C on my dog. So of course I advise you to research what is right for your dog.

Good luck

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Katnco (Palisade, Co) on 09/20/2011
★★★★★

It's a miracle! I posted here on 8/03/11 that I put my 72 lb, 10 yr old dog on Apple Cider Vinegar for three days at that time and he was able to run. Since then, I've been committed to putting 1 tsp in his drinking water every morning - he has so much energy and flexibility! I wish there were a chiropractor to adjust him, because he needs it, but other than that, his youthful vigor has reappeared! THANK YOU EC for blessing us with your information. I truly thought I'd have to put my dog down he was in so much pain. Now he is free to run and play again! I also give him Glucosomine/Chondroitin every morning (1crushed pill) in his food.

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Karen (Wheatland, Wy.) on 07/05/2017

I have been using Blackstrap for years, you have to be careful with it. It is high in iron and if you use it for long periods of time it can cause kidney problems. Do not use it all the time, just when needed. Just a thought.

Serrapeptase

Posted by Lorraine (Canada) on 09/25/2022
★★★★★

Look up benefits of SERRAPEPTASE, has never yet failed for my elderly arthritic cats and dogs. Works best on its own.. take 1 hour before meals or two hours after meal

Dehumidifier

Posted by Amy (Kane, Pa) on 11/12/2011
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Anyway, I wanted to post this as an idea for others. I had a cat who was 18 years old who effectively cured his own arthritis. He was a very smart little fellow, and he had terrible arthritis that had caused such spots on his hip that were so hot to touch, and he'd limp around in pain. The glucosamine did help some, but nothing worked until we purchased a dehumidifier for our basement. This little tuxedo cat sat next to this dehumidifier day and night, for about a month or more. At the time, I thought he was doing it because of the heat. Low and behold, about a month after doing this, his arthritis was healed, his weight had dropped dramatically, and he was pouncing around like a little kitten. No more hot joints.

I have arthritis, and have thought about trying it, but I don't have the time to sit next to that thing all day. Ahhh the life of a cat... My best friend Snapper has gone to his reward... And may have found a cure of arthritis for some... Hope this helps.

Boron, Vitamin K2

Posted by Siddavis (Springfield, Mo) on 02/26/2017
★★★★★

My 7 year old dog started showing signs of arthritis; stiffness and limping, particularly after first getting up from sleep, much subdued excitement, and refusing go on long walks, but some improvement if she was limited to short walks. I started giving here 3 mg of boron a day, and 100 mg of vitamin K2. She improved after about 4 weeks, then when I quit the treatment she got worse, only to improve again when I re-started these supplements.

Not a scientific approach, I know, but as long as she is comfortable and her old frisky self, it is good enough for me.

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Kami (Virginia Beach, Va) on 12/04/2010
★★★★★

My 13-year-old Beagle mix has had hip problems (displaysia) since he was about 6, tore his ACL and had knee surgery to fix it at age 8, and has suffered from arthritis pain in his hind quarters for years. We were given the typical arthritis meds from the Vet, but it didn't seem to work, and we hated taking him in for blood tests all the time. This past year he really seemed to get worse - to the point of me lifting him to his feet, carrying him outside, and bringing him food and water in bed. He moaned in his sleep, and yelped when he tried to get up on his own... I was thinking it was time for that dreaded visit to the vet.

Then someone referred me to this website. I've tried a few of the remedies (ACV, tumeric, all 3 mixed), but Blackstrap Molasses, alone made the biggest difference. About a month ago, I started giving him about 1/2-3/4 tsp Blackstrap Molasses wrapped in a small piece of bread once a day (in the morning after his breakfast. He weighs 42 lbs. ) Now, he gets up on his own, goes up and down small flights of steps on his own, runs, goes on walks, plays with his doggie sister, and doesn't moan. He jumps up to get food off the dining room table, gets into the trash... He is back to his old bad behaviors. Even my husband (who was very skeptical) says it's like night and day. This site is wonderful. Thank you!

Glucosamine, Turmeric, Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Tamara (Bellevue, Washington) on 05/18/2012
★★★★★

My boyfriend's grandma's dog Muffie was apparently born with arthritis, according to her vet. She's been on pain killers her entire 9 year life. Since they're so damaging to the liver, she was expected to continually get worse and die from this supposed cure. I noticed that the twice a day regimen (I believe it was rimadyl and tramodal) was indeed not enough to take away the pain any longer. She had a hard time sitting down and getting back up and whimpered while doing so. Instead of going to the vet or upping the dosage, since they both felt like downward spirals to the same end, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I put her on a diet (mainly, I told everyone to stop feeding her under the table, Lol. ) to help relieve the pressure the extra weight was putting on her joints. Then I started giving her leftover glucosamine tablets from when Grandma took them. I put them in the little pill pockets for dogs until we ran out, then I started to make my own. They are expensive and who knows what's in them! I think the "pockets" I make are also key. Here's what I do:

In a small bowl I mix peanut butter (maybe 4 tbls) with blackstrap molasses until it looks like chocolate (maybe 4-6 tbls?). I don't measure I just mix until it gets a good color. Then I add turmeric powder until it goes from syrup to a malleable putty that cleanly comes off the fingers. I put it into a small jar and then whenever Muffie needs her "medicine" I scoop out a little bit, roll the glucosamine into a little ball and feed her the pill.

She loves it and no longer has any mobility issues, or pain that I can tell. I've been doing this since November 2011. Muffie gets one pill, twice a day, and the amount of turmeric/bsm/pb "pocket" that I make lasts about 3-4 weeks. I buy the turmeric in a half pound bag from the Indian market for about 5 dollars, so this remedy is cheap for us (I haven't even come close to running out yet). It's cheaper than what the vet gives her. Plus, I know it's good for her!

