What is arthritis?
Arthritis simply means an inflammation of the joints, and animals with arthritis usually suffer with pain and stiffness in their joints. The most common type of arthritis in dogs and cats is osteoarthritis which is a degenerative condition, caused by wear and tear. This usually occurs over many years but can be speeded up if the joint sustains an injury or if the joint is unstable or does not fit together properly, such as in hip or elbow dysplasia.
What are the signs of arthritis?
- Lameness. This is the most common symptom. Unfortunately, when more than one limb is affected it can be difficult to identify.
- Stiffness, particularly after periods of rest or recumbency.
- Reduced activity. Since most arthritic pets are often in their senior years this can often be mistaken for ‘getting old’.
- Pain. This is often difficult to recognise early in the disease process. A thorough examination of your pet is necessary to localise the affected joints.
- Unable to settle or sleep. This can be a significant problem through the night and can be associated with other ‘old age’ behavioural changes.
What is happening to the arthritic joint?
A joint is a point where two bones of the skeleton come together in a way that allows motion. The parts of the two bones that contact one another are covered with a special layer of tissue called cartilage. A lubricant called synovial fluid lies between the two bones allowing the cartilage-covered bone ends to slide against each other with minimum friction.
Over a prolonged period, often years, the synovial fluid loses some of it’s lubricating effect and the cartilage becomes worn and thin. The bones beneath the cartilage on either side of the joint are exposed and rub against one another. The body confuses this situation with that of a broken bone and tries to solve the problem by attempting to fuse the two bones together by creating new bone around the joint, just as would happen during normal fracture healing. This process is often unhelpful due to the extra bone restricting joint movement and causing pain.
What can be done to prevent osteoarthritis in our pets?
The answer is to maintain good, healthy joint cartilage. We can do this by:
- Regular, controlled, daily exercise. This helps strengthen and support the joints and helps prevent weight gain.
- Preventing obesity. A vicious cycle can form: Weight gain > arthritic pain > reduced exercise > weight gain.
- Feeding a balanced diet, rich in Omega 3.
- Supplementing the diet with substances such as chondroitin and glucosamine which are the building blocks of joint cartilage and joint fluid.
- Identifying developmental problems as early as possible. This is very important in young animals when the cartilage is still developing.
What can be done to treat osteoarthritis in our pets?
All the things that we do to maintain healthy joints are just as important when treating pets with arthritic joints. There are a number of additional things that help keep our pets comfortable:
- Hydrotherapy and physiotherapy. These therapies maintain muscle, ligament and tendon support which is crucial for joint function, but have a minimal concussive effect on the joint cartilage.
- Regenerative Medicine, such as Platelet Rich Plasma and Stem Cell Therapy. These are new and emerging treatment options which not only provide pain relief, but also have the potential to promote healing and regeneration in arthritic joints.
- Laser Therapy. Can alleviate pain, reduce inflammation and accelerate recovery from chronic conditions such as arthritis.
- Medication. For many years painkillers or analgesics have been the mainstay of arthritis management. Their main use is to block to pain signals rather than to prevent further deterioration. They still have an important role in the latter stages of arthritis.
- Surgery. When arthritis reaches ‘end stage’ and other treatment options have been tried and have failed to keep a pet comfortable then there are sometimes surgical options, such as replacing the joint with an artificial one.
If you are suspicious your pet may be showing signs of arthritis or lameness then you need to book an appointment to see one of the vets at Oakhill Vet Group in Windermere or Ambleside. The sooner an arthritic problem is confirmed the more success we have in ensuring your pet continues to have a happy and comfortable life.