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Dog Health News Articles
Page: 1
| Posted: 7th August 2004 |
| How to Recognize & Manage Arthritis in Dogs |
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Arthritis in dogs is a common and difficult disorder to manage...
During a routine exam of a six-year-old German Shepard prior to vaccinations, the client remarked that the dog seemed to be a little slower moving lately and was more careful about lying down and getting up. There were no obvious indicators of pain or limping… just a “careful” attitude on the dog’s part when changing positions. My evaluation of the dog’s limbs showed a reduced range of motion in the hips, the stifles (knees) were normal, and there was no evidence of back pain when I pushed and probed along the spine.
I considered early arthritis in the hips as a possible explanation for the subtle signs the owner had observed. We decided to sedate the dog and take some x-rays. What a surprise we had! This dog, only displaying the subtlest of signs of discomfort, had advanced degeneration of both hip joints (called coxofemoral osteoarthritis) and early bony changes of the lower spine. In contrast to this case other patients that radiographically show only minimal signs of arthritic degeneration in the joints often will display definite signs of discomfort, lameness and restricted mobility.
The bottom line is this: Arthritis… joint inflammation and degeneration… is personal. Because there are so many variables associated with joint degenerative changes on both a microscopic and macroscopic level, each case must be evaluated individually; every dog responds uniquely to discomfort and pain.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a general term for abnormal changes in a joint. Arthritis can arise from joint tissue destruction subsequent to an infection, from congenital defects affecting structural architecture, and from stress and trauma to joint surfaces and supporting structures.
Occasionally, disorders of the immune system will lead to joint tissue inflammation and degeneration. In commonly seen cases of hip dysplasia, arthritis is partly due to abnormal conformation and misaligned stress points of the coxofemoral joint. |
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