Arthritis Pain and Bee Venom Therapy in Animals

I love big dogs….. Labrador Retrievers especially. Their best feature is their temperament. Labs are loving, people oriented dogs. They are happiest when they are with their owners. Labs are retrievers and will bring things they find around the  house or yard laying them at your feet. Labs tend to be quite patient with children making them wonderful family dogs. They require attention and love as much as food and water. Labradors require plenty of exercise — this is especially true since most Labs love to eat! Ensuring they get proper exercise, training, and attention will give you a happy, healthy Labrador.  However, health problems may arise as the puppy ages into an elder dog. One particular issue among this breed. is hip dysplasia.

My precious black lab of fourteen years had hip dysplasia which included the following symptoms:  ran with a ‘bunny hopping’ gait, demonstrated stiffness and pain in the rear legs after exercise or first thing in the morning, had difficulty climbing stairs and became  less willing to engage  in normal daily activities. Eventually the disease made it very difficult for her to arise from a sleeping or sitting position. Owners attribute these changes to normal aging but after treatment is initiated, they are surprised to see a more normal and pain-free gait return. Veterinarians may suggest weight loss and Rimadyl which is anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. The weight loss was an agreeable option to me but the drugs were questionable.  Drugs have side effects and Rimadyl is no exception. A search for alternative methods became imminent and one of them was bee sting therapy.

Hillsboro, Ohio is the home of a prominent Apitherapist, Jim Higgins. Jim is a beekeeper and President of the Highland County Beekeepers Association. He is also on the Board of the American Apitherapy Society (AAS) and the Ohio State Beekeepers Association.  He studied Bee Venom Therapy under the world master Charles Mraz of Middlebury, Vt., and has visited China twice on the subject of Apitherapy. http://www.apitherapy.org/about-aas/board/jim-higgins/ He suggested bee sting therapy and provided a box of bees and a long set of tweezers for administration of the sting. His instruction was to sting the hip 4-5 times twice a week for a month. I completed the procedure faithfully and watched carefully for clues to its effectiveness.   Sonny gradually started walking normal; playing with her toys and sleeping in her box. It was like a miracle! That was 2008. She continues to be in good health and requests to play with her rubber hedghog daily. I am very pleased…….and the story of Jim Higgins and his Apitherapy continues.