Dog Arthritis and Understanding Your Dog’s Joint Pain

How To Care For This Painful Dog Health Problem

The first thing that you need to know about dog arthritis is the basic fact that it is a joint disease that can be classed into two main categories – degenerative and inflammatory.

A healthy dog’s bones are coated by a substance called synovial fluid. This gives the dog flexibility and mobility, especially when he is takes part in physical activities like running and playing. When arthritis sets in, this fluid is reduced, making joint damage much more likely.

Degenerative Joint Disease

The first type of dog arthritis — degenerative joint disease — is very similar to osteoarthritis in humans. This condition takes place when the bone sustains damages due to the destruction of cartilage. This can happen either because of injuries, or just because of simple old age.

Inflammatory Joint Disease

On the other hand, the second and rare form of dog arthritis — inflammatory joint disease — is normally triggered by infections due to bacteria, fungus or parasites. It can also be a hereditary disease passed on through generations.

So how would you know if your dog is starting to suffer from arthritis or joint pains?

Some of the most common signs you would want to look out for are swollen joints, lack of mobility, limping or difficulty in moving, licking at the joints and a considerable drop in energy levels.

Treatments For Dog Arthritis

Dog arthritis can come with a lot of pain and discomfort but fortunately, there are several treatment methods you can use to help your pet get relief from their dog joint pain. Among the most common remedies is the use of natural medications. These come in the form or oral medications or topical applications, and can be purchased in practically any veterinary supplies store in the country. You may also be able to purchase them straight from your vet’s clinic. You can of course purchase your dog health supplies online.

For faster results, you might want to consider giving your dog cortisone injections. Such dog arthritis treatments are only available with a vet’s prescription and should only be administered by a qualified individual.

When left untreated, dog arthritis can lead to many other dog health problems. This is why it is very important to get your pet treated as early as possible. For the more severe cases, surgery might even be required but this should only be considered as the very last resort.

Although dog arthritis is a very common problem among old dogs, especially the larger ones, you can still reduce your dog’s chances of sustaining this illness by making sure that he gets adequate exercise. A daily 15-minute walk in the park or just playing in the backyard every afternoon would be more than enough to strengthen your dog’s bones and keep him safe from arthritis and provide them with dog joint pain relief.