Minden Animal Hospital - Veterinarian In Minden, ON Canada

Managing Osteoarthritis in pets

Managing Osteoarthritis in pets:

Osteoarthritis (OA) in our pets is one of the most common problems we see, particularly in large breed dogs. We see it in many geriatric animals to varying degrees but also in younger animals with cruciate rupture or trauma to a joints. Trauma to joints can cause acute pain then later in life, chronic pain. Trauma is not the only cause of OA, some dogs have a genetic predisposition to OA, poor conformation causing OA, growth deformities or various orothopedic diseases (hip dysplasia, Osteochondritis dessicans, elbow dysplasias etc.). Pain management of OA is easiest, and far more sucessful if the problem is identified and managed early in life before they have an impact on the pets lifestyle according to Dr Marcellin-Little (Canadian Vet magazine)

Some studies by Purina showed that many dogs over 2 years of age have OA. (www.purina.com/dogs/health/osteoarthritis.aspx). OA is described as the bone on bone rubbing that occurs as the cartilage that covers the joints wears away either from poor conformation or trauma. Bone moving along bone with poor lubrication hurts. You will notice your dog becoming less active, hesitating, hiding or sleeping more.

Dr V Lukasik, a boarded anesthesiologist in Arizona says that pain changes the way your pet interacts with you: “if your dog liked to play ball when he was two or three, and now he is ten and doesn’t play ball anymore, it’s not because playing ball isn’t fun anymore, It’s because the trade-off is, if he plays ball, he’ll hurt.”

Some dogs show OA signs by hesitating to take stairs, slow to rise or sit, crying when touched or they become grumpy more often, sleep more or do not want to go for walks, play less and become less fit overall.

Treatment for OA involves the use of pain medications and there are many of them. It is a progressive disease so needs to be managed over the rest of your pet’s life. Multi modal (several medications at once) management reduces the doses required and, therefore, the adverse side effects we try to avoid. Drugs and nutriceuticals comonly used include glucosamine/chondroitin, cartophen to help improve joint fluid or lubrication, aniti-inflammatories that reduce the inflammation, and medication that reaches the pain center in the brain to reduce pain, such as opiods.

Clinical studies show that overweight animals do not live as long as lean ones. Now that we are watching our pets weight more and more, they are living longer. Some studies say that dogs of lean body weight actually live on average, 2 years longer.

Older animals are more likely to have osteoarthritis in one or more joints. Although the clinical signs of limping and difficulty on stairs or overall stiffness are reduced in lean animals, they still have inflammation and pain. We can use anti-inflammatory medications such as metacam and rimadyl or deramaxx to reduce the inflammation and thereby reducing the pain. Did you know that omega 3 fatty acids from fish oils are good anti-inflammatory agents? They are not as effective nsaid medications but they reduce down the amount of medication required to control the pain and improve the activity of your pet.

There were three studies recently reported in the AVMA journals that showed dogs fed fish oils which are high in omega-3 fatty acids (fa) had improved mobility and improved quality of life and require less medication in later years. These studies, published in the January 1, 2010 and March 1, 2010 issues of JAVMA, included 274 dogs with osteoarthritis that took part in clinical studies at many privately owned veterinary clinics and two university veterinary hospitals. The studies looked at three areas, the effects on clinical signs of arthritis, the weigh bearing on the affected limbs, and the effects on reducing the anti-inflammatory medication required proving that omega 3 f.a. are an important and useful supplement for arthritis. This is certainly not surprising for those of us who have been promoting the use of omega 3 for some time, it is good clinical proof of what we suspected all along is true. (http://www.avma.org/press/releases/100304_omega-3_fatty_acids.asp)

Osteoarthritis is common; your pet may have it and you are totally unaware of it. Animals do not complain like people do and often the signs of OA are missed unless you look for it. Many people are pleasantly surprised at the difference in their pet after a few weeks of pain medication.

Many medications are used to help alleviate the pain and many neutriceuticals are used to reduce the amount of medication. Omega 3 has now been documented to help reduce inflammation and it does not stop at joints. Weight loss still has to be the number one treatment for OA and it is rather inexpensive too.

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