Unfortunately, many pets suffer stiffness, lameness, and osteoarthritis just like their owners. These problems are certainly more common in older pets rather than younger ones. Many pet parents are interested in helping their pets remain comfortable after a long hike or other over-exertion, while others may need long-term support.

At Riversong, we often offer homepathic preparations for relief of lameness, stiffness, and limping. Many pet parents are concerned that homeopathics may not give their pet the relief a pharmaceutical will. Here is a study that compares Carprofen (marketed as Rimadyl, Imadyl, Novox, and Imafen) to the homeopathic Zeel.
The strength of holistic medicine is that it allows treatments to be tailored to each pet and owner. While we do prescribe pharmaceuticals for pain relief, we may also discuss alternative treatments that provide the goal effect without the side effects.

Effectiveness of the Homeopathic Preparation Zeel Compared with Carprofen in Dogs with Osteoarthritis

Stephan Neumann, DVM,  Pelle Stolt, PhD,  Gabriele Braun, DVM,  Klaus Hellmann, DVM and Erich Reinhart, DVM

Abstract

The authors compared the symptomatic effectiveness of a complex homeopathic preparation Zeel (1-3 tablets per day depending on weight) to Carprofen (4mg/kg body weight) in dogs older than a year old diagnosed with osteoarthritis in a multicenter, prospective, observational open-label cohort study in 12 German veterinary clinics. The active treatment period was 56 days. Symptomatic effectiveness, lameness, stiffness of movements, and pain on palpation were evaluated by treating veterinarians and owners. clinical signs of osteoarthritis improved significantly (P<0.05) at all time points (days 1, 28, and 56) with both therapies. At the end of the treatment period, effectiveness was comparable in both groups. Both treatment regimens were well tolerated with only three treatment-related adverse events, all in the Carprofen group.