Osteoarthritis in older dogs

La osteoarthritis in older dogs is a common disease, a disease that appears by the evolution of a joint that becomes brittle due to a malformation or simply due to age, this being also a painful condition that has to be treated as quickly as possible to prevent it from getting worse.

This is a disease that can develop in all joints, from the hindquarters to the front and in dogs that have an advanced age this disease can affect several joints at the same time, since the surface of the joint is covered by a fabric that has a function like that of shock absorbers in cars.

Learn a little more about osteoarthritis in adult dogs

Osteoarthritis is characterized by destruction of cartilage and bone proliferation, where the affected joints can cause a lot of pain and lose elasticity. Usually osteoarthritis affects the hips knees and shoulders, but the symptoms will vary depending on the affected joint.

But if there is a symptom that always develops, this is the limp, which is usually manifested when the dog goes from being still to walking and where we will be able to see that the dog will avoid leaning on the affected limb and it will be immobile for a long time.

As the disease progresses, the pain increases, while performing some movements the dog may emit some screams of pain and in some cases it becomes aggressive. The pain will progressively increase until a point is reached where the dog cannot move the joint.

Since there won't be much activity, it will cause a deterioration in the muscles that are close to the joint so it is going to start to atrophy, making the situation much worse.

Types of osteoarthritis in adult dogs

There are various types of osteoarthritis, such as primary osteoarthritis, which is the one that mainly affects older canines.

This appears because of old age, being a progressive wear of cartilage. On the other hand, secondary osteoarthritis appears due to another factor that causes the joint to stop working. A very common cause of osteoarthritis is obesity, the joints cannot support more kilos than normal so they will easily deteriorate.

This sickness can be diagnosed by medical history, by an examination or by manipulation, since normally the area that is diseased will be deformed, so a small click usually appears when making some movements.

Treatment for osteoarthritis

The treatment applied will modify the animal's lifestyle, it is important to limit physical activity so that the joints do not wear out too much and in the case of dogs that are overweight, it is important that the dog have to go on a diet so you can lose several pounds.

The medical treatment of this disease is based on anti-inflammatories which can be corticosteroids or of another type.

In extreme cases of osteoarthritis, you may need perform surgical intervention, where the vet in an operation is going to remove the osteophytes so that the joint is unlocked, this can suppress the pain completely.

There are many diseases that a dog can have, but this is a very common one, since most of the time It is caused by old age, something inevitable in the life of the animal. It is always recommended to be aware of any change that occurs in the life of our pet and if there is difficulty in walking or moving, see a vet immediately and even more so if the dog is of advanced age.

It is important treat this disease in time to prevent the joint from becoming locked and unable to walk again. It is also important that you have a healthy life and that you have a healthy diet.