ELK VELVET MYTH OR REALITY? - K-9Health.com

ELK VELVET
MYTH OR REALITY?

By: Clinton J. Balok, DVM

I woke up in a cold sweat. "What in the world are you doing?" I asked myself. You are actually going to try to convince people that eating the antlers of a bull elk is going to make them feel better. Am I crazy? I made myself a cup of hot chocolate and sat down in the living room so I wouldn't wake up the whole house. As I pondered the question of using elk velvet I scratched the ears of my old Labrador, Chip. Chip was 12 years old and could barely move. Age and an active life were taking a toll on him. I needed to come up with something that I could only give him for his deteriorating hips and elbows that would provide him with some relief and not destroy his liver and kidneys.

As a practicing veterinarian I have watched thousands of dogs, cats and horses suffer from the crippling effects of osteoarthritis. This is a condition of the joints similar to the condition millions of people deal with daily. The production of joint fluid decreases and the smooth cartilaginous surfaces of the joints begin to erode and wear away. When this occurs, bone begins rubbing on bone and the body attempts to heal the insulted joints by sending calcium to repair the damaged bone. These abnormal bone deposits deform the joint even more and increases the pain and discomfort of day-to-day activity.

I studied the literature on elk velvet and the claims made by people from many countries. As I researched the product it seemed to me that it could cure most ailments, had no side effects and was perfectly natural. To say that I was a doubting Thomas was an understatement. I knew many people in the elk business, I was familiar with the demand for velvet antler in the Orient, I knew it had been used for thousands of years in Asian medicine, but I still wondered if the EVA could really produce the effects claimed in the literature. What could I do to prove to myself that this is not snake oil or smoke and mirrors? To satisfy my skepticism I had to see proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the product had more than a mystical psychological effect. I wanted to see measurable effects which could be reproduced in trials around the world.

I scratched Chip's ears and looked at my old faithful friend. "If this product could improve Chip's quality of life, it would be tremendous" I mused. Also, a dog could not be convinced he was going to feel better - he would either show improvement or he wouldn't. It seemed very straight forward to me - animals could be used to test the efficacy of the product and the response of the animal to the treatment could be qualitatively evaluated. Probably not a very scientific experiment, but certainly one that would answer the questions I had. I bounced this idea off some veterinarian friends of mine but was met with a great deal of skepticism. The veterinary profession was having a difficult time accepting the fact that alternative medicine may have a place among our arsenal of drugs and surgical procedures.

We have a large mixed animal practice in northwest New Mexico and we see many animals suffering from arthritis, fractures and the ravenges of old age. Would the average client be open to trying a radically different form of treatment on their beloved pets? The answer was a resounding "yes!". People were excited to try a new form of treatment that may increase the quality of their animals life. They were especially thrilled to know that a lack of response seemed to be the worst that could happen. To date, we have not documented any side effects with the use of EVA. Animals on trial have ranged from 6 months old to 19 years of age, both canine and feline. Breeds range from Chihuahua to Newfoundlands. Conditions treated have been various bone, ligament and tendon conditions, and other conditions related to aging.

The effects of EVA on Chip were remarkable. After a period of time he moved with much greater ease and could go up and down the stairs again. His appetite and coat improved and his quality of life improved greatly. Chip was the first of many animals I have watched respond favorably to EVA.

Case Studies:

POGO
Pogo was a male miniature dachshund with a variety of problems. He was 13 years old with a chronic, arthritic back and failing kidneys. Pogo had been on a variety of medications throughout his life and had been given the best of care by his owner. In March of 1998 on a cold, blustery day, Pogo's owner came into the hospital on the verge of tears. Her own health was failing and she came in to discuss putting Pogo to sleep. We talked about his conditions and the medications he was on, it was clear that his prognosis was not good.

"I can't stand seeing him suffer like this, he can barely get out of his bed, he often drags his hind leg and it is very difficult for me to take him outside and he won't even eat his favorite foods." I listened quietly to a scenario much too familiar to veterinarians who take care of companion animals. Because a pet's life span is so much shorter than ours we have to go through the pain of watching it age and die. Often, in the case of elderly clients, their pets are their best friends and faithful companions. I asked Pogo's owner if she would let us examine Pogo and consider trying a new treatment on him. She was reluctant at first thinking it would prolong Pogo's misery, but with tears streaming down her face, she decided she would try one more time. I explained Velvet Antler to her, told her about its properties, told her it was all natural and we knew of no serious side effects, I told her the worst thing that could happen was the Pogo would just not respond.

