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Your
dog, if over 6 years of age, is considered a geriatric patient. Arthritis can
develop at six years of age or younger in some breeds.
If your
dog:
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Limps |
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Is reluctant to
climb stairs |
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Falls behind on
walks |
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Has difficulty
getting up in the mornings |
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Shows a change in
personality |
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Exhibits a loss in
appetite |
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Then
he/she may be showing the warning signs of arthritis. There is no need for your
dog to have pain related to arthritis in his/her geriatric years. There are
many products that were not available, even two years ago, to help your dog cope
with arthritis. Some products available are EtoGesic (a once a day medication),
Rimadyl (a twice a day medication), Flax-A-Gan, and Arquel. A thorough physical
exam by a veterinarian can determine which medication is best for your dog. In
some cases, aspirin can be a first treatment for arthritic pain. There are
several natural compounds and medications, which can help joint healing and
stability to indirectly help with pain. Our staff looks forward to discussing
these with you. As with any medication, one or two products may have to be
tried to determine which one benefits your pet the most.
Obesity:
If your pet is overweight, please ask our staff about a weight control program
to help prevent arthritis due to weight-gain or to help ease arthritic pain
which has already developed and is aggravated by a weight problem.
Note:
In many cases, some geriatric
patients have an under-active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) that prevents your
pet from losing weight by slowing metabolism or delays the healing process of
arthritic treatment.
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