Dog Joint Problems: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Determining the cause of dog joint problems is important to ensure you follow the most appropriate treatment plan. Joint problems can be caused by degenerative disease such as arthritis, injury or post operative joint pain, crucial ligaments problems or localized infection. Luxating patella is a condition where the knee cap moves out of its normal location and can be diagnosed through physical examination y your veterinarian. Hip and elbow dysplasia are genetic disease where joints develop abnormally results in the ligaments within the joints becoming loose. If left untreated, this can progress to arthritis. Von Villebrand disease is a bleeding disorder resulting in bleeding in the joints, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder where your dog's immune system mistakenly attacks their own body's tissues including the joints. Younger dogs may suffer from panosteitis often called growing pains. Rarer causes include Lyme disease and forms of cancer.

Dog joint problems can be due to problems of the muscles, bones, tendons ligaments or nerves. In synovitis, the lining of the joints become thickened and inflamed. Symptoms may present as reddening of the area, swelling and pain. You may notice your dog's movements are stiff and they may have difficulty walking. Some joints may feel warmer to the touch. Anti inflammatory medications such as Advil, Motrin may be prescribed for inflammation within the joints as well as pain relievers. Cortisone injections such as Celestine are a synthetic cortisone steroid with powerful anti-inflammatory properties. In cases of synovitis, the inflamed synovium may be removed through a surgery called synovectomy. Similarly surgery may be suggested for advanced cases of hip dysplasia. Cancer or auto-immune drugs will be prescribed when joint pain is a result of these disorders.

Natural joint supplements are often used to avoid long term use of prescription medications which can be associated with many side effects. Dog joint supplements contain ingredients specifically involved in the support of cartilage health, combating inflammation pain and helping in the formation of new cartilage making them ideal for dog joint problems associated with arthritis. These ingredients are glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate and MSM and are often combined with comprehensive vitamins minerals and antioxidants for your dogs overall health. They are typically well tolerated in dogs and have fewer side effects as well as being available from a wide range of manufacturers and different formulas. This helps you to tailor treatment to meet your dogs specific health needs. Ensuring your dog follows a moderate low impact exercise regime is very important for joint help. Exercise not only helps to develop the muscles around the joints, providing joint support, but improves flexibility within joints as helps your dog maintain a healthy weight. As larger breed and overweight dogs are more prone to dog joint problems due to the extra stress additional weight places on the joints, diet and exercise is particularly important.