Older dogs are most prone toarthritis and that's the sad fact. Arthritis in dogs is very similar toarthritis in humans. And there are no absolute cures yet. The only thing thatyou can do for now is to manage the disease and make your dog feel comfortabledespite its condition.
Old or young dogs witharthritis can still live a normal life if owners just give them what they needto ease the pain. For starters, your dog is going to need comfortable bedding.Arthritis is a joint and muscle condition that could really be crippling. Themost you can do is give your pet soft beddings, ideally a rubber foam mattressthat is about five inches thick.
Dogs with arthritis wouldbenefit most from regular exercise. However, never allow your dog to performany extraneous exercises any longer as it may negatively affect theircondition. Mild and gentle walking exercises are good enough. Make it a pointthat you walk your dog a few blocks everyday. Running is discouraged. If yourpet is a guard dog or a field dog, maybe you should consider retiring it andjust make it a regular household pet.
What complements goodexercise is proper diet. Always watch the weight of your dog, especially if itbelongs to the larger breeds. These dogs can easily become overweight. But justthe same, smaller dogs can be obese. And being overweight limits their dailyactivities. As such, they won't be able to do several long walks with you.What's more, your dog's weight will be putting too much strain on its joints.This aggravates the condition even more. If your dog is overweight, give it alight diet. Don't wait for it to contract arthritis before doing somethingabout its meals.
On the other hand, there aredog food formulas that are especially designed for arthritic dog. Ask your vetabout it. Sick dogs require a change in their diet plan. Your vet should beable to provide the right nutritional meals for your pet. He might advise youto use Purina's JM dog food or Hill's RX J/D formula.
It may also be necessary togive your dog commercial medicines to aid in its health. These medicines areagain, prescribed by the vet. Give it to your pet as indicated and always bringyour dog to its regular checkups. The vet needs to monitor the health of yourpet so that it can adjust the medications as needed. Some dogs respond well tocertain medicines while others don't. This is the reason why post-diagnosisvisits are always crucial. Never miss one or your dog may suffer unnecessarilyfrom arthritis.
Aside from prescriptiondrugs, there are over-the-counter medicines and natural remedies that can helpyour dog. Aspirin is known to relieve pain and inflammation in pets if used theright way. As for natural medicines, Omega 3 supplements, vitamins, andminerals can contribute so much help alleviate the condition. Under theguidance of the vet, give your dog a combination of these medicines so it canlive longer and much happier with you.