What is the best preventative for arthritis in dogs?

Help at home can make life easier for your arthritic dog. Exercise strengthens the muscles that support joints. Moderate amounts of low-impact exercise also improve mobility. Exercise should be little and often, as too much exercise or high-impact exercise may cause your dog’s joints to become more painful. All dogs with arthritis benefit from being a healthy weight. Approximately half of all dogs are overweight or obese. For these dogs losing even 10% of their bodyweight can have visible results on their arthritis. Using ramps to get into the car, restricting the times your dog needs to use stairs, and providing a thick comfortable sleeping spot are all ways you can make life easier for your arthritic dog at home. Hydrotherapy is a good way to provide low-impact exercise for your arthritic dog in a safe and warm environment. Some dogs with arthritis do not need any medication or supplements at all, and are simply managed with changes to diet, exercise and home routine. The earlier you start supporting your dog and their arthritis, the more successful you are likely to be. Lifestyle changes and medication are the most common treatments for arthritis, however there are other treatments available to consider that might be suitable for your dog.

Supporting the schemes through purchasing low risk breed puppies from reputable breeders that utilise these phenotyping processes is certainly a way towards minimising arthritis. Identifying clinical signs of joint disease early, and diagnosing plus acting on musculoskeletal and joint problems will contribute to minimising the development of clinical arthritis. Healthcare schemes exist to screen dogs for developmental joint disease such as hip and elbow dysplasia in the hope that they will not pass on the underlying genes to their offspring. It is hoped that ultimately selective breeding from dogs with good joints, and therefore good genes, can eradicate developmental joint diseases. Abnormal forces that a joint must contend with which may influence the development of arthritis include: Repetitive actions which cause sudden acceleration/deceleration and twisting, Excess weight, The environment that dogs live in, including early access to slippery floors and stairs, jumping onto/off furniture and into/out of cars.