First Coast Pet

Posts Tagged ‘dog arthritis’

Dog Arthritis and its causes can be broken down into two main categories and two subcategories:

1.  Degenerative Joint Disease:

              Degenerative Joint Disease develops from acute or chronic trauma to a joint.

                                Acute Traumatic Arthritis – marked by a sudden injury or accident of some sort.Dog arthritis occurs when the injury disrupts the joint and causes an inflammatory response.  The degree of the injury will determine if the inflammation can be stopped before deterioration of the joint (degenerative joint disease) sets in.  

                                 Repeat trauma-induced arthritis – brought on by any repetitive stress on unstable joints.Poor conformation or hip dysplasia will create unstable joints or the activity itself, such as extreme sport, will lead to instability.A puppy with young, developing joints will sustain trauma to those joints if subjected to repetitive activity such as long jogs.Obesity puts excess stress on the joints over time.Unfortunately, extensive damage to the joint will occur before any visible signs of discomfort become apparant.This is true because cartilage does not contain any nerves.Pain sets in only after extensive damage has occurred to the cartilage. 

                Stress or trauma, whether it be acute or chronic, causes the joints to release large amounts of an enzyme that breaks down cartilage.  This is a normal enzyme that would normally maintain a balance of buildup and breakdown of cartilage,  however in the case of arthritis, the break down occurs too rapidly.

                Degenerative Joint Disease cannot be entirely reversed but it can be managed with weight control, exercise, and arthritis medicine for dogs.Natural pain relief in the form of nutritional supplements and homeopathic remedies are included in these medicines.  Glucosamine for dogs is a particularly popular and effective way to help manage the pain of dog arthritis.  The safety of glucosamine for dogs is also an important factor.

      2.   Inflammatory Joint Disease:

            Inflammatory Joint Disease is less common than degenerative joint disease and develops from either an infection or an autoimmune disorder causing inflammation in a joint.

                     Infective Arthritis – can occur if a joint becomes infected as a result of a wound, such as a bite or penetrating object.  The other possible route of infection is from the bloodstream.Your veterinarian will aggressively treat this with antibiotics and maybe even cleaning directly into the joint.

                     Autoimmune Arthritis – normally affects multiple joints.  Rheumatoid Arthritis is an example of an autoimmune arthritis.In an autoimmune disorder, the body does not recognize its own tissues but rather reacts as if it was a foreign substance.The cause of autoimmune arthritis is still unknown for dogs. 

             Inflammatory joint disease requires immediate attention from a veterinarian and medications available only from a veterinarian.

Canine Hip dysplasia is the single most common cause of primary arthritis in dogs. Here we will examine the condition of hip dysplasia and the process leading to arthritis.

The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint.Normal hip joints come together to make a smooth and snug fit between femur and pelvis.Dogs with hip dysplasia may have two different anatomical problems present.First, the ball and socket do not fit together snugly and second the ball or the socket are not shaped properly and smoothly. 

So why does this lead to arthritis?Hip dyplasia starts a cycle of destruction.The abnormal shape of the bones means that they will rub against each other, wear away the cartilage and produce inflammation.Inflammation causes further degradation of the cartilage.Cartilage regrowth may be too slow to stay ahead of cartilage damage.The rate of loss is faster than the rate of gain.The more damage caused to the protective cartilage the less able the joint is to protect itself therefore leading to even more damage.

How your dog developed  hip dysplasia has two possibilities.  It is  a genetic condition,  meaning a dog may be born with the problem.It is also possible that environmental conditions may contribute.  Injury or overexertion at a young age, while the joints are still developing.You wouldn’t want to take your three monthh old great dane on your daily jogs with you.  That repetitive motion on a young, forming joint is detrimental.

The symptoms of hip dysplasia all point to the reluctance to use the hip joint properly.Have you noticed that your dog is bunnyhopping instead of running or is reluctant to go up stairs or has even stopped jumping up to greet you.The unused muscles in the hip area may shrink or atrophy over time making the hip bones more prominent.

There is no cure for hip dysplasia.  The condition is controlled with weight control, proper exercise and arthritis medicine for dogs.  Medication can come in the form of nutritional supplements such as glucosamine for dogs or anti-inflammatory drugs obtained from your veterinarian.  In severe cases hip replacement surgery may be considered.

If you suspect arthritis you should talk to your vet right away so you can begin treatment as soon as possible.  With the proper management it is possible to slow down the arthritis and control the pain.Don’t forget arthritis can be caused by other factors.  You may notice symptoms of arthritis in your dog but it does not necessarily mean that it was caused by hip dysplasia.Arthritis may also be caused by an injury or even old age.  In any event, your arthritic dog may benefit greatly from supplementation to support the joints.

