Arthritis, in dogs or in people, is a condition where the joints swell together. Arthritis in dogs is most common in the leg joints. This fairly common condition causes stiffness and pain whenever the afflicted joint moves.
The cause of arthritis in dogs, is that the layers of cartilage and joint fluid become damaged, providing less lubrication and cushioning between the bones. This means that the bones are making contact occasionally, which doesn’t happen in a healthy joint. Arthritis in dogs is rather painful, and tends to lead to unstable moods.
Breaking it Down – Arthritis in Dogs
Like with humans, arthritis in dogs is not just a problem for old age.
The more-common kind of arthritis is called osteoarthritis. This is usually brought on by old age, although over-working a joint, obesity, birth defects such as dysplasia, and injuries can also cause this form of arthritis in dogs. Osteoarthritis in dogs tends to affect the hips, knees, or spine more often than other joints.
Another kind of arthritis in dogs is infectious arthritis. In that case, some kind of infection occurs inside the joint. Infections cause swelling, which displaces the joint fluid and damages the connective tissues. Infectious arthritis in dogs can be caused by either an injury, which tends to affect only the nearest joint, or a disease, where the infection spreads through the blood to multiple joints.
A third kind of arthritis in dogs is referred to as “immune mediated arthritis.” If the dog’s immune system leaves a residue in the joint’s tissues, that residue can rub those tissues raw, causing arthritic symptoms. This variety has two types: rheumatoid arthritis (aka erosive arthritis) involves the release of enzymes which eat away both cartilage and bone; and non-erosive arthritis in dogs, which can lead to thick clots of mucous becoming lodged in the joint.
What Causes Arthritis in Dogs?
Osteoarthritis in dogs seems to be a physical condition, as described above; joints that are deformed or over-worked simply damage themselves over time. Breeds with a high risk of hip or elbow dysplasia, such as Labrador Retrievers, seem to have a related risk of osteoarthritis. Obesity in dogs will create a higher risk of osteoarthritis in any breed. Dogs who compete in agility sports too-actively, or even who climb stairs too often, are also at increased risk.
Infectious arthritis begins just as the name implies – with some infection, which travels to the joint either directly from an injury, or indirectly through the blood.
Immune-mediated arthritis is not so clear-cut. There may be genetic factors involved with rheumatoid (erosive) arthritis, since certain small and toy dog breeds such as Poodles are prone to it. Non-erosive arthritis may, or may not be brought on by specific kinds of illness.
Symptoms of Arthritis in Dogs
Dogs with any kind of arthritis will be noticeably less “fluid” in their motions, especially when they first get up. Limping is common if the arthritis only affects one joint. Being hesitant to go for walks, or seeming to need to “work up the strength” to jump up on the couch or bed when they know they’re allowed to, are also warning signs. A dog with arthritis may also flinch away from being touched on the affected leg.
If the arthritis is of the infectious type, those symptoms will be accompanied by painful swelling, fever, and general malaise. Lymph nodes near the affected joints will swell.
Immune-mediated arthritis in dogs also causes fever, plus loss of appetite and general lack of energy. Sometimes this form of arthritis will jump from leg to leg over time.
How to Prevent Arthritis in Dogs
Not all forms of arthritis can be prevented, at least not with current knowledge. Treat illnesses and injuries diligently and as early as possible, and hope for the best.
If a significant injury occurs or you find an infection after it’s advanced a bit, make sure you go to the vet and ask them about the risks of infectious arthritis. Antibiotics can take some of the load off the immune system, reducing the amount of natural antibodies that can get lodged into joints.
The risk of osteoarthritis in dogs can be greatly reduced through carefully breeding only dogs with perfect joint structures, through the best possible diet, and by avoiding or reversing obesity.
How to Treat Arthritis in Dogs
Here are a few of the treatments that deal with the specific kinds of arthritis in dogs:
- Antibiotics can sometimes fight off infectious arthritis.
- A surgical flushing of the joint can also wash-out infectious arthritis.
- Some immune-suppressive drugs can be effective at treating immune-mediated arthritis.
- Treating osteoarthritis depends on treating the causes. Changing the exercise regimen to be easier on the joints, reducing obesity, or correcting the deformed joint – it all depends on the specific cause of the dog’s arthritis.
And, in general, treating arthritis in dogs may involve:
- In most cases, pain relievers are important to fight off the mental health side-effects of arthritis in dogs. The common types of pain relievers prescribed for dogs, can have side effects that require blood testing, because the pain medication itself has been known to damage kidneys and stomachs.
- In some cases, there are injections that will assist the fluids and tissues of the joint to provide temporary relief of the dog’s arthritic symptoms.
- Physical therapy, massage, and even acupuncture will sometimes reduce the symptoms and help restore joint health, with or without other treatments.
- A supplement derived from cartilage itself, such as Consequin, is sometimes given to help restore joints to health.
- In the worst of cases of arthritis in dogs, the bone can be fused using a bone graft. The joint, after this surgery, is technically no longer a joint because it cannot bend – but the leg can still be used and the pain is gone.
For any dog with arthritis, make sure that his bed is soft, and kept in a warm place without drafty air currents. Make sure he never has to travel up or down stairs, and keep him away from slippery surfaces such as polished floors.
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