Osteoarthritis In Canines: Is There A Cure And What Are The Treatments?

What do a clicking sound, reluctance to rise up or lay down, and shyness from walking down the street indicate in your dog? Dog arthritis and osteoarthritis is its most common form.

Osteoarthritis is the degeneration or deterioration of the cartilage in between your dog's bone joints and this is a permanent disease. When the cartilage becomes too thin to act as a buffer between the bones, it causes extreme pain in the joints that could really make your dog uncomfortable for your dog to make any sudden movement or change in position.

Some leading causes of osteoarthritis are limb injuries, abnormal development of the bones, being overweight or obese, and breed or genetics. Any of these things can cause osteoarthritis in your dogs. So what are its symptoms? Osteoarthritis can manifest itself in your dog through the following signs: stiffness, difficulty in getting up or lying down, painful walking, swelling in the joints, a clicking sound when he is walking, refusing to climb up the stairs, whimpering, lack of interest in physical activity, and using a specific pair of limbs most of the time.

Some owners have tried different types of treatment for this disease. It may not heal the disease totally but it does reduce the pain and inflammation caused by this disease. Prescription drugs that contain chrondroitin and glucosamine have been proved to greatly reduce the inflammation of joints. Some have tried chiropractic sessions for their dogs and also the ancient Chinese medicinal practice of acupuncture. Others tried dietary plans such as all-natural foods, foods rich in chrondroitin and glucosamine, and lessening the food intake of their dogs.

For immediate relief from osteoarthritis you may apply some warm towel or a hot-bottle wrapped in towel to the aching joint. To minimize the amount of pain that your dog experiences when doing day-to-day activities you may consider doing any of the following: 1) use ramps instead of stairs to help him climb up higher places 2) keep his place warm especially during cold weather 3) elevate his feeding tray to relieve any pain in his neck or shoulders. The general preventive cure however, would be to keep him on a regular physical exercise to prevent any further damage in his joints.

So these are the things that you need to know about osteoarthritis in your dog. Once your dog develops this disease, he will not be able to recover from it so you should be careful about your dog's health. All that you need to do is to keep him on a well-balanced diet with lots of physical exercise and activity.

Steve Weber offers more info on his web site, Cactus Canyon, for helping canine owners who are dealing with the effects of dog arthritis. Steve's site offers natural and safe glucosmaine products, such as Flexicose for pets, for treating the joint disease.