Health Pages
Illness
Vaccination
Poison
Fleas
Ticks
Mites
Worms
Flies
Ears
Eyes
Teeth
Feet
Bathing
Misc

Arthritis

The rule with osteoarthritis is that exercise is good, but too much is bad. The reason for this is that exercise stimulates the normal growth and maintenance of the cartilage. If an arthritic dog is kept confined for long periods, the degenerative changes which are occurring within the joint are accelerated.

In the morning the dog has just had a long rest, with minimal use of the joint, so the joint is in pain. 
As the dog gets moving, and early on during exercise, the lameness disappears. The dog has warmed up, This shows how light exercise improves joint health.

Pain killers are the mainstay treatment for osteoarthritis, It is very important that you do not give any pain killer to an animal without veterinary advice first, they could kill him ! When all other therapies have failed, it is occasionally possible to relieve osteoarthritis surgically. Ideally, replacing the joint with an artificial one should be performed.

The other main surgery performed on osteoarthritic joints is called arthrodesis.
This refers to the permanent fusion of the bones which make up the joint. It involves cutting away the cartilage covering the end of each bone, and then joining the bone ends by means of metal plates, screws or pins. The result is a joint which has no movement.