What is ArthritisOsteoarthritisand more about it
Arthritis, or osteoarthritis, is a chronic and progressive joint disease that commonly affects dogs. This degenerative condition makes dogs lose their joint cartilage, leading to other changes in their bones and causing pain, inflammation and difficulty using the affected limb.
Arthritis is not just a disease that occurs in senior dogs and can develop at any age, especially in dogs with contributing factors, such as obesity or other orthopedic conditions.
While there is no cure for arthritis, there are several strategies for slowing its progression, managing mobility and minimizing pain.
Many factors contribute to the development of arthritis. Often there is more than one cause, but in some cases, there may also be no obvious underlying cause. Several orthopedic diseases may lead to the development of arthritis by causing repetitive injury to the joint cartilage, including hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patella luxation, cranial cruciate ligament damage, previous fractures, repetitive high-impact activities and more.
Obesity contributes significantly to the development of arthritis due to the added force placed on joints. Fat cells also produce inflammatory mediators, which worsens the progression of arthritis.
Outcome
Arthritis causes progressive damage to affected joints, and the prognosis varies depending on the underlying cause and severity. While there is no cure for arthritis, there are several ways to manage pain and delay its progression, allowing many dogs to live comfortably with a multimodal approach to treatment.
The earlier arthritis is diagnosed and managed before the severe progression of arthritis, the better the long-term outcome.
Now that we know more about arthritis we can the best for our dogs to make sure they:
Plenty of exercise,
Sufficient muscle building to protect bones,
Pay attention to the weight (no over weight),
These preventions can be done with a few times a week on the Happy Doggy Treadmill.