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How Does Assisi Loop Therapy Benefit Senior Dogs? An Interview with Dog Owners

From daily nature walks to trips to the park, we treasure the routines we’ve created with our dogs. Routines provide great bonding opportunities and ensure our pups get the exercise and mental stimulation they need. However, as our dogs age, adjustments are often necessary to accommodate their changing physical abilities. As pet owners, we are in the best position to notice signs of aging and create a care plan that helps our senior dogs age comfortably. In this article, we’ll share stories of senior dogs like Pickles, Maggie, and Pebbles and how Assisi Loop Therapy has played a key role in managing pain and improving their quality of life.

Miss Pickles’ Journey with Assisi Loop Therapy

For some dogs, the effects of aging are accelerated by lifestyle factors. This was the case for Miss Pickles, a 10 ½-year-old pug who developed early-onset arthritis. Her owner, Margaret, noticed signs of arthritis when Miss Pickles became stiff at night—one of the common signs of discomfort in senior dogs. When looking for ways to ease her pain, Miss Pickles’ veterinarian recommended the Assisi Loop®, a targeted Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (tPEMF™) therapy device that helps reduce pain and inflammation without drugs.

“It was so easy to use,” Margaret happily reports. “After four months of Assisi Loop Therapy, Miss Pickles is less stiff!” Not only is the Assisi Loop drug-free, but it’s also non-invasive and side-effect free, making it the perfect intervention for senior pets. It’s also portable, allowing senior pets to reduce pain and inflammation from the comfort of home. Margaret adds, “It makes me feel so much better. We’re being proactive with her comfort without the use of any pharmaceutical medications.”

How Assisi Loop Therapy Improved Maggie’s Quality of Life

Maggie, a 14-year-old Bichon Poodle mix, was an active dog, regularly hiking with her owner, Nicole. However, Nicole, a Fear Free certified dog trainer, began noticing signs of aging in Maggie—longer recovery times, stiffness after walks, and increased sleep. As a senior dog with joint inflammation, Maggie’s body was slower to heal. Nicole turned to Assisi Loop Therapy for senior dog joint pain and saw immediate benefits.

“Getting her used to the Assisi Loop Lounge pad was easy,” Nicole recalls. “My dogs love their Assisi Loop Lounge, and Maggie climbed right on. She didn’t even know anything was different.” After six months of use, Nicole noticed faster recovery times after busy days and relief when Maggie felt sore or off. “A quick session with Assisi Loop Therapy greatly helps,” she explains. Nicole loves the Loop’s portability and versatility. “Sometimes I put the pad on her dog bed or on the bed with me and cover it with her favorite blanket. She can relax and recover at the same time. A pet that is pain-free and happy is my goal, and I’m so happy Assisi helps us reach that.”

Pebbles’ Journey with Senior Dog Dementia and Pain Management

Pebbles, a 15½-year-old Maltese, remained active and playful well into her senior years. However, her owner Brandi noticed subtle signs of aging, including stiffness and symptoms of Canine Cognitive Disorder (CCD), also known as dog dementia. Along with these mental challenges, Pebbles also dealt with separation anxiety and physical discomfort.

“A couple of years ago, we were introduced to Calmer Canine to help with some of Pebbles’ separation anxiety issues,” Brandi recalls. “At the time, it was exactly what we needed, and it not only helped Pebbles but Bruiser & Jax, as well.” The Calmer Canine Anxiety Treatment System™, which utilizes similar tPEMF technology as the Assisi Loop, helps canine anxiety by reducing inflammation in the emotional center of the brain.

With her anxiety under control, Brandi turned to the Assisi Loop for senior dog inflammation to address Pebbles’ stiffness and pain. “It was super easy to just lay the Loop on top of her while she rested at my feet,” Brandi says. “Pebbles is less stiff and more active, ready for the next adventure! I would most definitely recommend the Assisi Loop as a treatment for inflammation and discomfort in senior pets. We never leave home without it!”

Why Assisi Loop Therapy is Ideal for Senior Dog Care

As dogs age, they face various physical and cognitive challenges, including arthritis, joint pain, and dementia. Assisi Loop Therapy is an effective, drug-free solution to manage these conditions, offering the following benefits:

  • Reduces pain and inflammation associated with aging, arthritis, and joint issues.
  • Non-invasive and side-effect free, making it a safe option for senior dogs.
  • Portable and easy to use at home, reducing the stress of frequent vet visits.

With proven success in improving mobility, reducing pain, and enhancing recovery times, the Assisi Loop is a must-have for owners of senior pets looking to improve their dogs’ quality of life.

IG FEED – ZOM – 2024-07-12T163633.268

Assisi Loop Therapy Heals a Mamba Snake

On an October day in 2017, the staff at Florida’s Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens noticed that Vera, a 20-year-old West African green mamba snake, had swelling about a third of the way down her body. The team took her in for exploratory surgery, fitting her with a face mask and sedating her for the exam.  

Discovering Vera's Tumor: A Challenging Case

During Vera’s exam, doctors discovered a large adenocarcinoma, a type of tumor that typically forms in glandular structures of organs, on her liver. The mass was too adhered to remove completely, so doctors “de-bulked” it, removing as much volume as they could before closing the incision. This type of procedure is painful and, as a result, doctors administered several medications: Meloxicam and a fentanyl patch (for pain), ceftiofur crystalline free acid and Ceftazidime (antibiotics), and the non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory Assisi Loop® device. 

Post-Surgery Treatment: Adapting Assisi Loop Therapy for a Venomous Snake

Related to the infamous and beautiful East African black mamba, green mamba snakes are generally considered to be more timid—but only slightly less venomous. Naturally, this made Vera’s recovery journey a bit more complicated than it would be for a companion animal patient. “Due to safety factors, the Loop was prescribed once weekly for five treatments,” the Jacksonville Zoo staff told Zomedica. Indeed, it seems that the less handling of a wild and venomous snake, the better. “For the first two weeks, the Loop was placed under Vera’s enclosure while she was resting. The sequential three treatments were performed while she was being fed in her enclosure.” Since metal lessens the treatment field’s effectiveness of the Assisi Loop, the enclosure through which Vera was treated was plastic or glass, sometimes with a layer of newspaper. The targeted Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (tPEMF) technology passes through these kinds of barriers to effectively treat soft tissue.

Zoo Staff Reflects on the Benefits of Assisi Loop Therapy

While the zoo staff administered significantly fewer treatments than the Loop is recommended for when treating domestic pets (for post-surgical healing, treating the site 3-4 times daily for 15 minutes is standard protocol for Assisi Loop therapy), they believed that the therapy was still beneficial to Vera’s surgical site as part of a multi-pronged approach to healing. “The surgical site healed well and without discharge or dehiscence,” they told Zomedica. “The treatment with the Loop was part of a multimodal approach to analgesia and post-surgical wound therapy. This non-invasive technique provided an additional means of caring for the surgical site and may have provided additional pain relief while assisting with wound healing. Therefore, we would value the opportunity to use the Loop as part of our routine treatment protocol.” 

Zomedica's Commitment to Helping All Animals

Zomedica takes great pride in the relief the Assisi Loop can provide for animals with painful surgical sites –from companion animals to venomous snakes and beyond. We’re so grateful to the Jacksonville Zoo for its documentation of this unique case. 

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