Arthritis in Dogs | Jacqui Patersons

Arthritis in Dogs

17 December 2009
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Arthritis

Arthritis literally means inflammation of the joints. It is extremely common in dogs. As with humans it tends to affect them as they get older (over 8 years) and is often caused by simple wear and tear on the joint. The joints most commonly affected are the hips, the stifles (knees), the shoulders and the elbows. Initially the surface of the joint becomes inflamed and this causes pain. In an effort to stop the pain the animal reduces the movement in the joint and the body itself deposits bone around the joint causing deformity and limiting movement.

Signs of Arthritis

If just one joint is affected your dog will limp especially first thing on a morning. However, often the same joint on the other leg is affected so there is no obvious limp (both legs are equally sore). Many people simply think the animal is slowing down because of age and don’t realise that it is in pain (dogs don’t whinge and moan like us, they just get on with it). You may notice they have difficulty getting upstairs, jumping into the car or onto the sofa (not that we let our dogs sit on the sofa of course). With time the muscles become weaker and this puts more strain on the joint itself causing further inflammation and pain.

How do I know if my dog is in pain?

You don’t! Dogs are much braver than we are: this doesn’t mean they don’t suffer they just do so in silence. A vet can manipulate the joints and with experience will know if the dog resists the movement and if there is any swelling in the joint. X-rays will show severe arthritis but are seldom necessary to make a diagnosis except in unusual cases. If the dog is not keen on examination then trial therapy with an anti-inflammatory for 7-10 days will often show an improvement.

If necessary your dog can take these for life. We can choose whether or not we want to take tablets for pain relief a dog can’t – it is not humane to let your dog suffer just because you don’t like taking tablets.

Side effects of modern NSAIDs are rare.

The most common one is an upset stomach. This may be going off their food, diarrhoea or vomiting. If any of these signs occur whilst your dog is on the medication STOP THE DRUG and tell your vet – often it isn’t related to the medicine and once the problem has settled the medicine can be restarted. Occasionally these drugs will also cause gastric ulcers (just like aspirin in humans) and very rarely more serious things like kidney failure but these are very, very rare. If one type of antinflammatory doesn’t work then another may well suit an individual better.

NEVER GIVE YOUR DOG HUMAN PAINKILLERS UNLESS DIRECTED BY YOUR VET. SOME OF THESE ARE HIGHLY TOXIC OR NEED TOTALLY DIFFERENT DOSES.

What Can You Do To Help Your Dog?

Weight

Make sure your dog is slim. If your dog is overweight then this will contribute to the degree of arthritis suffered. Unfortunately by the time the dog is suffering from arthritis it will struggle to exercise and therefore weight loss can only be achieved by very strict dieting. The pay back for feeling rotten about depriving your pet of food is that it will be healthier, happier and live longer. It may even get to a stage where it no longer needs medication.

(For those of you with a sense of humour – check out RSPCA – Simon’s Sister’s Dog ‘Fed Up’ on YouTube to illustrate this point!)

Physiotherapy

This can be as simple as encouraging your dog to go for walks or as technical hydrotherapy and specialist veterinary physiotherapy. Physiotherapy helps build up the muscles that support the joint, taking the pressure off the joint. It will help to maintain and improve muscle bulk and joint range of movement and reduce pain. Canine physiotherapy is used widely to aid in the rehabilitation process and is becoming rapidly recognised in the prevention and cure of many canine conditions. Hydrotherapy allows your dog to exercise without putting strain on the joints so muscle is built and fat is lost. Make sure you choose a hydrotherapy pool where there are flotation aids and the operator understands the needs of your pet. The additional benefits are that it will also help your pet to lose weight.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture may help certain individuals but it can only be performed by a vet. It has been used in China for many hundreds of years and the traditional terms are at odds with conventional science. However modern science does agree that it works (it’s just the explanation of the mechanism that is different). It is particularly good for muscle and back pain (I can personally vouch for that). It involves placing needles in various parts of the body and although the needles look scary most dogs are very relaxed and happy about it. In our own surgery Renata has done considerable extra study on the techniques and is always happy to advise if your particular pet is likely to benefit.

Copper or magnetic collars – neither of these are proven to work but they do no harm! Some individuals do appear to benefit from them.

Oils

Cod liver oil and oil of evening primrose oil do reduce (slightly) inflammation of the joints. Some animals will respond better than others. Again, they do no harm and are certainly more cost effective than some other remedies (everything’s expensive if it doesn’t work!). A child’s dose of codliver oil is enough for an average sized dog, but scale it down if your pet is small otherwise you’ll appreciate its laxative effect! Oil of evening primrose is more expensive but your local chemist or Holland and Barrett can advise you on the cheaper brands. The active ingredient is GLA (gamma linoleic acid) and to be effective you need 105mg per 10kgs of bodyweight. This is very good for dogs with allergic skin disease also. Both of these need to be taken for continuously to have any effect.

Chrondroitin/Glucosamine

Proven to help regenerate cartilage, so in some individuals this helps.

Glucosamine hydrochlorate (HCI) is meant to be better than the sulphate. The sulphate is more likely to make your dog excessively thirsty. Again, this will not do any harm but it possibly does not represent value for money.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Most arthritis will be osteoarthritis as discussed above. Rheumatoid arthritis is much less common. It is an auto-immune disease: that is the body’s own defences begin to attack itself – in this case , the joints. It can affect any age of dog, even puppies. Any joint can be affected but often the small joints in the toes are the most noticeable. Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis often requires corticosteroids (steroids). These damp down the body’s attack on itself by suppressing the immune system. They have no direct pain relief but inducing the inflammation will reduce the pain. They do have side- effects, such as increased thirst and appetite and their use needs to be monitored carefully.

Treatment

Arthritis cannot be cured, only alleviated. The aim is to stop or reduce the pain and inflammation, allowing better movement and use of the joint and associated muscles. The number one treatment is NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). These reduce the inflammation and therefore reduce the pain. They are not simply pain killers. They require several days/weeks to fully control the pain (although they will have some effect immediately). Their effects will also linger for several days after stopping the treatment. There are several drugs available, all are prescription only and you vet will prescribe what is most appropriate for your pet. Your vet will also advise you on whether short term, long term or permanent medication may be needed. Often the inflammation is cyclical and your dog will have good times and bad.

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