Upon examination Pogo was found to be thin and to experience pain upon palpation of his back and hips. His temperature, pulse and respiration were within normal ranges. Radiographs showed progressive bony changes in his vertebrae and hips and calcification of some of his lumbar intervertebral discs. His blood work showed elevated kidney and liver function tests. All in all, Pogo looked very much like many of the geriatric pets we see in our hospital on a regular basis. I suggested that we take Pogo off all his other medications and started him on 600 mg. EVA daily for 2 weeks. He was placed on a highly digestible kidney diet and given free choice bottled water. He was to be seen in two weeks for re-evaluation.

Eight days after Pogo was started on EVA I heard a loud commotion in the lobby. Standing at the desk was Pogo's beaming owner. "Doctor!" she exclaimed, "You have to look at Pogo. I can't believe what I am seeing!" She opened the door to the lobby and Pogo came flying in at a dead run! He hopped up on the bench and began barking out the window. I stared in utter amazement at this transformed little animal. A week ago he was ready to die and now he was wagging his tail furiously and acting like a puppy again.

Much to Pogo's owners and my delight, Pogo continued to improve and his EVA dosage was reduced to 300 mg. daily. His appetite returned to normal, his hair coat regained the luster it had lost, his mobility was greatly improved and his temperament was like the Pogo of old. Pogo's owner passed away in the spring of 1999 and Pogo died a short time later; the passing of both was difficult on our staff. Pogo's quality of life was extended for a full year and I am sure that they are both in a better place and Pogo is barking and wagging his tail.

ABIGAIL
Abigail is a 3 year old basset hound. She is in excellent physical condition and belongs to a young lady who is a student at New Mexico State University. Abby was brought into our hospital in January of 1999 and upon examination was found to have an extremely painful left hind leg. The leg was non-weight-bearing and Abby snapped if you touched it. The owner said they were out for a walk and Abby took of chasing a rabbit. She heard Abby cry out and the dog came back to her carrying her leg. Abby was sedated and radiographs were taken. No fractures were noted and upon palpation it was found that the patella, or kneecap, was dislocated medially and the anterior cruciate ligament was stretched and torn.

As the injury was discussed with the owner it became apparent that the young lady was not financially able to proceed with the recommended treatment; surgery to repair the ligaments and secure the patella to prevent future dislocation. Few options were available. The owner elected to treat Abby by manual replacement of the patella followed by a pressure wrap and velvet antler. Abby was started on 900 mg. EVA daily for 2 weeks, then the dosage would be adjusted downward to 600 mg. daily.

Since Abby was a college dog and lived many miles from our hospital, we did not get to see her for over 6 weeks. Upon re-examination Abby had excellent mobility in her rear legs with only a slight change of gait of the injured limb. Her knee felt very stable upon palpation and her temperament was as carefree as it had been before her injury. The owner reported that she had observed noticeable improvement in Abby's condition within 10 days and that within 3 weeks she was no longer limping and appeared to be completely pain free. Abby continues to take EVA daily and eats the capsules like a treat.

This is a situation where money dictated the course of treatment. Offering an alternative solution to problems is not only necessary at times, but greatly appreciated by the pet's owner. Being trained in conventional medicine makes it difficult at times to consider alternative, but the results we have observed makes it apparent that alternative therapy may be as good or better than conventional treatments in some cases.

Abby's owner comments, "I am convinced velvet antler healed Abby's leg and I have recommended it to many of my friends. The problem is, people can not find it or veterinarians that are familiar with its use."

MAC
Mac is an 8 year old slightly overweight Labrador. He has been a patient of mine since he was 10 weeks old. Mac, like many Labs, suffers from a degenerative condition of his hips known as dysplasia. Dysplasia is a congenital defect in the hip joints. Due to indiscriminate breeding, the ball often does not fit snugly in the socket creating abnormal wear and causing calcium deposits to build up as the body tries to repair the damage. The result is a painful life-long abnormality of the joints. Treatment of this condition is often palliative and anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers are most often prescribed.

Recent use of compounds to increase joint fluids or lubricants and repair cartilage damage have been found to be effective in slowing down the progression of this disease. These compounds, chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine sulfate, are found in velvet antler. It is our opinion that the synergistic effect of these compounds and other healing factors found in velvet antler are much more effective than any other of the compounds by themselves.

For several years Mac has experienced abnormal gait and pain due to dysplasia, especially after prolonged exercise such as hunting or playing ball. He was radiographically diagnosed with Grade II Dysplasia and has been on various treatments for several years. Use of velvet antler was explained to Mac's owner in early 1998 and the owner elected to try the product. "I want Mac to enjoy the things he was bred to do and that is a very active lifestyle. I am not comfortable with the pain medication and all of its side effects. If this stuff works and it is not harmful to him, I am all for it".

