Just like humans, pets suffer from arthritis too. As a matter of fact, it’s among the most common diseases that affect middle-aged and senior canines, even though younger pets can also be affected. The worst thing about arthritis is that it comes bearing excessive pain in the affected joints, making your pooch unable to enjoy his life the way he used to. To ensure your pet gets a good and healthy life, it’s important to stay on the lookout for unusual behaviors, characteristics, and be keen on how they conduct themselves. This is because while arthritis can be treated and cured if diagnosed early, it could be a life-long condition if not caught early. Noticing canine arthritis signs early enough can get your dog treated to get him back in good shape and get back his jovial, comfortable, and playful character. In this article, we’ll be looking at the early warning signs of canine arthritis, but before we get there, what is dog arthritis exactly?
Canine Arthritis Types and Treatments
There are two main types of dog arthritis. These include Osteoarthritis and inflammatory joint disease. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in certain joints wears gradually, leaving the joint bones to glide against each other, causing extreme pain. On the other hand, the joint inflammatory disease results from the destructive action of bacteria, fungal, and parasitic infections on the joint cartilage. It may also be caused by auto-immune responses due to certain genetic factors.
There is a wide range of treatment approaches for both types of arthritis. Upon diagnosis, your vet may recommend treatments like medication (such as NSAIDs), diet change, exercise, and dietary supplements. When it comes to supplements, CBD oils are a popular option as they’re particularly effective in reducing pain and inflammation, some dog owners actually swear by it. The pooch experts from K9 Kare say that using the best CBD oil for dogs with arthritis can be a game-changer and can add months or years to your dog’s lifespan. In addition to fighting pain and inflammation from arthritis, CBD oils for dogs also offer a plethora of other benefits. Some of these include treating anxiety and stress, seizures, chronic pain, inflammation, and digestive problems, just to name a few. Other rare but highly advanced treatments include acupuncture, stem cell therapy, hydrotherapy treadmill, laser therapy, and veterinary rehab.
This having been said, here are some early canine arthritis warning signs you want to be aware of.
1. Limping:
If your dog is limping, higher chances are that your dog is injured or there’s a problem with her joints. This could happen in one or more legs and the affected joints could be more than one. The limping tends to be more intense during cold days.
2. Pain Exclamation:
Pain is a common sign of arthritis. If you notice your dog crying or whining as she moves about, she could be talking to you about her pain. Get her some help as soon as possible if you notice her doing this more often, especially if this is combined with limping.
3. Difficulty Moving:
Now, most pets are often jovial, jumping up and down sniffing things and playing with toys. However, this is no longer the case when the dog catches arthritis. To try and minimize pain and discomfort in the joints, an arthritic dog will become more reluctant to activities they previously found easy and fun. The reduced movement could be an early arthritis warning sign.
4. The Legs Have Grown Thinner:
Arthritis is often associated with muscle atrophy. This refers to the drying off and thinning of muscle tissues, often from reduced activity. In dogs, the legs are affected most, so if your dog’s legs have suddenly grown thinner over the past few months, it could be an indicator he or she is arthritic
5. Easing Fatigue:
As they age, dogs tend to sleep a lot more. They become less interested in going out. However, if your pooch tires easily when doing normal activities such as his daily walk, the fatigability could be a sign of arthritis.
6. Increased Irritability:
Our canine friends are not as good as we are in managing pain. When in intense pain, dogs can become more irritable, to the point that they can snap angrily at you or others. Pain intensifies their cannibalistic side. Excessive irritability could be a natural response to arthritic pain in dogs.
As a pet owner, the last thing you want is to see your dog suffering in intense pain and there’s nothing much you can do about it. The thought of saying goodbye to her when a disease like arthritis claims her life is even more terrifying. The good thing is that arthritis is treatable and even curable if detected early enough. Hopefully, you’ll find the above tips helpful as far as arresting dog arthritis is concerned.