We can all agree that our pet friends are much more active than we are. Remember from the very beginning their joints took pounding, from jumping off the back deck to running after balls during a young age.
That may lead to joint issues for some dogs when they reach elderly age, and the most common joint problems include osteoarthritis and ACL tears among other things. We can differentiate two common issues when it comes to dog joints: degenerative and developmental ones.
Remember that developmental problems can lead to diseases such as elbow dysplasia or hip dysplasia, in which joints do not develop properly. On the other hand, degenerative issues may cover a wide array of issues and areas.
Check here and you will learn more about ACL issues that may happen to your favorite pet.
However, the most common cause for arthritis in dogs is ligament issues, in which ligament is degenerating over time and that leads to mobility issues and finally osteoarthritis.
Signs Of Joint Issues
In most cases, people tend to notice that their dogs are not running as before, and having difficulties with common activities and situations. At the same time, the dog will have issues getting up on the couch a well as getting inside the SUV or up the stairs.
If you have more athletic dogs, they will not be able to run as they were before, or they will have a lack of enjoyment and energy when you take them to the park.
From this particular point, it tends to progress and it includes lameness, holding the limbs in awkward positions, and when it reaches this particular point you will be able to see it, but it also means that the problem became more severe than before.
Are Some Breeds More Prone To Joint Issues?
Have in mind that if you have a dog with increased weight and size, it is much more likely that it will develop some signs of joint issues. At the same time, both degenerative and developmental problems happen more to bigger than smaller dogs in general.
However, for a specific situation, you should know that these are breed-specific issues as well. For instance, Rottweiler’s tend to have more ankle and knee issues, while Newfoundland’s have prevalence for cruciate ligament injuries and diseases much more than other breeds.
Finally, a common issue for Bernese Mountain dogs is elbow dysplasia, but it can happen do other breeds as well. Stay with us to learn more about best joint meds for dogs in further article.
What About Treatments?
The veterinary medicine has improved over the years, which brought us to a point in which diagnostics are much more accurate as well as health care. People tend to pay more attention to their pets and seek care as soon as they notice that something is happening.
This is a common signal for breeders because they are doing it for sake of other things as well, and with an idea to reduce common traits that are happening to specific breeds.
Therefore, we have to say that the treatments vary based on the severity of conditions, but we can say that you can choose non-operative and surgical treatments. Surgical treatments can range from arthroscopic cleaning of joints as well as replacement of it in severe cases.
On the other hand, for mild cases, owners have to implement weight and body management to preserve and minimize the effects of a disease. It is vital to understand and calculate the ideal weight of a dog based on the breed with an idea to reduce stress on joints.
That will also help you reduce the inflammation because an excessive amount of fat is one of the reasons for releasing inflammation toxins that will speed up the degenerative processes.
At the same time, it is important to strengthen the dogs without causing them to create further issues. Therefore, building muscle function and mass is crucial for helping joints along the way and improving overall functions.
The market is filled with a wide array of food additives, medications, foods and other remedies in form of pain relievers, analgesics, and anti-inflammatory that will protect your dog and reduce the symptoms during the process of strength building.
Visit this guide: https://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Arthritis-in-Dogs and you will learn how to treat arthritis in dogs with ease.
Some companies are creating specific foods that are perfect for joint health and maintaining the arthritis symptoms.
At the same time, you can use supplements and additives in the form of fish oils that will decrease inflammation as well as glucosamine sulfate, which is another remedy that humans use as well.
