Dogs

Preventing Canine Arthritis Takes Proactive Action

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

As Xena approached her 14th birthday she began to have an occasional slip as she rose from the tile floor. Having spent a lifetime of energetically joining me for daily walks, it surprised me to see her so suddenly experience a bit of effort getting to her feet. It was almost as if she became arthritic overnight. I knew it didn't happen just like that. It must have been developing over a long period of time, and only then did she show signs of difficulty.

I began a Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplement, added to her food, after consulting with her doctor. Although I understood its use may not make a considerable improvement right away, the goal was to slow the progression. We talked about other measures such as offering soft bedding in all her favorite places to lay, as well as encouraging swimming as a means of exercise that is not weight-bearing on her joints.

With Tanner, I've vowed to be more proactive; i.e., I'm working on my plan of action now, as Tanner approaches his 5th birthday. By the time he's officially a 'senior', I'll be on board with all preventive measures. His daily swims are a regular part of his physical activity, and by incorporating 'Fetch' into his swim, it adds a good bit of training and mental work to the activity as well. This makes for a tired Tanner at the end of the day, and a good night's sleep is always a positive result.

Meanwhile, I've read more on the use of Glucosamine at Glucosamine-Osteoarthritis.org, Dr. and Foster's Peteducation, and a couple of books, where I've found some research findings on its use with dogs. I want to share with you a list of signs to watch for:

Difficulty or adverse reaction to walking, playing, or going up stairs
Falling behind on walks
General lethargy
Limping
Difficulty getting up when laying down
Signs of pain when petted or touched
Aversive to any contacts

Have you ever reached to pet a dog and had its owner tell you not to pet the hip area? Yup; probably arthritis or hip displaysia. Hopefully if you have a dog that is soon to be a senior, you too will be thinking about how to best prevent problems for your best friend.

At the recent Blogpaws West conference, I was given some samples to try on my pups or to share with readers. I decided to share, since my dogs were only 3 and 4 at the time. Let me know how you plan to care for your senior dog's joints and I'll enter you in a drawing for one of the following 3 giveaways:

From GLC 1000: a 2 week Glucosamine/Chondroitin/Vitamin sample for medium to large-sized dogs
From GLC 1000: a 2 week Glucosamine/Chondroitin/Vitamin sample sample for small to medium-sized dogs
From i Love Dogs: 10 tablets Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements, plus 10 Multivitamin tablets, plus 10 Reishi Immunity Boost tablets.

Here's how to enter to win:

Leave a comment here, telling me about your plan to help your pup age with healthy joints.
Comment the same way at my Facebook page, and be sure to hit the "Like" button while you're there. Get into the conversation!
Send me an @Tweet to @AllThingsDog asking me to enter you, and be sure to follow me there, as well.

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Dogs