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Posts Tagged ‘dog arthritis’

The most common cause of arthritis in dogs is hip dysplasia.  Let’s take a look at the condition of hip dysplasia and the process that leads to arthritis.

The hip joint is the same as the shoulder joint, a ball-and-socket joint.  In a normally developed hip joint the ball on the top of the femur (thigh bone) fits very snuggly and smoothly in the socket of the hip bone.  When a dog has hip dysplasia there are typically two different 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 dysplasia brings on a vicious cycle.Cartilage wears away as the abnormally shaped bones rub together and cause inflammation.  Inflammation further degrades the cartilage.  Cartilage regrowth is a slow process, often times too slow to keep up with the loss of cartilage.The rate of loss is faster than the rate of gain.   The more damaged the joint becomes the less able it is to protect itself so even more damage occurs.

There are two possibilities as to how your dog developed hip dysplasia.The dog is born with the condition, it is genetic.  There is also evidence that environmental conditions can play a role.In developing joints of a puppy, an injury or overexertion.You wouldn’t want to take your three monthh old great dane on your daily jogs with you.That repetitive force on a sensitive, developing joint is damaging.

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.  Over time the muscles in the hip and thigh area may atrophy or shrink causing the bones to appear to be sticking out.

Hip dysplasia cannot be cured.  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 you may be asked to consider hip replacement surgery.

If you suspect a problem talk with your veterinarian about the possibility of having x-rays done to diagnose the condition and 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.Even if the symptoms of arthritis fit your dog hip dysplasia is not necessarily the cause of your dogs arthritis.Old age and injuries also play a part in the development of arthritis.  In any event, your arthritic dog may benefit greatly from supplementation to support the joints.

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.An injury that disrupts the joints will cause inflammation that will then have the potential to lead to dog arthritis.Depending on the severity of the injury the inflammation may be stopped before deterioration begins.  

                                 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.Being overweight will subject the joints to excessive stress.In most cases you will not notice any signs of pain until it is too late, the damage is extensive.It is because cartilage does not have any nerves that this scenario occurs.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.Normally, this enzyme would be used to create a healthy balance of cartilage buildup and breakdown, however when arthritis sets in the breakdown occurs too fast.

                Degenerative Joint Disease cannot be entirely reversed but it can be managed with weight control, exercise, and arthritis medicine for dogs.Dog arthritis medicine can include nutritional supplements and homeopathic remedies.  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.It is also possible that an infection originated in the bloodstream.Your veterinarian will aggressively treat this with antibiotics and maybe even cleaning directly into the joint.

                     Autoimmune Arthritis – normally affects multiple joints.Autoimmune arthritis may be more familiar to you as rheumatoid arthritis.  An auto immune disorder means that the body does not recognize a certain tissue as its own and attacks it as if it were a foreign substance.In dogs, the cause of autoimmune arthritis remains unknown. 

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

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 a dog owner and lover, you should pay attention that your non-human friend is always in good mood, playful 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 difficulty sitting down, even standing up, or even finds it hard to climb stairs or if one has gained weight or its behavior changed you should probably 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 walking lamely anywhere and he seems to have a really hard time in doing any movement like jumping, leaping or running? Is he not doing these things the way he’s doing it when he was young? Maybe your old holler has arthritis. Yes, dogs can suffer arthritis, too, just like you. When humans start to grow older, the predicament 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 pet doctor will go centering on the muscles and bones that will aid your furry friend move. Starting at the neck, the vet can help by running his hand along the spine to the base of the tail. There, he can feel the muscles on both sides of the spine and he might feel if anything is rarely firm or knotted. Dogs can get an assortment of dilemma that will lead to muscle paroxysm especially in the muscles on their backs.

Your pet doctor or maybe even you, can press any tightened muscles and take note of the area. A common condition in active dogs is to develop fusing of the spine. This can lead to decreased mobility, pinched vertebrae and back pain. Your dog will gain advantage from regular rubbing gently of the lower lumbar spinal muscles. Place your hands on either side of the spine and use deep circular digital pressure with 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 are searching medications, there are many selectionsoptions that you can find, from your veterinarian and even in Cyberspace. A variety of herbs are used at different times for dog arthritis. Devil’s Claw is used in traditional African medicine and has scientific studies to back its effectiveness. You or your dog’s vet can give your hairy friend 100mg or 10 drops per 10 lbs of body weight. Utilizing Acupressure is also one of the best ways to let your dog how to overcome arthritis. Methylsulfonymethane or MSM is another supplement, found in some plants such as 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 dosage for MSM is 50mg per 10lbs of body weight daily.

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 experience from arthritis and it’s a good thing if you know how to deal with it. But the only problem is, how on earth can you learn more about dog arthritis, the symptoms and of course, the cures 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 PC and you can find the best remedies for your furry friend’s dilemma.

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. Sad to say, the truth is, you can’t actually treat arthritis in dogs 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. Medications like these can only aid get rid of pain and therefore help get rid of the ailment itself.

But the only problem is, where can you find a dog joint supplement? As what they say, the best thing is to go through Cyberspace 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 veterinarians are on hand 28 hours in one 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 pet that much, you should go for the latter choice and not wait for the baddest thing to happen to your dog.