Duralactin for pain!?

[frijole]

Kansas State vet finally responded to me regarding the meds the local vet had recommended for Annie's spondylosis and heart. She didn't think arnica montana was the best solution and she recommended Duralactin.

I am wondering if this over the counter product might not help others whose dogs have back leg issues!

Here is what she said:
I researched alternative treatments for pain relief. Arnica would not be my first choice for arthritis and degenerative changes. Its homeopathic form is used for trauma, bruising, and post-surgical swelling, but I do not think it would be helpful in the management of chronic inflammation. Dr. Harkin has had good success with Duralactin. They have a pretty nice web site that explains how it works (www.duralactin.com). I would probably give that a try first!


If you go to the website there are some wonderful success stories. Also check out the testimonials from 1800 Pet Meds:
http://www.1800petmeds.com/Duralactin-prod10684.html

I ordered some and can't wait to try it. I couldn't find any mention of it yet on this site and wanted to share the info and get any feedback from anyone who has used it.

Kim

[Carol G]

Kim,

I'm impressed that the K-State vet researched alternative treatments for you--I don't think many vets would do that.

The Duralactin sounds very promising. I can't wait for you to try it too.

Carol

[frijole]

I was excited that one of the dogs actually had the same issue as Annie. The stories where dogs couldn't get up, walk etc reminded me of the many dogs here lately that have the same issues. How exciting that there is an anti inflammatory homeopathic alternative to NSAIDs.

Yes, it took a while to get the response but the Dr she is referring to is the head of the Small Animal Dept at the University. I can't wait to get it.

Kim

[lulusmom]

Kim, I just googled Duralactin and I can't find one negative comment about it. Amazon has 8 reviews, all excellent. It almost sounds too good to be true. Let's hope not and that it helps your Annie.

I was just about to ask you what's been going on with your girl so I was happy to see this post. Don't make us wait so long next time.

Here's a little blurb on how Duralactin works to reduce inflammation:


DURALACTIN™ affects the ability of neutrophils to attach and migrate to the injury site. This reduces inflammation and helps prevent subsequent tissue damage caused by excessive neutrophil infiltration. By working at this level, DURALACTIN stops inflammation earlier in the process and avoids inhibiting protective COX-1 activity.

[Harley PoMMom]

Harley was on this for years with his old vet and I did see some improvement. I took him off of this when his cushing's dx was diagnosed.

[frijole]

Lori, curious as to why the cushing's dx changed things? What did you use instead? From what I read the product is primarily made of dried milk protein. Thanks. Kim

[Harley PoMMom]

With Harley having excessive cortisol running thru his body this what's treating his arthritis. I believe the Duralactin is safe for a Cush-pup to take.

The Duralactin pills that Harley were taking had a vanilla smell to them, he would take 1/4 tablet BID, they are BIG tablets but are easy to split.

[SasAndYunah]

This is pretty interesting. I searched for Duralactin and nothing... At least nothing in The Netherlands, Germany, France, UK...so probably all Europe. I suspect it is forbidden here since it is made of the milk of "manipulated" cows. And by no means is manipulating live beings a homeopathic approach. And thus, in my mind, any medication/supplement with such an origin, cannot be called a homeopathic treatment. I know, this is touching a moral dilemma. Another thing that I noticed is that, eventhough this kind of research is been going on for decades, there is hardly anything out there (on the internet) about trials (or better yet, scientific proof) with manipulated milk in humans. This kind of worries me and brings up the question (well, to me anyway) if selling this type of medication for pets now, is sort of a testing period for humans? (Let's see if we see some adverse reactions in pets first..)

I surely hope it will help Annie but I also hope that people will stop and think and not just assume it's safe and that they will ask themselves the question if there isn't any other way instead of having cows (living creatures as well) manipulated to help our cats and dogs. I am by no means an expert on the issue but I personally believe that medications/supplements like this, need a thourough discussion. Not just about the (possible) benefits to our own pets but also what's done to other living creatures to produce the medication/supplement. I personally strongly believe, that whenever we mess with mother nature, we will end up finding ourselves in trouble. There is a reason why mother nature works as she does...

