Mary Allen
Canine osteoarthritis is an equally common and painful disease. But you can do a lot to alleviate your dog’s discomfort. Osteoarthritis can also be prevented.
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint problem in dogs. The disease changes everyday life not only for the dog but for the whole environment, which now has a more or less handicapped individual to take into account.
Above all, slightly older dogs are affected, and osteoarthritis could be described as a sequelae. Osteoarthritis itself is a chronic inflammation that is basically usually due to the cartilage in the joint being damaged. The reason for this can be different things.
– Either osteoarthritis is basically due to a normal load in an abnormal joint, or to an abnormal load of a normal joint, explains Bjorn Lindevall, a veterinarian at Valla Animal Clinic in Linkoping.
Dysplasia
In the first case, the dog is born with joints that for various reasons are easily injured. Dysplasia is an example. Then the fit in the joint is not perfect, but the joint surfaces become loose, and the risk of cartilage breaking increases. It can be a long process where thousands of small twists and turns eventually wear away the cartilage, but the damage can also occur at a time when the stress becomes too great, perhaps during a sharp deceleration during heavy play.
– What you can say about abnormal joints is that they are congenital, which in itself does not mean that the dog is born sick. On the other hand, it is born with an increased risk of developing joint problems. However, dogs born with perfect joints can also suffer from joint damage that causes osteoarthritis.
A fracture or other injury after a blow or a fall, a stab wound, or an infection can damage originally normal joints.
– But there is a risk factor that overshadows everything else, and that is overweight, says Björn Lindevall.
Constantly carrying extra weight gives an increased load that is harmful to the joints. In addition, it is important to keep the dog in good physical shape. Well-developed muscles stabilize and support the joints.
Osteoarthritis thus develops from an injury to the joint, which the body tries to heal. It is based on bone cells to compensate for uneven pressure in the joint. But it is a construction that is doomed to fail. The blood flow increases in the disturbance and an army of, among other things, white blood cells is directed there to take care of the damage.
The problem is that it hurts and that the immune system takes on an impossible task. Since capitulation is not programmed, the defense reaction continues without success: The inflammation becomes chronic.
– And that is when the dog comes to us when it has hurt so much that it is noticeable in movements and behavior. Then the process may have been going on for a long time.
Lameness and other changes in the movement pattern of the dog should not be ignored. Particular attention should be paid to growing dogs. They should not have joint pain and if they get it, quick action is important. The prognosis for a dog with diagnosed osteoarthritis differs from case to case. But to begin with, it can be stated that osteoarthritis can not be cured, Björn Lindevall explains.
– On the other hand, there are a number of different measures to take to alleviate and slow down further development.
Depending on what the study shows, a plan is made to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Surgical procedures are sometimes performed with arthroscopy, a method that means that the joint does not need to be opened completely. Both examination and intervention are done through small holes.
The medical treatment for pain and inflammation is often supplemented with constructive drugs to strengthen the cartilage and synovial fluid. These can be agents that are given directly in the joint, but some can also be given as dietary supplements or special feeds. Another important part of the treatment is rehabilitation with a plan to strengthen the physique in different ways.