An estimated 2 million people suffer from the excruciatingly painful joint condition osteoarthritis. 5% of dogs under veterinary care. If a dog owner encourages exercise properly, it can offer a variety of advantages.
Pet owners frequently use natural remedies at home or natural plant extracts to treat joint pain in their animals. More importantly, canine owners should consider visiting a veterinarian regularly.
Arthritis pain results from inflamed and damaged joints. Dogs may become immobile and inactive as a result, which prevents them from wanting to walk or play. When this happens, one’s dog may suffer:
Veterinarians once recommended limiting physical activity for dogs with arthritis. They often prescribed “exercise restriction. ”.
However, recent research indicates that this strategy can eventually result in problems like stiff joints, muscle loss, and weight gain.
Studies show that activities for dogs like walking and aerobics may aid in weight loss and pain relief.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight Helps With Arthritis
The extra weight your dog is carrying puts additional strain on his already sore joints. Many symptoms of arthritis can be reduced through proper weight management through exercise and dietary changes.
When they first stand up, many arthritic dogs are particularly stiff. Start any exercise session with a quick, low-impact walk to get those joints moving. This will help. Once they’ve walked around for a minute or two, most dogs move around much more easily.
The majority of us try to pack as much activity as we can into our weekends while working during the week. However, those sudden bursts of activity when your dog is exercising can cause additional stress and injury. Instead of doing one intense workout on the weekend, try to maintain an exercise regimen that you can do every day (or every other day).
New Exercise Routines
Sudden bursts of activity can put a dog’s joints under additional strain and harm them further.
Instead of engaging in extreme workouts on the weekends, it is preferable for dog owners to maintain a daily program that they can stick with.
Early telltale signs your dog may have some arthritis
Dogs with arthritis experience swelling, pain, and inflammation in their joints due to the disease’s progressive degenerative nature. This can be debilitating to dogs if left untreated. But if we can spot the warning signs early on, we can take action to ensure that our pets live long, happy, healthy, and pain-free lives.
Naturally, our pets will slow down as they get older, but this could also be because of joint pain. Early signs of arthritis may include difficulty rising from a lying position, hesitation to get up from bed or jump onto the couch. These behaviors call for a checkup with the veterinarian or an animal physiologist. If your dog has actual lameness on one or more limbs, a visit to the vet is imperative.
If your dog has ever undergone joint surgery for a condition like cruciate disease, medial patella luxation, hip or elbow dysplasia, shoulder instability, or OCD, the likelihood of these joints developing arthritis as the dog ages is extremely high.
If your dog was extremely active when they were younger, running far or sprinting alongside other dogs in the off-leash park, they are also excellent candidates for developing arthritis earlier in life.
FAQ
How often should I walk my arthritic dog?
The ASPCA recommends daily walks for arthritic dogs. More flexible joints are advantageous for your pet’s health and help keep your dog at a healthy weight. Weight gain places additional strain on the joints, making it even more painful for your pet to move around.
Should you walk your dog if they have arthritis?
Arthritic dogs will benefit from controlled exercise. Better than an hour of running around after a ball or with another dog are leisurely regular lead walks.
How can I strengthen my dogs back legs with arthritis?
Dogs with hip or back leg arthritis can benefit from ascending hills because it exercises their hindquarters. The gluteals and hamstring group of muscles are tense and extended as the dog walks uphill to provide propulsion. These muscles support the hip joint.
Should dogs with arthritis avoid stairs?
Yes, stairs are bad for dogs with arthritis. This is because climbing stairs could put stress on body parts that already experience pain when they move, particularly the joints in their limbs. Stairs are another potential accident hazard that is made more real by the arthritic dog’s uncontrolled movements.