Saskia and Yunah :)

[lulusmom]

We've been seriously messing with Mother Nature for decades and oddly enough we're living longer than ever before. That doesn't mean there hasn't been and won't be any fallout but as the self centered individual that I am, I'm more concerned about all the old farts that are really long lived who may drain the social security bank before I become of age. Honestly, if I really sat down and opined on all the hormones and antibiotics that are pumped into food animals and the chemicals used on veggies, fruits and grains, I'd probably not be able to sleep at night. :(

As soon as I read Kim's post about Duralactin, I started looking for whatever studies I could find on milk from hyperimmunized cows and surprisingly enough, there's a lot of them. Here's a few I found as to it's effect and safety.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/m63357726r252210/fulltext.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15698533

[SasAndYunah]

As far as I understand it, both studies are not about humans using Duralactin. And that's what I questioned, that there do not seem to be a whole lot of studies with humans. But anyway, I don't sit and worry about these things (well, I do worry about what we are doing to this planet an everything on it) but I do try to do the best I can. I do not eat chicken for example, due to all the antibiotics pumped into them (and the way they are kept and bred, etc) Thanks to all the antibiotics in chicken we now have superbacteria that cannot be treated and people are dying because of it, mad cows disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob) caused by feeding cows dead cows, etc, etc. Also, I don't eat seafood due to all the heavy metals in it. And I know, these are personal choices, but I truly believe I have to do the best I can to preserve the earth and all living beings on it and to respect mother nature. I would not be comfortable giving my dog something that needed other animals to be manipulated for...certainly not if there are alternatives. Same as with all sorts of food, we can choose to buy organic, chemical free grains, fruits and hormone/medication free meat for example. Heck, I don't even kill spiders or flies , I catch them and set them free outside again :D

I just want to encourage people to think and discuss and see several different points of view before making dicissions or assumptions. Anything that requires a living being to be manipulated in whatever form or matter, anything that has been tested for decades already but with hardly any reports at all about human testing, would deserve our careful thoughts and deliberation, I think.

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Carol G]

MicroLactin (the main ingredient in Duralactin) is available as a human supplement.

You might be able to find more about it by searching under MicroLactin.

Carol

[Harley PoMMom]

The reference to this study is on the back of the Duralactin bottle.


Use of client-specific outcome measures to assess treatment effects in geriatric, arthritic dogs: controlled clinical evaluation of a nutraceutical.

Gingerich DA, Strobel JD.

Stolle Milk Biologics, 6954 Cornell Road, Suite 400, Cincinnati, OH 45242, USA.


Abstract

A questionnaire method was designed for dog owners to monitor the orthopedic disabilities of their pets for evaluation of a nutraceutical with joint health claims. Fifty large-breed dogs, 7 to 12 years of age, presenting with signs of osteoarthritis, were randomly allocated to placebo and active treatment groups. Degree of disability was assessed by physical examination, a standard questionnaire on daily activities, and a case-specific questionnaire that monitored specific impairments of each dog. The test product was a special milk protein concentrate (SMPC) from hyperimmunized cows, previously shown to express antiinflammatory and antiarthritic activity in humans. After a 1-week run-in period of dosing with placebo, each dog was randomly assigned to a treatment and given gelatin capsules containing either SMPC or a placebo twice daily for 8 weeks. Overall improvement was noted in 68% and 35% of the SMPC and placebo groups, respectively. Significant (P <.05) improvement in mean standardized and patient- specific questionnaire scores and in owner global assessments was detected in the SMPC group but not in the placebo group. Compared with the placebo group, the treatment response was significantly better in the SMPC group with regard to case-specific scores (P <.001) and owner global assessments (P =.004). The product was well tolerated and serum chemistry findings remained within normal limits.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12756636

[SasAndYunah]

Carol, thanks! That was I was looking for :)

Saskia and Yunah :-)

[frijole]

Annie has been taking Duralactin for 3 weeks now and I have to say I am liking it. She was frequently losing control of her hind legs and falling, especially going up and down steps. She also had all body shakes/trembling which I think was from pain.