Arthritis affects not only people but also their dear pets as well especially pet dogs. Statistics say that in US about 25% of pets are affected by arthritis. As an owner for dog and lover, you should pay attention that your non-human friend is always in good mood, cheerful and that it eats well and healthy food. But if you do get a glimpse of changes in your dog’s state of physical activity and mind like having difficulty in sitting down, standing, or even finds it also difficult to climb stairs or if it gained weight or its attitude changed you should most likely that you need to pay your veterinarian a visit. You friend could have arthritis. Some owners who are emotionally attached to their pets have not second thoughts in bringing their beloved to the vet. The veterinarian will do an examination and an X-ray to your dog. And when everything is done, he can prescribed some over-the-counter medications for your dog. However, not all medications or dog arthritis treatment is best for the health of your pet. They can do wonders but they might have side-effects, too, just like medications for humans. That’s why, you can hear your vet saying that you have to make sure you give the right dosage or else…

Now, that is a very dreadful part. If you can’t manage to give your dog the right amount of medication it needs, it will be perilous for him. For some people, medications are not good for both humans and dogs alike that’s why, they would resort to other things and those other things can come in the form of a natural dog joint supplement and right now, there are virtual pet stores on the Internet that offer these kinds of herbal medications for dogs.

But the only problem is, because of so many choices, the owner of a dog with arthritis can have a hard time choosing for the best and of course, the safest product. That’s why, it’s always recommended that he should try to read first some product reviews and/or testimonies for other dog owners on what kind of arthritis dog supplement is best for their furry best friend.

Do you have a pet dog? Maybe, an older dog? Have you seen him limping around and he seems to have a hard time doing any activity like jumping, leaping or running? Is he not doing these things the way he’s doing it when he was still a young lad? Maybe your old holler has arthritis. Yes, dogs can suffer arthritis, too, just like you. When people beging to grow old, the pain of arthritis comes without warning. But although old age can also be the reason why dogs get arthritis, the first reason for this dog disease is because of the results of all those running and jumping around or maybe, at one time or another, he has experienced some kind of injuries which can lead to dog joint pain. In order to help your dog, he also needs some regular pet health exam. As part of his regular pet health exam, the vet will focus on the muscles and bones that will help your dog move. From the neck, the vet can assist by running his hand along the spine stopping at the base of the tail. There, he can feel the muscles on both sides of the spine and he might notice if any feel unusually firm or knotted. Pet dogs can get an assortment of dilemma that will lead to muscle paroxysm in their back muscles.

Your vet or maybe even you, can massage any tight muscles and take note of the area. A regular situation in hyperactive canines is to develop fusing of the spinal column. This can go about decreased and painful mobility, pinched vertebrae and back pain. Your dog will benefit from regular massage of the lower lumbar spinal muscles. Put both of your hands on either side of the spine and utilize deep circular digital pressure with both of your thumbs. Work on the affected area once daily for 5 minutes. You can learn this from your vet and if you want your dog to feel fast relief, you can go for a dog arthritist medication.

If you go looking for medications, there are several options that you can find, from your vet and even online. A variety of herbs are used at different times for dog arthritis. Devil’s Claw is used in customary African medicine and has scientific studies to back its claims of healing. You or your vet can give your dog 100mg or 10 drops per 10 lbs of body weight. Using acupressure is also one of the best ways to let your pet dog know how to deal with arthritis. Methylsulfonymethane or MSM is one type alternative, found in some plants like Horsetail. It works by reducing inflammation in the joints by acting as an antioxidant – this has been shown to work well in treating dog arthritis. The MSM dosage is 50mg per 10lbs of body weight and to be taken everyday.

These are just some of the treatments that might be used in your dog for his arthritis. However, for the best dog arthritis relief and in its purest, natural and safe form, you can go to this site called dog-arthritis-treatment.com by following one of the links above.

So, you think that only humans can be inflicted with this dreaded disease called arthritis, right? Wrong. Even your pet dog can suffer from arthritis and it’s a good thing if you know how to deal with it. But the only concern is, how were you able to learn more about your dog’s problem, the causes and of course, the best remedy for it? Before anything else, you need to remember that there are numerous sites today that offer the best dog arthritis treatment and you don’t even have to go to your vet to take care of your pet dog. You just need to sit in front of your laptop and you can find the best cures for your furry friend’s health problem.

If you have a large dog, the giant breed kind of dog like the English Mastiff, Doberman Pinscher, the Great Dane or the Border Collie, expect it to be suffering from dog arthritis one of these days. Unluckily, the truth is, you can’t really treat dog arthritis but you can do something about it. You can learn some pointers on how to make an old big dog’s life more comfortable and easy once he has arthritis. You can also find some arthritis dog supplement to make it less painful. Medicines for dogs like these can only help alleviate pain therefore help get rid of the ailment itself.

But the only problem is, where can you find a dog joint supplement? As what is always said, the best thing is to go through the Internet and shop for products like these. Yes, it’s true that the only person to approach in this kind of situation is your local vet. But not all vets are available 24 hours a day. What if your dog suddenly complains of tender joints in the middle of the night and you are dead worried how he wimps and yelps because of the pain. Would you prefer to wait till the morning light or would you rather go online and instantly find the best product for your dog’s predicament? If you care for your mutt that much, you should choose the second option and not wait for bad things to happen.