arthritis

Question
QUESTION: my pbp has been limping on her back foot lately. i called her vet yesterday, and he says it sounds like the beginnings of arthritis. she turned 3 in december. he says it does happen that early, and as early as 2. any suggestions on how to help her. he said glucosimien, i know i spelled wrong. is there anything else you know of. i thought about maybe putting a wrap on it for support. like a self stick ace bandage. and i know too much pain reliever can make her body immune to it. thanks so much.

ANSWER: Unfortunately, arthritis is very common in pot-bellied pigs. The two biggest causes are obesity and genetics. Little can be done about genetics, but obese pigs can loose weight and that always helps. Jumping off furniture and navigating difficult steps and stairs can also contribute to arthritis.

If you have only spoken to your vet on the phone, I suggest taking a very close look at the problem foot, leg, and hip. Make sure there are no cuts, bruises, or swelling. How does piggy react when you gently massage the hip? A painful hip can cause a bad limp.

The best way to tell if a pig is too fat or thin is by looking at it. Ribs and hip bones should not be visible, but piggy should not have a "double butt" either. There's examples here http://www.farec.org/sizing.htm.

Nutrition can play a role in some forms of arthritis. There's dozens of home remedies, and every remedy has fans who insist it works. Glucosamine and Chondroitin nutritional supplements are the current home remedy of choice. Most people use one of the supplements made for horses, available from Jeffers http://www.jeffersequine.com/joints/camid/EQU/cc/2353/c2c/sc/or or Valley Vet Supply http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_sub_category.html?cguid=37559650-E37A-4D62-85F6-F9DD

Other natural remedies include sea cucumber, fenugeek, calcium supplements, garlic tablets, fish or cod liver oil, and alfalfa.

MSM, or Methylsulfonylmethane, also called DMSO is a remedy that first became popular in the 1970s as a topical (applied to skin) treatment. DMSO was also used as an industrial solvent, and soon fell out of favor. Lately, it's returned, often in nutritional supplements.

Another remedy is copper, people often wear copper jewelry like bracelets. Pigs normally don't wear a lot of bracelets, so people use real copper bowls for piggy's drinking water.

If piggy climbs on furniture, provide a step or ramp up. Drs Foster & Smith and other pet suppliers make pet steps designed especially for this purpose.

If piggy must go up or down stairs, buy or build a ramp. Again you can purchase one from a pet supplier, many of the commercial ramps are lightweight, portable and fold up. Or you can make your own from a few boards and supports and non-slip covering on the walking surface.

Non-slip is another important factor. Slippery surfaces can cause dislocated hips and contribute to arthritis. Provide rugs or non-slip mats for piggy to walk on when piggy must step on slippery floors.

The only solution may be pain relievers or NSAIDs. Unfortunately, both of these can cause tummy upset and other chronic problems, especially if taken long term. A three year old piggy could easily live another 15 years, so that has to be considered.

Many people use baby aspirin, the usual dose is 325 mg per 75 lb of pig. Be sure to weigh your pig, or use the measure to weight formula http://www.pigpalssanctuary.com/health/size_weight.htm when calculating dosage.

Rimadyl is the NSAID of choice for animals, but requires a prescription. Some grocery stores are now offering to fill pet prescriptions at human prices, so that can help keep cost under control, but the side effects, which can include bleeding ulcers, must be considered.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you so much for the information. i am going to print this and make sure i have it handy to look at. i have not checked her hip. we did put pressure on her foot and she did nothing. but when she gets up she doesnt want to put any weight on her foot. she holds it up. but once in it for a little bit, she starts walking better. does that sound like anything other that arthiritis am going to take a video of it, the way she does when she first gets up, so he can see what she is doing. we did buy her some liquid Glucosamine and Chondroitin, it said see results in 7 days. i will start some of the other vitamins too. i have cried alot since this is happening. i baby like she is my child, and i love her that way. i worry so bad about what will happen if it goes to other feet later on. what will i do then? anyway thanks again.

Answer
Taking video is a good idea, a picture is worth a thousand words. Pigs are prone to degenerative hip conditions which can also appear as stiffness that goes away after being up and around a bit. X-rays can reveal a lot, but they also require putting the pig under, because piggy must be placed in an uncomfortable position in order to get a good shot of the hip.