My Dog has Arthritis

One of the fears that any pet owner has is their beloved family member growing old. Often this can be as traumatic for you as if any other member of your family was getting too old for their "normal" activity. When this happens you might just find yourself saying "My dog has arthritis," and wondering what to do, just as if you were looking for yourself or another family member.

The first thing that a pet owner needs to realize is that their dog is going to age just like they do. Basically this means that just like when you get older and you start developing aches and pains, so does your dog. There is no real way to stop this from happening (either for you or your dog). However, just like there are some treatments that work on a human's arthritis, there are some that are going to work for your pet as well.

• Drugs. Just as there are medicines that can work on the symptoms and pain of arthritis in humans, there are similar (or even the same) drugs that can work for dogs that have arthritis. Prior to attempting any type of new drug regimen on your furry friend, you need to visit with your veterinarian. These trained professionals can help determine what type, and how advanced your dog's arthritis is.
• Activity. It would be reasonable to expect that there is going to be a change in activity level for anyone that has arthritis. And when your dog starts developing this as well. Do not try to force your dog to undergo too much activity as this can aggravate the pain, but at the same time you do not want your pet to become too sedentary either. You need to find that balance between the two extremes that allows for flexibility, but no increase in pain. Again, your veterinarian can help determine the exact level, but do not be afraid of conducting your own experiments.
• Surgery. Finally, just as it might become necessary in a human to undergo some type of surgery to help with arthritis, it might become necessary for your pet as well. This option is not going be cheap, nor is it going to eradicate the problem entirely. All that this option can reasonably be expected to do is to alleviate some of the most severe pain.