The Pain Our Pets Feel: Can LDN help?

Veterinarians and astute caretakers can sometimes detect the signs and symptoms of pain. Pets may move slowly, have difficulty changing position, refuse to walk, not eat well, pant excessively, or vocalize (yelping, whimpering, meowing) more than usual. They may seem listless and sleep a lot.

Pet pain is distressing, especially when the cause of the pain is untreatable, or available treatments may cause significant side effects.

Can LDN help pet pain? Here is what we know so far.

Clinical Trials

While many small animal studies exploring LDN’s effects have been conducted, there has been only one published clinical trial using LDN for pets. It explored the effect of adding LDN to the chemotherapy of dogs with mammary (breast) cancer. The researchers measured LDN’s effect not only on the dogs’ immune systems and survival rates, but also on their quality of life. To measure their quality of life, their owners did a periodic assessment of pain, among other aspects of their animal’s well-being.

The researchers found that the dogs given LDN maintained a higher quality of life (and survived longer) compared to the other dogs.

The researchers reported, "The results of this study support that quality of life is directly related to the beneficial effects of LDN, being important in the evolution of treatment and consequent survival."

Pet Owner Experiences

LDNscience has received numerous stories from “pet parents” about the helpful and, at times, remarkable outcomes experienced after giving their pets LDN.

Here are some excerpts about their experiences:

After LDN worked so nicely for Alan Koshak's osteoarthritis pain and Cindy's Sjogren's and Burning Mouth Syndrome pain, they considered giving it to Maggie, their bulldog. Maggie suffered from severe arthritis and torn a ligament. She had a hard time getting up from a sitting position, couldn't move quickly, and had a bad limp. Their veterinarian told the Koshaks that Maggie would always limp and be in pain. After researching LDN for pets, they decided to give it a try. The results were immediate and dramatic; LDN significantly changed Maggie’s quality of life for the better. See more about this story here: "She's Like A Puppy Again!" Maggie's Recovery from Arthritis & a Torn ACL

Yeti was about to be euthanized due to pancreatic cancer. The abdominal pain, weakness, lethargy, and loss of appetite made Yeti a shadow of her former self. But Yeti's family didn't want to give up just yet- they had seen benefit from taking LDN themselves and decided to see if it would help their cat. From the first dose of LDN, Yeti's behavior changed significantly, indicating a much improved quality of life. After a year on LDN, the latest visit to the veterinarian revealed an even bigger change...the pancreatic tumor had disappeared. More about Yeti's success story can be found here: LDN Family Success Story: Alleviating Fran's Dementia and Yeti the Cat's Pancreatic Cancer

Because LDN had worked so well for the Koshak's and their bulldog Maggie, they mentioned it to their son Dustin, whose dog Rocky was suffering from an aggressive, fast growing facial tumor. Rocky would yelp when he opened his mouth to eat or yawn due to the pain. The veterinarian said the tumor was inoperable and predicted Rocky had about 6 weeks to live. Dustin decided to give Rocky LDN. Once on LDN, the tumors started to shrink, and Rocky was able to eat, yawn, and open his mouth without any pain. Dustin thinks LDN significantly improved the length and quality of Rocky’s life. Read more of the story here: "LDN Really Is For The Dogs!": Rocky's Cancerous Tumors Disappear

Dolly, a rescued poodle, started having nosebleeds, which led to a diagnosis of sinus cancer and a prognosis of 3-6 months to live. Sadly, she showed signs of being in pain and started to withdraw. In light of Steve's own positive experience using LDN, he decided to treat Dolly with it. Dolly seemed to feel much better after starting LDN: her nosebleeds stopped and she appeared pain-free. She became frisky again, just like a puppy, even though she was a “senior citizen” at 12 years old. Read more about Dolly's experience here: Dolly The Rescue Poodle's LDN Story: Beating The Odds Against Sinus Cancer

Kim's service dog Hayliegh had liver cancer and a leg problem. Kim had to give pain and anxiety medication to her dog to try to help her be more comfortable. But she still was unwell, and the veterinarian didn't have much else to offer. Since Kim had found relief herself using LDN, she decided to give it to her dog...what was there to lose? The response was quick. After starting LDN, Hayliegh wasn’t panting anymore, was sleeping better, and moving much more. Hayliegh lived symptom-free for a year and a half after being diagnosed with liver disease, while on LDN. At each follow-up visit, her veterinarians were surprised to see Hayliegh still around and doing so well. They would ask, “How?” and Kim would say,"LDN!". Read more about Kim and her service dogs here: LDN Restored Quality of Life for Kim's Life of Fibromyalgia & Arthritis (as well as her Service Dogs!)

If your pet is suffering from pain, consider discussing it with your veterinarian. If you need help finding a veterinary LDN prescriber or way to buy LDN, you may also find LDNscience’s veterinarian directory and compounding pharmacy directory useful.