Champion of My HeartA dog blog, where everything is a work in progress, by Roxanne Hawn

It’s been a couple of months since we got our Therapaws mat from Soar Pet Products as an experiment for Ginko’s arthritis. Since he had a major swelling/pain flair up right after New Year’s Eve, I’m not sure we’ve had the chance to give it any kind of quasi-scientific go.

The Knee-Recovery Variables

Throughout most of January, we tried resting him to give whatever causes the swelling to subside, but we did it off and on with few results because he continued to have what we call “a hitch in his get-along,” where he suddenly startles and leaps/runs as if he just experienced a jolt of pain.

So, from Feb 1-Feb 14, he was on strict rest, where we called upon the patron saint of confined dogs. We only allowed him outside into the dog pen to potty. That was it for 14 straight days.

After that, I took him out on leash a few times each day (for about a week) and just walked him around our property a bit to try and build back up some muscle tone.

These days, I’m pretty much letting him do his normal thing, including playing with and chasing Lilly.

As I mentioned, we also added more Omega3 fatty acids to his diet, so with all those various changes, it’s really hard to say which one improved what, but he does seem a bit better overall:

• No limping
• No carrying the leg
• No swelling
• Fewer startles (like he is in pain)

Therapaws Details

As regular readers may recall, the mat is made from Holofiber, a proprietary blend of minerals added to fabric. The product tag says that these minerals act as reflective mirrors, absorbing visible and non-visible light. When this material comes into contact with the body, it relaxes capillaries, increasing blood flow and oxygenating the blood.

The benefits are said to include:

• Increase oxygen levels
• Accelerate muscle recovery
• Promote circulation
• Decrease arthritis pain
• Increase mobility and energy
• Reduce inflammation

How We Use Therapaws

I tried draping the mat on the sofas and on top of the various dog beds we have. Sometimes Lilly or Ginko hopped on it. Other times not.

It got a little grubby, so I washed it last week. That meant Ginko did without it for a few days.

To continue our experiment, I put it inside his crate (where he sleeps at night) to see if that all-night exposure reveals improvements for him. I wonder, though, since it’s obviously dark at night (no light to reflect)  … if that’s a waste of time.

Well, we’ll see.

Earlier Posts on Therapaws

Product Report (1): Therapaws

Product Intro: Therapaws (including FTC disclosure)