Arthritis Pain in Dogs: Know the Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Joints within the body provide flexible motion for your dog enabling them to carry out wide ranges of movement. Synovial fluid helps to lubricate the joints. Arthritis can occur from injury, degenerative or inflammatory disease. In degenerative arthritis, cartilage within the joints has been worn away from injury, over exercise or normal wear and tear associated with the aging process. As cartilage aids the mobility between joints, degradation of cartilage can result in bones becoming exposed leading to inflammation andarthritis pain in dogs as well as decreased mobility. It can therefore impact the overall quality of your pet's life. Symptoms are seen as changes in your dog's mobility, such as lameness, reluctance to be touched, difficulty climbing stairs, stiffness, irritability, loss of appetite, lethargy and changes in personality such as irritability or aggression. They may also lick or bite the affected area.

Arthritis can be the result of Hip Dysplasia, a malformation of the hip socket, which leads to ligaments in the joints becoming loose and abnormal development of the joints. Degenerative joint disease can also be caused by loose kneecaps (patella luxation) OCD (osteochondritis dissecans), trauma or ruptured cruciate ligaments. Inflammatory joint disease includes immune related disease such as rheumatoid arthritis (a result of the immune system attacking the joints) or infections such as ticks, bacteria or fungal infection as in Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Certain bone cancers may also cause arthritis pain in dogs.

When the specific cause of arthritis is known, it is called Secondary Degenerative Joints Disease. Arthritis resulting from normal wear and tear or with no known specific cause is known as Primary Degenerative Joint Disease. It is important to consult with your veterinarian to determine the cause of arthritis pain in dogs, as infectious joint disease and immune related joint diseases require different treatments. For example, your veterinarian may prescribe immune suppressive drugs, cancer treatment or request surgery in cases of advanced hip dysplasia.

More commonly, your veterinarian may prescribe anti inflammatory drugs such as Rimadyl or Adequen and pain relievers. However, these are often associated with side effects and many drug interactions. They also do not cure arthritis and long term use of these may even worsen the condition as they may prove harmful to cartilage. For this reason, many pet owners turn to natural supplements for both short term and long term use. These may contain joint specific ingredients such as glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM and can often be used in conjunction with NSAIDS and may reduce the need for long term use of these medications. Changes to your dog's diet, exercise regime and the use of mobility aids such as harnesses, ramps and orthopedic beds should be considered as a holistic approach for arthritis pain in dogs.