dogs, arthritis

Question
I was reading up to see if my dog is suffering from arthritis because he was hit by a car as a baby, he is 7 now and is starting to feel pain when he bends down to eat and limping after long walks after he rests. I am getting him a bowl lifter. My questions are is walking him everyday still okay? And one of the symptoms on a website said loss of appetite was a common symptom, why? That seems unrelated. My dog hasn't lost appetite so far. But I am just wondering. Thank you for your time.

Answer
April,

Depending on what type of injury your dog incurred when he was hit by the car, his current signs may be completely unrelated.  Unless he had a very specific injury involving fractured hip joints, knee joints, etc it is unlikely that you are seeing effects of that now. Pain when bending down to eat could be from a herniated cervical disk. This is something that could be treated with medication when diagnosed. What limbs is he limping on? You may wish to have  him evaluated by your veterinarian as there are many other diseases that this could be besides arthritis.
In my experience, loss of appetite is not a common symptom in dogs with arthritis because most dogs can easily eat through the pain! More likely you will see lameness, exercise intolerance, reluctance to go up and down stairs or jump. But again, these signs can be seen with other joint and spinal cord diseases so it is best to have him evaluated.
Dr. G.