ARTHRITIS! HOW TO Help Your Dog With Arthritis!
 

Found this on the i Love Dogs website! It is a good article about arthritis in dogs. I couldn't find an author's name for the article on the webpage but still think it is worth the read.

HOW TO Help Your Dog With Arthritis | Shop i Love Dogs

Dogs with arthritis are suffering from inflammation of the joints. The most common type of dog arthritis is osteoarthritis, where the cartilage that cushions joints wears down and bones rub against each other. The friction can damage the bones themselves.

Arthritis in dogs may not be apparent right away, since animals can’t complain about the pain. When a dog first gets arthritis, she may start avoiding activities she used to enjoy or become agitated when touched. She may get depressed, change eating habits or become grumpy.

These symptoms may also indicate other problems, such as certain cancers or cognitive dysfunction. For this reason, it’s important to have your dog examined by a veterinarian.

The veterinarian will test the dog to see what type of arthritis she has. Sometimes a bacterial infection inside a joint or an autoimmune disorder can cause arthritis. Hip or elbow dysplasia can cause arthritis but can be treated surgically.

Veterinarians stress that pet parents shouldn’t try to medicate their four-legged companions on their own. Human anti-inflammatory drugs and supplements can be dangerous to animals.

After diagnosis, veterinarians can determine the best course of treatment. It could be steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, operations, dietary supplements, acupuncture or massage.

Taylor Truitt, a veterinarian and certified veterinary acupuncturist, advises pet parents to feed their canine family members supplements of glucosamine and chondroitin, such as i Love Dogs Glucosamine & Chondroitin with Green Tea and Reishi. Chondroitin is found in cartilage, and the body produces glucosamine. Both can increase the sponginess and elasticity of cartilage which helps the dog’s mobility, Truitt said.

Arthritis can be treated but is permanent, and pet parents must take steps to help their furry companions cope, such as making alterations around the home to make it easier for the dog to move around.

You can also take the following steps to help your arthritic dog:

* Give your dog a padded surface in a warm, draft-free spot to cushion her joints where she sits and sleeps.

* Groom your dog regularly since she has lost her flexibility and can’t stretch as much to scratch

* Your dog might stumble on slippery floors. Make floors safer by applying a non-skid runner, available at most home improvement and hardware stores.

* Ramps will make it easier for your dog to get on the couch, porch, etc. and keep her from jumping. You can construct one from a sheet of heavy plywood lined with carpeting. Made sure both ends are completely secured and the angle isn’t too steep.

* Your dog may try to climb the stairs even though she’s stiff. Supervise her when she’s doing this to make sure she doesn’t fall and hurt himself.

* A homemade sling of thick durable fabric can help support the weight of a large dog as she moves. Slip the sling under her chest and hold one end in each hand. Pull the ends to help her stand and get her balance.

* Warmth can soothe a sore dog while she sleeps. Wrap a hot water bottle in towels and place it in your dog’s bed.

* An arthritic dog needs to avoid strenuous exercise that could damage her joints. But light exercise is good for strengthening muscles, maintaining weight, keeping ligaments and tendons flexible, and circulating blood to stiff joints. If your dog is reluctant to move, entice her with an incentive such as a treat-filled Kong toy. Make these easy workouts enjoyable with lots of affection and maybe a healthy treat afterward.

* A healthy diet and weight management are also important to dogs suffering from arthritis because extra pounds increase stress on joints.
Consult with your veterinarian to determine the best ways to make life more comfortable for your dog.

Click here to order i Love Dogs Glucosamine & Chondroitin with Green Tea and Reishi today.

Thanks! :D
I need this for Rosco. He has some arthritis and his favorite spots to lay is in the snow or the cold tile floor:(

He must be hot-natured! My son's dog is really big and he's always looking for cool spots to lie down. Is Roscoe really stiff when he gets up after his cold nap? If not, his arthritis probably isn't too bad right now. How old is Roscoe?

Tibbe is going to be 6 August 30th. He shoes absolutely no signs of slowing down or avoiding any activities but one day he probably will, though Jilly was almost 13 before she showed any sign of age - and it was when her shoulder dislocated from just walking or jumping down her doggie steps! Until then, I really never noticed a single sign of age other than sleeping a little more and her coat might have gotten a bit thinner.

I wonder at what age a Yorkie will show arthritis that isn't related to an old injury or something?

He's 9 which is pretty old for a big dog:(
It is a little hard for him to get up or lay down, and his torn ligament doesn't help. We try to get him to lay on his bed but he doesn't like it. I'm sure he is hot with all his thick fur:)

9 is pretty old for a biggie. Poor guy - I'll bet you are right that he's hot-natured and wants to cool off. But you'd think it would make him stiff to lie for a long time in a cold place. Is he kind of stiff when he gets up? My late Yorkies that lived to 9 and 13 never did show any evidence of stiffness even though they both must have had some form of arthritis at those older ages, one would think.

He is pretty stiff when he gets up. It makes me sad because I can tell he wants to play and do lots of stuff but in the end it makes him worse:(

If he is stiff and not playing, the old guy is likely in pain, therefore too inactive and overweight - all bad for him and for his arthritic joints. I'd ask the vet about starting him on the glucosamine chondroitin and even Rimadyl. They can often help stop a lot of the inflammation, reduce swelling and stiffness and increase a dog's activity level. The covering of the end of the bones can inflame, swell and hurt and cause fluid to rush to the area to protect it, causing more swelling, stiffness and pain. Bone spurs can even develop from it, causing more inactivity and pain. The chemicals and other body processes from inflammation and disease process can eventually start to destroy the cartilage and underlying bone. Arthritis can be very destructive and painful. An anti-inflammatory medication can really help interrupt that inflammation and disease process as long as the dog is on the NSAID and he feels better, becomes more active, which in turn often gives better circulation and nutrition to the joints and he loses some weight. The less weight he carries, the less arthritic pain and accompanying joint destruction takes place.

Perhaps he lays in the cold because he is hurting really badly as I use ice when my hip or back hurt a lot, as well as his being hot-natured. I would encourage him to lie down on warm surfaces to help increase circulation and promote reduced swelling as the blood flow takes up the extra fluid and follow some of those steps in the i Love Dogs arthritis article for him. Maybe one of those cooling collars around his neck with the little ice pack can keep him cooler as he soothes his stiff parts on a warm surface. I hope Roscoe feels better soon and can get a little more active and leaner with less pain and stiffness on a good treatment regimen. :)

Placed copy in the Library - great article and thanks so much for taking the time to write this Jeanie! Btw, have I missed any of your other threads lately that should be in the Library?

Oh, Ann, I didn't write this as I mentioned at the beginning and sure didn't want to be flying under false colors in posting it. I looked and looked around that webpage and I couldn't find an author's name anywhere, which gives one pause when reading anything on the web - but still, it was from the i Love Dogs website and seemed very credible and consistent with current conventional wisdom on arthritis in dogs from other articles and books I've read. Since there isn't an author listed to check out and I didn't author it, you might not want it in the Library - though it still seems a very good article from a really neat website for current dog news and information and articles on subjects of all kinds related to canines. The link takes one right to the article and the website where the article appeared.

Here is a link to their homepage - a neat, neat site:

i Love Dogs is the source for important, up-to-the-minute dog news on dog breeds, dog care, dog training and expert vet advice. | ilovedogs.com - ...because we know how much you love your dog.

I haven't found any other good articles except this one lately but when I do, I usually like to share here with our members and readers as we can never get enough information to help our pooches!