If your dog is showing signs of osteoarthritis, then you must be very concerned and wondering what you can do to provide your dog with an excellent quality of life despite the joint disease. I’ve asked myself this question before. My dog has arthritis and has had it for over a year. Our lives may have changed, but we haven’t lost anything in terms of quality of life.
How to recognize arthrosis in dogs
First, you should know what kind of disease arthrosis is and whether it can be cured. For your peace of mind: Osteoarthritis does not affect the life expectancy of your dog, nor is osteoarthritis one of those diseases where you have to expect the worst. However, osteoarthritis cannot be cured.
Arthrosis is a degenerative joint disease, in the course of which articular cartilage regresses or is even completely destroyed. Joint wear and tear take place, which results in an inevitable change in the affected joints and articular cartilage.
The causes that lead to osteoarthritis in dogs can be very diverse. In principle, neither age nor race play a role. However, larger dog breeds are more prone to osteoarthritis than small dogs.
Typical causes of osteoarthritis in dogs are:
- Overweight due to improper feeding
- Unhealthy stress on the joints
- Old injuries such as sprains or a torn ligament
- Infectious diseases, e.g. B. Lyme disease or arthritis
- genetic joint diseases e.g. B. Hip dysplasia
You can only determine whether your furry friend is suffering from arthrosis or another disease if you observe your four-legged friend intensively over a longer period of time. If your dog has joint problems, it will drastically reduce its innate joy of movement. You will notice that your darling gets tired much faster and is looking for a lot of rest.
Dogs with osteoarthritis sometimes appear stiff after long periods of rest and, depending on the affected joint, often drag their hind legs behind them. It was the same with my dog. It took her about 10 minutes before she could walk properly again.
Some dogs rest the affected joint, which in turn can cause pain and stiffness in other joints. These are all symptoms that lead you to suspect that your dog may be suffering from osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis in dogs can only be clearly diagnosed by a veterinarian using a special diagnostic procedure.
How is osteoarthritis treated in dogs and what can you do for your dog
If your dog has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, there are a number of measures you can take to make life easier for your furry friend with the chronic disease. Your veterinarian will definitely recommend an appropriate treatment or therapy.
However, there are small things you can do for your dog right now to quickly relieve pain from an affected joint.
Movement
In any case, you should ensure healthy and regular exercise. Movement is in the nature of every dog and is extremely important for a happy dog life. However, if a dog has osteoarthritis, it is very restricted in its movements. Now you should be careful not to overwhelm your four-legged friend.
Jumping in cars and jumping in general or climbing stairs puts too much strain on joints and cartilage and leads to further pain as a result. This type of stress must therefore be taboo for you from now on.
Swimming, for example, is healthy for all dogs. When swimming, the dog’s joints are not stressed and the muscles are strengthened at the same time. If your fur nose is not a water rat, you can also go jogging together. Running evenly loosens the joints and also builds muscles.
Physiotherapy also ensures healthy exercise. Therapists specially trained for dogs will show you how you can give your dog healthy exercise.
Feeding
Another point for a good quality of life despite arthrosis is the weight of your dog. Make sure your darling is not too fat. If he or she is already overweight, you need to lose weight. Pay attention to the food you give your dog and control the feeding.
Proteins and carbohydrates are part of a balanced diet for humans. With the dog it is different. Of course, dogs also need all three components to stay healthy. However, a dog’s intestinal tract is not designed to digest many carbohydrates.
So choose a food that contains few carbohydrates (e.g. in the form of grain) and slowly get your furry friend used to it. Then you both have taken the first step to a “healthy weight”.
The second step to staying slim or losing weight is healthy and regular light exercise.
Dietary supplements are also ideal for helping your darling quickly. Green-lipped mussel powder contains chondroitin sulfate, a substance that plays an important role as a component of cartilage and synovial fluid. Synovial fluid lubricates joints and cartilage and keeps them elastic. In osteoarthritis, the fluid loses its oily consistency and can no longer adequately supply joints and cartilage. In addition, the shell and the flesh of the green-lipped mussel contain important omega 3 fatty acids, which are also said to have a positive effect on bones and joints.
Another option is powder from devil’s claw, which is not only suitable for indigestion and loss of appetite, but is also said to have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect on joint pain.
Other treatment options for osteoarthritis can include:
- The administration of homeopathic globules
- Warm, moist compresses or cold compresses on the affected joints
- Massages against muscle breakdown, which stimulate blood circulation
Treatment with medication
Last but not least, there is still the possibility of giving medication for the pain and treating your darling with a suitable therapy at the same time. In any case, you should note that the administration of medication can cause unpleasant side effects. That’s why I recommend that you only start medication therapy if the alternative options, and especially weight reduction, have not been successful.
Last but not least
If your dog has arthrosis, then you now know that the disease is not dangerous, but that you also have to do something so that your furry friend can lead a happy dog life. Only if arthrosis is left untreated in a dog can it get so bad that a stiffening of the joint would even be necessary. You are doing everything right if you pay attention to your dog’s signals and typical symptoms. If you also know the most common causes that can lead to osteoarthritis in dogs, then you also know that you can do a lot with light exercise, a healthy diet and sensible dietary supplements.