I think the turmeric helped her liver detox the pain pills, reduce inflammation, and lose weight, too, since it helped her liver to process the fat she was losing from her "diet". The powder also allows the concoction to be rolled into a ball instead of just getting peanut butter all over your hands! Be careful, though, it stains yellow.

The BSM is also good for arthritis, but the peanut butter is just a tasty medium that she'll eat. Otherwise, she just spits it out. Before coming up with the homemade pocket I tried bread, cheese, and meat to no avail.

Alfalfa

Posted by Lanehausen (Austin, Texas) on 10/10/2011
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I was friends with Alan & Louise Shepard (the astronaut & wife) through a close friend at work in 1996 or so. On a trip to Wimberley, Tx, to visit thier daughter and husband (my friend), they brought a small aging mixed chihuahua with arthritis so bad he could hardly get around. I shared with them, my dad's teachings of giving aging dogs alfalfa tabs crunched up in thier food to help give the joints natural lubrication. In the following weeks I received a letter from Alan & Louise thanking me so much for the tip as their dog was rejuvenated and walking like he had not done in years. Try it, it works. 500- 1500 mg tabs in the food will do it.

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by April (Hollidaysburg, Pa) on 03/20/2011
★★★★★

Thanks to everyone who posted on here. You have helped my eleven year old Rottweiler in ways you can never understand. I've been reading up on natural products for arthritis, began giving her organic black strap molasses and organic extra virgin coconut oil and in twenty-four hours she has become almost completely pain free and feeling like she is getting stronger each day. Thank everyone so much for your notes on what you have tried.

Gelatin

Posted by Dalene (Johannesburg, South Africa) on 09/04/2011
★★★★★

This remedy helped my old arthritic dog recover, nothing short of a miracle, he's like a young dog after the Prednisone the vet prescribed nearly killed him! I suspect this might help for human arthritis? I give him a teaspoon of unflavoured gelatine every day, dissolved in some warm (not boiling) water, add to his food and let cool. It's tasteless so no prob there, and he also gets a fish oil capsule twice a week. He weighs about 10kg so the dose must be adjusted for bigger dogs. God bless al you dog lovers

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Cathy (Cape Coral, Fl, Usa) on 07/18/2011
★★★★★

After reading blogs on molasses for dogs I have put our 2 older Dobermans on it. Our 10 year old female had been having difficulty getting up, and she wasn't interested in a lot of activities. Our 9 year old male still has lots of energy but I felt it would be advisable to start him on the same regimine as a precautionary measure. Our female, after 2 weeks is doing so much better, even trying to get our male to play yesterday.

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Gwen (Denver, Co) on 12/15/2009
★★★★★

Wasn't sure if ACV or Molasses was the best place to respond, so I'll post as follow up.

I do a lot of rescue with little dogs. I have 4 right now. One is my daughter's dog that I have been babysitting while she was on a year tour in Mosul, Iraq. She is coming for xmas this weekend & will be taking her baby home with her to Fort Hood in Texas when she returns.

We live in Colorado & am just coming out of a deep freeze for 2 weeks! During the last weekend, my Silky Terrier started whining in pain! ( 6 or 7 years old?) Even though he loves his walks outside & play in the snow, he couldn't even make a full walk around our building. The sever cold was doing something terrible to him! We've a 2bdrm upstairs townhouse, & he couldn't make it up or down the stairs, up or down on couch or bed. He'd just stand there & stare. He's never been through anything like that. His eyes were clear, gum color good, eating, drinking, peeing, but not pooping so well! I think it was too painful. I kept giving him massages & found a small bump on his lower spine. He goes really stupid when we see other dogs on our walks, so I thought maybe he did something to his spine. Looked for animal chiropractor, but too cold to get him anywhere, so kept looking as that was all I could do besides keeping him comfy.

I was freaking out as it was a weekend, everyone's car was in the deep freeze, & the Holistic Vet is about 15 miles up the mountain from me. Luckily, I had some Rimadyl, pain killer left I dosed him with even though I don't trust pharm med's while I research the web for solutions......

I use earth clinic for holistic remedies for me & my pets, & believe me I've saved $1,000's in Vet bills.....& I haven't been to a Doc since 2001. I'm 60.

I also comb through the people section & adjust the dosage for pets.

I ran across "Molasses for Arthritis", pets & humans. My neighbor dug out to go to the store so I had them pick some up for Sparky. It worked! I dosed him pretty good the first 24 hours & I was just amazed how well it worked for him! He was soon back to him ol'self within 24 hours later. I also gave it to the other 3 dogs in smaller dosage. They are all now so full of energy they are driving me crazy, lol!

I already put h2o, ACV, pinch of Sea Salt in their daily water bowl, but am just amazed how well the Molasses worked for the cold weather Arthritis!

I wanted to post a Thank You follow up to earth clinic & all the wonderful people that share their experiences here!

Happy Holidays & Much Love & Blessings to All!

Lady Gwen

EC: Thanks for the great feedback! Can you let us know how much blackstrap molasses you are giving your dog and approximately how much he weighs?

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Christy (PA, US) on 08/10/2014

I've heard NOT to give dogs white rice. Only give them brown rice. Apparently, something about the white rice is really bad for dogs. That is all I know about it. Sounds like the molasses is good though.

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 08/11/2014

Hey Christy!

I must respectfully disagree with you! I did some fact checking, and this is what I learned about it.

White rice is not really bad for dogs. In fact, because of its high digestibility, it is a good food to feed to a dog with tummy upset. White rice is close to brown rice in nutrition: brown rice has just a wee bit more nutritional benefit. White rice is superior to brown rice in terms of arsenic levels, so a better choice for young animals.

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/brown-rice-vs-white-rice/

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/10/arsenic-in-rice