Rheumatoid Arthritis in Dogs

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     For those of you who don抰 know what Rheumatoid Arthritis is, it抯 basically this immune mediated sort of disease? This usually happens when you have an overreaction in the immune system. When you have rheumatoid arthritis your body will think that some of its own protein is foreign protein. Hence these antibodies which are unique are also called rheumatoid factor. The protein as well as the antibodies together forms the immune complexes which are usually deposits in the joints. This leads to inflammation. In the cause of dog arthritis the joints get harmed. Sometimes the cartilage and in some cases the bone wears away.

These are various signs by which you can tell if you抮e if your dogs have arthritis or not. Usually the dog is lame but then this isn抰 the case always. Sometimes the joint pains can be mild whereas the other times it can be extremely severe as well. In some cases you will find that the dog is lame and this lameness is going to shift from leg to leg. In other cases the dog will suddenly be lame and will have fever and also an appetite loss.

Finally there are cases where the only sign you can see is that of stiffness. Once the lameness leaves sometimes the muscles become limb as well. Some of the dogs affected by canine arthritis can have their bodies affected along with the joints. There are some dogs that will have kidney disease, tonsillitis, pneumonia and enlarged lymph nodes along with the arthritis.

A lot of people ask if there are treatments or not for this? Well the answer is yes. Just like in humans lots of treatments have been tried out. The same goes for the dogs. But then the degree of success for each has been quite different. Sometimes steroid have been used to these canines on a daily basis. Also various medications which usually suppress the immune system which include azathioprine and also cyclophosphamide are even used in a few cases. In other cases dog injections have been used and it has resulted in a bit of success in curing canine arthritis.

You should also monitor your dog carefully on the immunosuppressive drugs. Due to these drugs you will find that your pets will be a lot more prone to developing various sorts of infections and sometimes they even have side effects which are toxic. A very essential thing for the dogs is strict rest, especially in the very early course. If you see that your dog is responding to the treatment then you can start a very gentle exercise program. It is extremely important o make sure that your dog exercises every single day and for the same time too.

Finally if your dog has dog arthritis then keeping a proper diet and a healthy weight is important. If your pet is overweight then you will find that its joint is getting stressed and since it is already injured it isn抰 a good thing. Also if your pet gains weight then it will be less active hence you need to monitor the diet.