Dogs can get arthritis just like people. Often it occurs in dogs as they get older but certain breeds and specific joint problems can develop arthritis earlier in life. Arthritis can be very painful and reduces the quality of your dogs life.

 

What are the signs of arthritis?

The signs of arthritis may include some of the following

• Difficulty getting up after resting
• Difficulty going up stairs or jumping into the car
• Reluctance to walk or play
• Lagging behind on walks, preferring shorter walks to normal
• Limping and stiffness particularly after longer than normal exercise
• Stiffness and difficulty getting up more noticeable in cooler weather
• Licking affected joints
• Crying in pain when touched
• Personality change

How do we diagnose arthritis?

By examining your dog, we can often determine which joints are affected. To obtain a complete diagnosis we need to xray the affected joints, often this will require an anaesthetic as they need to lie perfectly still for us to obtain diagnostic xrays.

How do we treat it?

There are many ways of treating arthritis and the treatment will depend on the severity, the age of your dog and other factors. Arthritis cannot be cured (although surgeries such as hip replacements are now done more commonly) so we must do everything possible to ensure the best quality of life for your dog.

You can play a big role in the management of your dogs arthritis by doing the following things:

• Ensure your pet is not overweight as the more weight put on the joints the greater the pain and further damage that is caused (see our Weight Management page)
• Gentle regular exercise to help control weight, maintain muscle tone and keep the joints moving. Swimming is an excellent form of exercise, as is walking. Avoid ball chasing and similar jumping and twisting exercise.
• Provide warm soft bedding and ensure the bed is out of draughts.
• Minimise the amount of stairs your dog needs to use if possible.
• There are now special foods that are designed for dogs with arthritis, feeding these can help the health of the joints.

There are several different types of medications that can be used for arthritis. All medications have the potential to have side effects and in the case of arthritis which may require long term treatment we need to consider this carefully. We will often prescribe different medications at different stages of arthritis and life and may need to do blood tests before and during treatment with them.