I haven't seen any shaking and her mobility is improved. So far I am happy with this product. Just wanted to share since it might be an alternative to steroidal products for those whose dogs have arthritis and hind leg issues.

Kim

[lulusmom]

That's awesome! So happy to hear that Annie is doing better. Yay!!!!

[k9diabetes]

This is very interesting! I think I will bring it up with the vet regarding Jack's back. He's been on Metacam for two weeks now. Was doing better but is again in the past the last few days.

Natalie

[addy]

Hi Kim,

I am so glad to hear Annie is doing better and I hope the duralactin can help our other pups as well! That would be so awesome!

Hugs,
Addy

[Carol G]

That is really wonderful news Kim!

I did some research on the human product (did see good reviews) and read that for arthritis/joint problems it is best used in combination with glucosamine. I bought the human version and finally found a vegetarian glucosamine to buy. I've not started either yet but will let you know what impact they have on my knees.

Carol

[frijole]

That is really wonderful news Kim!

I did some research on the human product (did see good reviews) and read that for arthritis/joint problems it is best used in combination with glucosamine. I bought the human version and finally found a vegetarian glucosamine to buy. I've not started either yet but will let you know what impact they have on my knees.

Carol

Thanks for the update. I could use it too! I am really stumped with Annie because she still isn't eating and so I have given up trying to put glucosamine on her food or getting her to eat fish oil. She won't eat anything with the oil on it and I throw so much food away with glucosamine and other things on it that it is truly a waste. Might try putting them in a pill pocket just to see if she'd eat it that way.

[Carol G]

Kim,

I had a terrible time getting McGill to take any of the joint supplements. He wouldn't eat them in his food and would not eat the chewable ones. What I finally found were Zuke's Hip Action treats and he loved those. I gave him the fish capsules wrapped in cheese.

Carol

[frijole]

I need to find some smaller fish capsules. LOL I have a large bottle of it because she couldn't eat the capsules and man she hates the smell of it. I can get her to eat fish so I buy some at the grocery store and fix it for her from time to time. But she won't eat the fish dog food anymore either.

Thanks for the advice! Treats she will eat.. the little rascal.

[Casey's Mom]

Duralactin info sounds great and I am so glad it is helping Annie. I am sure you have provided a great idea for those of us dealing with arthritis issues.

Now if only you had a hungry dog huh?

Love and hugs,

[frijole]

Duralactin info sounds great and I am so glad it is helping Annie. I am sure you have provided a great idea for those of us dealing with arthritis issues.

Now if only you had a hungry dog huh?

Love and hugs,
:D No kidding. I just saw this post.

As an update - I love this ''med''. It would be so easy if Annie would eat it the way the other doggies do. But that is another problem. When she takes it she does great. When she doesn't it shows and I grind up the pills and mix it with food I know she will eat. That is how much good it does her.

[Munchie's Mama]

I just got some Duralactin for Munchie. I'm hoping that it helps him with his rear end difficulties. I have one concern however. It contains Dextrose, and therefore I'm wondering if it is safe for diabetic dogs? I haven't read anything that advises against it in any of the articles I have read.

[frijole]

I just got some Duralactin for Munchie. I'm hoping that it helps him with his rear end difficulties. I have one concern however. It contains Dextrose, and therefore I'm wondering if it is safe for diabetic dogs? I haven't read anything that advises against it in any of the articles I have read.

I am not sure. I read alot of good things about the company that makes it. I would find their 800 number and call them directly. I think they'll be honest with you. Good luck!