Does Your Dog Have Canine Arthritis?

Almost all dogs will develop canine arthritis in
their later years of life. Larger breed dogs
have more of a problem with the disease then do
smaller dogs since their added weight creates
more stress on the joints. There is no cure for
dog arthritis available today. Let's examine
here the question as to whether or not your dog
may have the disease and how you should treat
it.

Although it is impossible for pet owners to
diagnose the disease themselves, there are
typical signs which oftentimes indicates the
presence of canine arthritis. One of the
earliest indications the disease may be
progressing in the older animal is when he or
she begins limping on a regular basis. This
limping often occurs after a long walk or
vigorous exercise. Of course all animals, just
like people, may suffer from temporary sprains
and pulls during exercise, what is important is
to notice when this event happens on a regular
basis. If you notice limping in your older dog
on a regular basis it's probably time to take
him or her to a veterinarian for a full checkup.

Another indication of the onset of
osteoarthritis is when your dog either has
difficulty or becomes slower in lying down or
rising up from those positions. Also at that
time, dogs afflicted with the disease, may give
out small groans and grunts while moving into
those positions.

Once a veterinarian diagnoses that the disease
is present in the animal, he or she will offer a
variety of treatment alternatives to help deal
with the disease. In the past, many doctors
suggested using prescription medications in
order to minimize the pain associated with the
dog arthritis. Although these prescribed drugs
work very well to all but eliminate the pain
associated with osteoarthritis, they had
oftentimes very severe side effects. In fact,
there have been many reports of deaths due to
these prescription medicines. One veterinarian
recently was quoted as saying that if these
drugs were used for humans, they would be banned
because they are so dangerous and cause such a
high percentage of serious side effects and
deaths.

The veterinarian will also suggest the dog lose
weight if he or she is not at their proper
weight. When dogs carry too many extra pounds,
it causes undue stress on the already weakened
and diseased joints which in turn causes the
animal more pain. Although it may be difficult
to put the older dog on a diet, being slim is
vital for his or her overall health and in
dealing with the canine arthritis disease.

Canine arthritis may be a fact of life for
almost all animals, but when properly dealt
with, pets can have many more quality years of
life even with the disease.

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