Most of us recognize the signs of arthritis in dogs:  Difficulty standing, pulling forward to stand, difficulty sitting down, less activity.  Other subtle signs can appear, too:  weight shifting off the affected limb or limbs (like weight shifting forward to relieve hip/ knee pain), decreased energy, decreased appetite.  Your veterinarian’s keen eye and thorough orthopedic exam can often determine the location of arthritis pain.  Radiographs of the suspected joints can determine the severity of disease, especially when the clinical exam findings don’t exactly match the dog’s symptoms. (It is VERY common for pet owners and even veterinarians to assume dogs have hip arthritis when the problem is really in the knees or spine!– X-rays are the only way to know for sure!)

There are lots of treatment options available for dogs with osteoarthrtis pain, depending on the severity of disease and the dog’s tolerance for pain.  Many dogs show signs of severe degenerative joint disease, but seem relatively comfortable.  Other dogs show lameness before radiographic signs of disease are present.

Conservative measures start at home.  *Gentle Exercise to muscles limber, without over burdening the joints.  *Heat to help stiffness and *Cool packs to help swelling/ heat in a joint.  *Massage and manipulating the joint while the pet is resting help to improve circulation, range of motion and healing while reducing stiffness and pain.  *Swimming is a great form of exercise for arthritic patients.

Physical Therapy such as underwater treadmill, exercise sessions on balls and stairs are newer modalities being used to help dogs with arthritis pain. These methods are helpful in maintaining strength and agility in a controlled, non-jarring fashion.  Also new on the Physical Therapy front are Cold (or “Low Level”) Laser Light Therapy which reduces the pain associated with swelling and inflammation while improving circulation and decreasing nerve sensitivity! 

Nutritional Supplements (sometimes called Neutraceuticals) are very helpful.  Since they provide a means of helping to keep the joints as healthy as possible with relatively few side effects, they are very popular.  (See more on Neutraceuticals- what’s really worthy.)  High potency Omega 3 FAtty Acids, especially the “EPA” (eicosapentanoic acid) fraction have been determined to be anti-inflammatory at a dose of about 20 mg/ lb.  These fatty acids will replace inflammatory fatty acids used as cell wall building blocks over time, creating happier cells throughout the body, so they are good for almost everythign that may ail an aging pet.  Glucosamine and Chondroitin have been used for a long time to help humans and pets with joint disease.  Pick your product wisely as most over-the-counter products are poorly absorbed by the body– mostly getting eliminated and never helping.  Veterinarians prefer products made by the Nutramax company for the attention to manufacturing that they use in their Gluc/ Chond products. (Learn more here).  You can feel confident that the money you spend on these products is helping as much as possible and not just going “down the drain”– or in the backyard!  The recommended dose for joint effect is also around 20 mg/ lb– a lot more than is labeled on most products– read your labels!  Numerous other anti-nflammatory herbs and spices ( yucca, turmeric, etc) and neutraceuticals are available — with less science behind them, but they may help some patients , and probably won’t hurt.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIds) are commonly prescribed by veterinarians to help alleviate the inflammation that causes a lot of the pain in osteoarthritis.  The NSAIDs available by prescription, from vets, are more potent and safer for dogs than human over-the-counter products.  Pet store over-the-counter products claiming to have aspirin or other NSAIDs in them are usually ineffective.  There are several presciption NSAIDs available for dogs now.  Your veterinarian can make suggestions based on your pet’s medical history, stage of disease, and convenience of dosing.

Pain killers are reserved for those patients whose arthritis has progressed to the point that simply relieving inflammation no longer relieves the pain.  There are now a number of pain medications being used in dogs to augment the pain relieving effects of NSAIDs.  Your veterinarian can recommend this type of medication based on your pet’s pain level and the location of the osteoarthritis (as different medications work better at different locations).

Stem Cell Therapy is a very new (this year!), promising therapy for some patients.  When pluripotent fat cells, harvested from the patient, are injected into affected joints, they are supposed to turn into the types of cells that are needed, resolving some signs of arthritis.  This technology is still in its infancy and is still controversial, but it’s showing terrific promise!  Watch for more information on this technology as it evolves!

From a hot pack to physical therapy, neutraceuticals to narcotics, dogs have never had more options for arthritis pain management.  Gone are the days when veterinarians so commonly had to euthanized pets for arthritis so severe that they couldn’t walk any more.  Recent breakthroughs in osteoarthritis treatment modalities in the last 5 years help us keep our dog-friends more comfortable and active than ever before! 

Bring your “slowing down” dog to your veterinarian for an Arthritis Consult to help him live the most comfortable, fullest life possible!

• Laser Therapy uses “cold” laser light of low intensity to stimulate tissues to heal. Healing occurs by a number of physiologic mechanisms.
• Laser light dilates blood vessels in the area of application. Dilated blood vessels can carry de-oxygenated blood away and bring in freshly oxygenated blood faster. The departing blood will also carry away deleterious by-products of injury and bring in fresh cellular nutrients, allowing cells to rejuvenate faster.
• Lymphatic vessels are also dilated, allowing edema-forming lymph fluid to escape injured tissues, reducing swelling. This reduces pain.
• Laser light desensitizes local nerves so that they cannot fire as quickly, thereby sending fewer pain signals to the brain.
• Healing tissue fibers called collagen align themselves in a more linear, uniform, “normal” direction when exposed to laser light, reducing scarring and improving the tissue strength of newly healed wounds faster.
• Bacterial growth (and probably viral reproduction) are inhibited by exposure to laser light, making laser treatment helpful in treating non-healing wounds, contaminated wounds and burns.
• Laser light stimulates the “battery pack” of cells, called mitochondria. The mitochondria can then produce more ATP, which helps cells do more work. Cells can then get rid of biologic waste products more quickly and efficiently. They can heal and turn over depleted by-products faster. They can also reproduce faster, resulting in faster healing.

• Osteoarthritis
• Post Surgical Pain
• Rattlesnake Bite (where pain, swelling, infection and subsequent tissue necrosis are all significant factors in recovery)

• Non-healing wounds
• Dog fight wounds
• Anal sac abscesses
• Cat fight abscesses
• Burns
• Ear infections

Virtual Aviary

By following Cimarron on Twitter, you will be eligible for exclusive discounts on Cimarron’s services and products! Find out before the rest. Get the best. To receive tweets from Cimarron’s Virtual Aviary, visit our Twitter page and follow us.

Here’s How to Get Started: (It’s Easy! Promise…)

Go online to twitter.com.   Click on “Get Started- Join”.   Fill in your information.  Click on “Create Account.” (it’s free)              

On the next page, click to Find Friends on Twitter tab.  Type: Cimarron Animal Hosp

Search

In the entry showing Dr. Bohnke’s picture, click “Follow”.  Now you can log on to Twitter onthe computer any time to see our Tweets!

Sign up your mobile phone to receive our text Tweets!  (Don’t worry about spam texts.  You on ly receive tweets from the people you allow– see process below.  And won’t tweet more than once a week!)

Go to your Settings page.  Click on the Devices Tab.   Type in your phone number with +1(area code)(phone number)- no parentheses or spaces.  Check the “it’s OK” box.  Save. Text the code shown on the computer screen to “40404″, Twitter’s text number. 

When twitter verifies your phone, Turn on the Text function on your computer:

Go back to your Home page on the computer.  Click on “”Following”, Cimarron Animal Hospital should be one of your choices.  Click in the round “radio button” indicating Device Updates “On”.

You should receive our next Tweet as a text on your cell phone!  See you there!