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Arthritis in Dogs

This is an infection of the joint resulting in inflammation, pain and swelling. This disease doesn’t discriminate on age. It affects both young and old dogs. Large dogs are more prone to this condition due to the weight they exert on the joints.

Types of arthritis

Arthritis is classified on two basis

- Number of joints affected

- Cause(aetiology)

Polyarthritis refers to arthritis where more than two joints are affected. In most cases the limb joints are mostly affected since they offer support thus pressure that is constantly exerted. The spinal cord is also a high risk area with the vertebrae under strain.

On basis of cause arthritis, may result from degenerative processes thus degenerative arthritis. The cause may also immune mediated where antibodies are formed against connective tissue. In this type of arthritis there is destruction of joint surfaces.

Symptoms of arthritis

These may be seen immediately or may take some time to develop. Signs of arthritis will worsen as the condition progresses leading to more severe symptoms.

As a general rule, any change in the dog’s behaviour may indicate illness. However there are some signs that are indicative of arthritis. These include

- Unusual gait: This may be manifested in several ways such as favouring a particular limb, holding one limb off the ground when standing, limping. You can check the gait by looking at the dog when walking.    

- Stiffness of limbs: After a period of rest, the dog may have some trouble getting up or may be unable to stretch a particular limb unaided.

- Pain: The dog may groan when touched or try to hide the limb away if you attempt to touch it. Other signs of pain include favouring some limbs in order to avoid using the affected one.    

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- Lameness

Reduced activity

Because of the pain associated with arthritis, a normally active dog may stop playing and refuse to move to avoid feeling pain.  

Since there are numerous conditions that may present with the same symptoms it is advised that you visit a vet to get a confirmatory diagnosis. This is done using x-ray.

Arthritis is incurable once it has set in. However this condition can be effectively managed using proper therapy. The therapy includes exercising your dog as well as use of pain killers(analgesics).

At home there are several precautions that must be followed to ensure that the condition doesn’t worsen. Arthritic pain is worse in cold seasons thus the dog should be provided with a warm blanket to reduce effects of cold.

Nutrition of arthritic dogs is also very important. Ensure that the dog doesn’t become overweight since this will complicate the condition further.

Some surgical solutions are also available. Surgery is a costly option but it has proven successful in restoring limb function in some dogs. Nevertheless it is not a cure.

In older dogs arthritis is mostly due to the degenerative effects of age. While the condition can still be managed some vets recommend euthanasia (mercy killing) to save the dog from untold pain.

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