Most dogs will yelp, limp when arthritis hurts them. Some will even require assistance for standing up. But what other dogs may do is to lick the afflicted area constantly. Even to the point of the joint area becoming red or even in some severe cases bleeding. This is a signal that this is causing them pain.
And this does not have to be a problem for older dogs, this can happen at almost any age in a dog’s life due to the result of injury to the leg or joint(s). Even the weight of your dog can be a factor in arthritis, since the weight of your dog will decrease mobility, even putting added weight on the joints. Which will wear down the cartilage in your dogs joints, that the bones apart so it starts to rub together causing a lot of pain. Without cartilage there is no lubrication to help keep mobility.
The good thing is cartilage can be rebuilt by something that naturally occurs in our your dog’s body, Chondroitin is the building block of cartilage. And over time cartilage can be replenished.
Most dogs are considered senior at age 7, but don’t worry this has several factors depending on their height, weight, how active they have been in the past and yes even their breed.
What can you do?
Getting your dog on a good quality liquid glucosamine at a fairly early age is essential to keep your dogs cartilage lubricated and healthy. This is more of a preventative measure at a early age, but essential later on in life.
Keeping a healthy weight is essential to keeping the friction off the cartilage in your dog’s legs. Go for walks with your dog, this will promote mobility in your dog plus it would be good to get yourself out of the house as well.
Do things that your dog used to love doing, you may have to scale back on the amount of activities or plan rest breaks but because your dog is getting older doesn’t mean that they won’t still enjoy doing the things they once loved.
Keeping your dog mobile not only can help your dog stay healthy, but also decreases the chance of dog depression which is another serious concern. Which can have a adverse affect on your dog’s health.
