New Hope for Dog Owners: The Adequan Alternative (Page 2)
by Barry G. Davis
The next morning, I informed my vet, Dr. Tim Jones, that the university had confirmed the diagnosis, and that they suggested major hip replacement surgery . Before I could get out a dozen words, Tim stopped me and handed me his just-delivered copy of the August 1987 Veterinary Journal. "Read this before you say any more."
"What's it about?"
"Just read it closely before you ask questions."
"It" was a brief article titled "Adequan - Alternative for Canine DJD" by Drs. Timothy Koby and Nell Tillis of the Lake Harbin Animal Hospital in Morrow, Georgia. What it dealt with was their experimental use of an equine drug named Adequan for the treatment of canine hip dysplasia. Some of the medical terminology was difficult to grasp on first reading, but the essence of the article detailed a treatment program that, unlike surgery, put virtually no physical stress on the dog, yet had resulted in exceptional, positive results in 12 out of 12 cases. For someone who abhors surgery and considers it only a last resort, this alternative treatment was like the flickering glow of a candle in the dark.
While Tim investigated the Adequan treatment further, Misty's deterioration was frighteningly quick. Within two weeks, she could not walk 50 yards without pulling up three-legged lame. The muscle mass and tone in the affected leg disappeared almost before your eyes. If you listened closely while she walked, you could hear a distinct "click" emanating from the hip joint as the two bones made contact.
When the information was finally in, including a long-distance consultation with Drs. Koby and Tillis, we decided to give it a try. What sold them, and us, was the lack of contraindications (those things that are the downside of most drugs). With Adequan - polysulfate glycosaminoglycan in 50-cent terms - there are none. Because it is a naturally occurring body substance, only that which is necessary is sued. The rest is cast off.
Because of the severity of Misty's condition, her program consisted of the maximum series of six injections, one per week, with the 125 milligram-doses given intra-muscularly.
|
