Mary Allen
When the joints hurt, it has a negative impact on an animal’s everyday life.
Arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease caused by an infection or immunological processes in the body. In dogs and cats, in addition to lameness and restricted movement, an increased temperature and fatigue can often be observed. With bacterial joint infections, the joints are warm, swollen, and tender.
If joint inflammation is the result of endogenous, immunological processes, it is comparable to rheumatoid polyarthritis in humans. Immune complexes form, which is broken down again by the immune system, releasing joint-changing lysosomal enzymes. Rheumatoid factors, which are determined in human medicine for diagnosis, are not reliable as diagnostic criteria in dogs.