Hunting Dog News

Arthritis in Dogs

It is normal to pets to develop health problems during their lives and arthritis is one of them. Arthritis is a disease common to older dogs and large dog breeds. It is define as the inflammation of the joints characterized by swelling, stiffness and pain. It is important to understand the causes and the signs and symptoms of arthritis to be able to prevent, or if not, treat the ailment before it can harm your dog.  Understanding the nature and causes of arthritis will be easier for dog owners to detect the ailment and treat their dogs as early as possible if ever the ailment attacks their dogs.

There are many diseases that cause the inflammation of joints and some common causes of this ailment are genetic deformity of bone structure that creates a misalignment of joint structures, pain or infection to joint surfaces, ruptured supporting ligaments or tendons, poor nutrition, developmental disorders such as overweight during the growth process, and metabolic disorder. All of these causes will lead to joint inflammation that causes pain and discomfort to your dog resulting to dog that limp, reluctant to move in a normal manner and rest more frequently. Knowing the signs and symptoms of arthritis will give you a hint that it is time to bring your dog to the veterinarian.

Doctors say that prevention is better than cure. This saying always applies to the health of any animals as well as humans. Though arthritis cannot be prevented in aging dogs, prevention can still be applied to young ones. The common cause of arthritis to young dogs is overweight. Excess weight stress the joints causing them to inflame resulting to pain and discomfort to your dog. To avoid these, manage to maintain the weight of your dog to the recommended dog weight. Although this is a difficult task, it is worth your dog's life. Just feed your dog the right kind of food at the right amount and minimize treats.

Your dogs definitely do not talk, so you do not know what does he feels if you do not notice the changes in his actions. Usually, dogs experiencing arthritis will exhibit symptoms such as limping, difficulty sitting and standing, reluctant to do normal activities such as jumping, running or climbing up and down the stairs. Moreover, a dog with arthritis prefers to sleep more often, gains weight and feels pain every time you touch him or does not want to be touch. If these symptoms manifest in your dogs behavior for more than a week, take him to the veterinarian for evaluation and diagnosis of the disease for proper treatment as early as possible.

Diagnosing arthritis involves physical exam and possibly x-rays. If your veterinarian does not suggest surgery, painkillers, exercise, proper diet and rest can relieve arthritis.  However, never give your dog painkillers without asking first the advice of your veterinarian. Some painkillers maybe toxic to your dog and possibly risk his health. So better, ask his doctor before giving medications. Diet will also play a crucial role in the medication of your dog in maintaining his weight. Increase in weight will stress the joints and will possibly worsen the pain. Furthermore, give your dog plenty of rest and avoid giving painful exercise during the treatment period. Lastly, always follow every details of your veterinarian's advice for fast recovery of your dog.

Dogs with arthritis should be put under a veterinarians care. Only the veterinarian knows which treatment is best for your dog's fast recovery. Whatever approached applied to your arthritic dog, dog owners should always see to it that your dog gets plenty of sleep and proper exercise is administered. Have patience in the healing period of your dog. Always remember that recovering from arthritis takes time and you cannot do it overnight.