Canine Arthritis
Could Your Dog Have Arthritis?
Arthritis in dogs is a very common condition in our older dogs and in fact studies show that 1 in 5 dogs will develop arthritis. Arthritis is inflammation within the joint, which is a slowly progressive disease.
Our goal is to diagnose arthritis as early as possible to
1. Help slow the progression of the arthritis and
2. Keep you dog free of the chronic pain that is associated with arthritis.
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Three important things one must remember as you watch your dog to see if he/she may have arthritis:
- Remember that arthritis is a progressive disease so changes occur slowly overtime which means that the changes often are missed early on as they slowly become the new norm.
- Just like in people your dog will have good and bad days which means until the arthritis is in an advance stage you may not see the behaviour change daily.
- The following behavioural changes can all be seen with arthritis but (a) no one dog will have all the changes seen on the list and (b) some of the behavioural changes can be seen with other conditions not just arthritis.

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Here is your “My Dog Could Have Arthrits” check list….
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What To Do?
We are staring to find companies are developing newer helpful products for our dogs to help them with this common aging problem.
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Options include:
- Diets and joint supplements
- Weight loss (10% body weight loss in our overweight pats can give as much relief as medication and has the added benefit of over all health improvement AND is cheaper than medications)
- Environmental changes – throw carpets for slippery floor, yoga mats in front of food bowls to make it easier to stand to eat
- Omega 3 FA
- Cartrophen injections to help maintain the cartilage
- Laser therapy
- Medications
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If you are seeing these signs, or have concerns, call 604-854-2313 or email us at FVAH@live.ca and we will help you with your dog’s comfort.
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