Mac was started on 900 mg. EVA daily for two weeks, then 600 mg. daily. He has remained pain free since starting on EVA and his owner is extremely satisfied with the results. He states, "I did not notice an immediate response to EVA. Eventually I just noticed that Mac was not limping anymore and that he did not "sore up" after hard exercise. I can also tell when I forget to give him his pills because he gets sore again. This is great stuff and I recommend it to anyone who loves their dog."

TOBY
Toby is a healthy young boxer in the prime of his life. He had a painful degenerative condition of his elbow and was in excruciating pain. We had tried pain injections with steroids and several anti-inflammatory drugs including Adequan. The response was always temporary and the pain would return in a short time with a vengeance. I explained to Toby's owner the possible surgical exploration of the joint and removal of as much diseased tissue as was possible. I also told her that I did not feel comfortable with the surgery and would like to refer her to an orthopedic specialist in Albuquerque to do the procedure should she elect that course of action.

"Doctor, I will absolutely not consider sending Toby to anyone else. You have been his doctor since he was a puppy and I want you to do the surgery." Toby's owner had lost her husband a few years earlier and Toby was her best friend and companion. All of her family lived far away and Toby was all she had. I was very uncomfortable doing the surgery but consented to attempt it. I explained the difficulty of the procedure and informed her that the results could be questionable. Major tendons and muscles have to be excised and sutured to allow access to the joint and proper aftercare and physical therapy are critical. She was unimpressed with my attempt to talk myself out of the surgery and we scheduled it to be done in two weeks.

I put Toby on 600 mg. velvet antler hoping to develop a blood level by the time we performed the procedure. The surgery was very difficult but we were able to remove several pieces of diseased cartilage and bone and flush and clean the joint. I called Toby's owner when the surgery was over and she said that she and her daughters had been praying during the entire surgery. I thanked her for the spiritual help and gave her a guarded prognosis. Toby was quite swollen for a few days post-op but did not appear to be in severe pain. We kept a pressure wrap on his leg for a few days and he began using his leg 2 days after surgery. A week later we removed the bandages and sutures and Toby was using his leg with only a slight limp.

Three weeks later Toby was running on his leg with hardly any limp and appeared to be in no discomfort. His appetite was good and he was in fine spirits. Toby has continued to take EVA daily at a 300 mg. dose and made a complete recovery. I am convinced that elk velvet accelerated the healing of the joint and speeded the recovery time after a very invasive surgery. We have observed increased healing in many surgical procedures and certainly feel that velvet antler has a positive application prior to and following bone and joint surgery.

TASHA
"Boy do I have one for you" one of my associates told me one morning during rounds. "What is it?" I asked. "It is a major knee injury in an aged Alaskan Husky. A severe medial patella luxation and probably damage to the medial collateral ligament". I work on a lot of knee cases and did not see this as too unusual so I asked, "What is so difficult about this?" and he replied, "Well, she is a 3-legged dog who had surgery on her other knee a couple of years ago and the owner has never been pleased with the outcome."

Cases such as this can be extremely difficult to manage. The owner was unhappy with the previous veterinary surgery, the dog had congenital bad knees, and the fact that she only had one front leg compounded the situation because of the increased demand on her hind legs. I knew the knee surgery would be difficult, and the increased work load on her other hind leg might re-injure it and totally immobilize the patient. I discussed the complexity of the case with the owner and she still elected to do the surgery.

I started Tasha on a pre-surgical dose of 600 mg. velvet antler for 2 weeks and then performed the procedure. The reconstructive surgery went very well and Tasha was kept in the hospital for a week. We did physical therapy twice a day and kept the operated leg wrapped for support. She was walking in 2 days and her appetite and spirits remained good. She was released after 1 week and gingerly walked out of the hospital, much to her owner's surprise and relief. She will remain on 600 mg. elk velvet indefinitely.

Once again, we feel that EVA increased healing and recovery time in Tasha's case. We feel that the use of velvet antler is definitely indicated in various bone and joint surgical cases both pre and post operatively.

These, and countless other case studies, have made it clear to me that velvet antler has a place on my shelf of treating a number of osteoarthritic and musculoskeletal conditions in animals. Not all animals respond, but then, an aspirin does not work on all headaches. Some conditions have a better chance of response than others and good case selection is critical to treatment success.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Contents of this web page are for th epurpose of information and education only. Information Contained herein should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a particular disorder or its symptoms.