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Arthritis And Your Canine CompanionThe Resource for Everything About Dogs |
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Arthritis And Your Canine Companionby Jean Morgan
I remember watching a TV show once. It was a comedy. The one person made a derogatory comment about a dog and the dog supporter replied that dogs were people too. It was supposed to be funny, but the truth of the matter is, dogs are very much like people in many respects. One of them is arthritis, which affects dogs pretty much in the same way as it affects people. In this article, we're going to present some basic facts about arthritis in dogs that hopefully will help you care for your canine companion in his time of need. He will more than thank you for it with the love that he'll give you. Unfortunately, dogs, like people, age. Puppies don't stay puppies forever. And as a dog ages, he is susceptible to many of the same ailments as humans, especially arthritis. The first thing you need to know is when to be on the lookout for when your dog might be developing arthritic conditions. This is greatly influenced by the size of the dog. For small to medium dogs, you should be on the lookout for arthritic conditions around age 9 to 11. For large dogs, it's between the ages of 8 and 10. For giant breeds it's between the ages of 7 and 8. Compare this to cats, who usually don't start getting old until the age of 12, and you can see that dogs are more susceptible to arthritis than cats. The first thing that's important about dealing with your dog's arthritis, assuming that he has been diagnosed with having this terrible disease, is to manage your dog's weight. The more weight he has to carry around with him, the harder it is going to be on his joints. So it is important to keep your dog on a strict diet and see that he doesn't become overweight. This means no more scraps off the dinner table. Yes, I know he likes them but they're not any good for him. Another thing that is important is to get him as much exercise as possible. Naturally, this becomes more difficult as he ages and as his arthritis progresses. But keeping your dog active in early years will actually help prevent him from getting arthritis in later life, or at least greatly reduce the risk. An active dog that is at a proper weight is an overall healthy dog. There are other things you can do to make your dog's life a little easier should he develop arthritis later on in life. One thing you can do is to make sure you provide a bed for him that is heavily padded and comfortable. This will make resting and sleeping a lot easier. Also, elevate his food and water bowls so that he doesn't have to bend down as much. This will also ease the strain on his arthritic joints. Most importantly, show your dog as much love as you can each day. Just like people, your dog has feelings and during this time if suffering he needs your love more than ever. Yes, dogs are people too.
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