No, arthritis is not something that discriminates.
It affects not on people, at any age, but it also shows up in our friendly, furry friends as well.
If you have a dog as a family member in your home, then you need to be a responsible pet owner.
It is important that you make sure he or she gets plenty of attention, eats well and takes some heartworm medicine.
When your pet has a change in his/her activity or mood, you may think they have a stomach virus.
However, the truth is that they could have arthritis.
Arthritis is known for showing up in one in every five dogs in the United States.
Below, we are going to go over some symptoms as well as arthritis treatments for dogs.
Perhaps, before you start looking into treatment, you need to determine if your pup has this or not.
We all know that the dog is not able to open his/her mouth and tell us what is wrong, so we need to watch them as close as we possibly can.
Some signs include difficulty standing or sitting, sleeping more, favoring a limb, weight gain, hesitancy to jump or climb on the furniture, seems to have stiff joints that ache, decrease in activity and attitude changes.
If your four legged friends has any of the above symptoms for over two weeks, then it is important that you take them to the veterinarian and tell them the symptoms.
The veterinarian will look over your pet and see if they have arthritis, which will involve a physical exam.
They may even decide to take a couple of X-rays.
The vest thing for you to do is get the diagnosis and start treatment right away.
Treating arthritis in a canine is a bit like treating it in a human.
In order to help maintain proper weight in your canine, it is important that your pet has a healthy diet and an adequate amount of exercise.
You can speak with your veterinarian who will help you find the proper drug treatment that will help relieve the pain your canine is experiencing.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the most common type of pharmaceutical treatment for pets who are dealing with arthritis.
Over the counter treatments, such as food that contains either chondroitin sulphate, Omega fatty acids or glucosamine have shown to help relieve pain.
You can also get these in pill form in the pet aisle.
Asking the veterinarian to prescribe over the counter treatment and NSAID may help to decrease the disease progression and to decrease the pain.
You should never give your pup human medication, without asking the vet.
There are certain medications that may be great for you, but they are deadly to canines - like ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
Also, a safe dose is going to differ from a pit bull to a dachshund.
There are also some natural arthritis treatments for dogs, which you should look into.
In the end, speak with your veterinarian and see what they recommend to you, then do your own research on the matter.