Is Your Dog Limping?

Is your dog limping and you are wondering why?
This is a common occurrence for pet owners. If
your canine is active to almost any degree, he
or she will usually have times when a leg or
ankle is twisted a bit and begins limping.

Of course if they are outside dogs, they may
also have a sticker or thorn in their toe.
Always check for these well if you see your dog
limping. One time, and this is funny, we had a
big Irish Setter who came up limping on a walk.
It turned out he had an acorn stuck between his
toes! I don't know why he didn't just dig it out
with this mouth, but he continued walking on it
until we removed it.

But in this article we will detail a reason for
dog limping that is most common in older dogs.
And that reason is arthritis. All dogs will get
this joint disease to some degree as they age.
The disease is just the same in humans and is
caused by the degeneration of joint cartilage
tissues which then cause the bones to rub
together. This then is a painful situation for
the dog.

Small dogs have less of a problem with arthritis
and usually limp less than larger dogs. Many
times you will see older dogs limping after
vigorous exercise. In most cases you will first
see older dogs begin limping on their front
legs. Although hip arthritis is very common
also, it usually is displayed earlier in a dogs'
life. If this becomes a common sight, it's is
time to take them to the vet for a checkup. Tell
the doctor that you suspect it may be arthritis.

If the vet agrees that the limping is caused by
the onset of canine arthritis, he will discuss
with you the alternatives for treating the
disease. First and foremost is the issue of the
dog's weight. It is absolutely important that
the dog not be carrying any extra weight. These
added pounds aggravate the joint condition and
will cause the dog more pain and to limp even
more.

Next on the list of important things to consider
when a dog is limping from arthritis is that he
or she gets the right amount of exercise. If the
dog gets too much exercise, it will simply worsen
the joint condition and cause more problems. If
he gets too little, the muscles will not support
the joints well and this too will cause more pain
for the dog.

Next, the doctor will probably talk about giving
your canine a joint supplement for his limping
such as glucosamine. This product is made not to
cure or stop the pain, but to actually help the
body rebuild the joint cartilage that has been
damaged by the disease. In many cases, after
several months of using glucosamine, the dog
limping is all but gone.

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Check out our Cactus Canyon website for
additional information about treating joint pain
using all-natural supplements like glucosamine
for dogs. Our products are particularly
effective for safely managing arthritis joint
disease. http://www.cactuscanyon.com

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