Reprinted from The Plain Dealer
About Animals with Suzanne Hively
January 15, 2003
It was wall- to-wall dogs in the waiting room of vet erinarian Carol's Anti-Aging Well ness Clinic in Chagrin Falls.
Sitting or lying quietly next to their owners, the dogs were watching every movement in the room - all except poor old Paddle, who lay prone at her owner's feet, eyes closed, ignoring the world around her.
Paddle suffered from hip dysplasia all her life, but at age 14 she had more aches and pains than one could count. Tom Fellenstein, of Harpersfield Township in Geauga County, had owned her since she was a puppy and would stop at nothing to make her more comfortable. (He gave her the unusual name of Paddle because he operates a canoe livery in Geauga County.)
Owners of the other dogs in the room were telling wonderful stories of how a food supplement had helped their dogs. It reminded me of a group of dieters bragging about their weight-loss successes.
Sally Harrold of Chagrin Falls said that Watson, her 13-year-old cocker spaniel, had been showing signs of geriatric distress and dementia. "Six weeks later, he was peppy, and his coat was better. He is social and playful, just what he used to be years ago," Harrold said.
Sharon Schiller of Bainbridge Township said she used to put her aggressive 14-year-old Dalmatian, Jesse, in a laundry room when anyone came to the door, to keep her from potentially harming someone. After being on the supplement a year, Jesse not only placidly tolerates visitors, she once again is able to go up and down stairs.
Fellenstein and this reporter were among the skeptics.
There are a lot of canine food supplements on the market. Some work, and some don't. Furthermore, a dog that gets a well-balanced diet shouldn't need a supplement, but Fellenstein and I both agreed to try the product, Paaws. He bought some for his dog Paddle.
After reading the ingredients on the label and determining there was nothing harmful, I wrote a check for a month's supply for some of my dogs. The cost is about $1 a day for an average-size dog. The supplement contains over-the-counter herbs, vitamins and minerals in one tablet.
A week later, Fellenstein and I checked with each other.
Paddle showed signs of improvement.
"She is more curious about things around her," he said. "She is throwing a bone around and playing with it in the house. Her tail is no longer between her legs as if she is hurting. I still have to help her getting in and out of the truck, but she can walk up and down stairs."
A month later, I paid a visit to the Alpine Valley Ski Resort where Fellenstein works. Paddle was trotting along beside him. She still gaits with a lurch because of the hip dysplasia, and she always will. But she was wagging her tail, and I watched her going up and down stairs unassisted.
My geriatric 10-year-old, 110-pound dog, who had been showing signs of decreased mobility, preferred to lie on my bed and sleep rather than join family activities. After one week using the supplement, he started walking with a spring in his step. He was running and begging me to play Frisbee, and he once again preferred to socialize rather than sleep.
A second geriatric dog showed no difference on the supplement, nor did a third senior dog, who suffers from immune problems.
I saw the most noticeable effect on a fourth dog, who is 2 years old. She was purchased as a show dog but arrived at the airport with such a flaky, scaredy-cat personality that she was untrainable. After a year, I had given up on her. After one week on the tablets, she still has a long way to go, but she is playing and socializing and is trainable.
Is the product a panacea? Of course not. Osborne will tell you that, but she enthusiastically believes that herbs, vitamins and minerals can enhance well-being. She admits to taking a variety of them.
She tested the product she formulated on 40 dogs, she said, who were showing various signs of aging, documenting their changes in mobility. She said 18 had excellent results.
That said, I find it interesting - after seeing five dogs before and after taking the supplement - that it seems to work for some dogs.
Osborne may be reached at 440-287-6787.
