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Arthritis

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:

Limps
Is reluctant to climb stairs
Falls behind on walks
Has difficulty getting up in the mornings
Shows a change in personality
Exhibits a loss in appetite

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.