AUTHOR: Dr Kevin Cruickshank
Successful arthritis treatment can do wonders for a dog’s quality
of life. Frequently the signs are simply ascribed to “old
age” and only once your dog is on treatment do you
realise how much arthritis pain was affecting them.
General stiffness, slow to get up or lie down, and slowing or dragging on walks are key signs. Arthritic dogs battle on stairs and often can no longer jump up into the car.
Best results are achieved with a combination of treatments. There are 3 major areas - Weight Loss, Controlled Exercise and Medications. Carrying excess weight makes it harder to cope, burdens the painful joints and accelerates the damage. Don’t simply try reducing what you feed – consider a specialised weight loss diet. With controlled calories and special added ingredients such as L-Carnitine and Lysine, you’ll be amazed with the results and your dog won’t be constantly hungry.
Exercising within your dogs abilities is crucial. Calculate your walks to end BEFORE the point where your dog starts to lag behind. As they improve they’ll cope with longer distances. Little and often is key. Aim to exercise daily – it’s a case of use it or loose it. Deep water swimming is an excellent exercise - it takes the weight off painful joints.
Anti-inflammatory medications will make a radical improvement. We can help you select the best brand for your dog. This is often based on the form they come in, as well as your budget. Common forms are syrup added to food, chewable tablets as well as traditional capsules or tablets.
Anti-inflammatories work both as direct pain killers, as well as by stopping the inflammation of arthritis itself – hence they actually treat the problem rather than just masking the symptoms. Additionally we can improve
the lubrication in joints, help control inflammation and change
the course of the disease with Pentosan injections. Once initiated,
some dogs may only need an injection once every 3 months.
Glucosamine is a fantastic supplement that helps control arthritis. Glucosamine works by keeping cartilage, the shock absorber of joints, healthy. It comes in many forms and it is best to look for a product that also contains Chondroitin, as well as ingredients such as MSN and Vitamin C. We prefer to use products that DO NOT come from Shark Cartilage. Green Lipped Muscle Extract is also useful. It’s a natural anti-inflammatory, and mostly comes in a powder form. Fortunately there are now several excellent Joint Diets available that include many of these supplements. Sensibly they also focus on preventing obesity. And of course the little things help too. Keep them warm in the cooler weather and provide soft, non-slip bedding.
So through a combination of weight control, tailored exercise, special joint diet and anti-inflammatories, your dog can enjoy a new lease on life and win back their mobility. Don’t let them struggle any longer – book in for an Arthritis Check today if you have any concerns about your pet's mobility.
"Where Pets Are Family" !
WEBSITE: www.goldcoastvet.com.au
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