naturalpet


ALZHEIMER’S ALTERNATIVES


Natural Therapies Can Help by Dr. Shawn Messonnier


chronic degenerative problem for older dogs and cats, especially past the age of 10. It affects millions of pets in the United States. The cause of Alzheimer’s in animals


C


is unknown. It appears, however, that inflammation may play a role. On the microscopic level, scientists have noted the presence of abnormal protein ac- cumulations occurring within the brain’s blood vessels, similar to those in people with Alzheimer’s. Ultimately, the brain lesions interfere with proper functioning of nerve transmissions.


Clinical Signs Several signs may indicate cogni-


tive disorder in affected dogs, including:


n Staring at a wall n Lack of awareness of surroundings n Occasional lack of recognition of the owner


n Lethargy/lack of energy n Excess sleep (especially during the day) n House-training problems (usually urinating inside the house)


n Deafness Cats share the same clinical signs


of cognitive disorder as dogs, plus the following:


n Poor coat (excessive shedding or thin, dry coat)


n Poor appetite n Chronic constipation n House-training problems (usually


36 San Diego Edition


anine and feline Alzheimer’s disease, also known as cognitive disorder, is the most common


expensive and can have rare side ef- fects. If the drug proves to be effective, Anipryl must be used for the rest of the life of the dog. Natural, drug-free thera- pies are less costly.


Natural Therapies Many different natural therapies can help alleviate cognitive disorder, as recommended by a holistic vet. Changes in diet may include antioxi- dants, omega-3 fatty acids, herbs such as ginkgo biloba, targeted homeopath- ics and phosphatidylserine and acetyl- L-carnitine supplements. While I may incorporate a com- bination of these in the treatment of a pet with cognitive disorder, one main- stay is supplementation with choline/ phosphatidylcholine. Many pets in my practice have had beneficial results with the patented product Cholodin, made by MVP Laboratories. It contains choline, phosphatidylcholine, methionine and inositol. Several years ago, I conducted


Many different natural


therapies can help alleviate cognitive disorder.


urinating outside the litter box when other problems related to anxiety behavior are not in evidence)


Note that other conditions, such as diabetes plus thyroid, kidney, heart or adrenal gland disease, can produce signs similar to those associated with cognitive disorder. A full diagnostic evaluation that includes blood and urine testing should be performed by a veterinarian before reaching such a possible diagnosis.


Conventional Treatment The drug Anipryl has been approved for treating cognitive disorder in dogs; no medication is available for cats. While effective in some patients, this drug is


www.na-sd.com


a study funded by the manufacturer and found that Cholodin was effec- tive as a sole therapy. Half of the dogs and cats treated with this supplement showed a moderate or significant response within 30 days; another 25 percent of dogs and 20 percent of cats in the study showed at least minimal improvement within a 30-day period. I now prescribe Cholodin for all of my dog and cat patients that are at least 5 years of age, as a preventive measure. In addition to choline and other


natural therapies, I believe that it’s important to minimize inflammation in older pets, as well, because mini- mizing inflammation may also help prevent or decrease the incidence of other serious disorders. Because com- mon commercial pet foods can have ingredients that can induce oxida- tive cell damage and inflammation, I recommend feeding pets natural foods devoid of byproducts and chemicals (feeding only wet food to cats). Other ideas to reduce inflamma- tion include minimizing vaccinations


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56