Osteoarthritis

Unfortunately, the onset is often overlooked because the changes can be minimal at first. Early diagnosis and a quick start to treatment are particularly important in order to maintain your four-legged friend's quality of life for a long time.

A tip in advance: If you notice anything unusual about your dog's movement - even if it's just that it suddenly avoids a certain movement - you should see your vet as soon as possible. This pays off in the case of osteoarthritis!

DEFINITION

What is Osteoarthritis?

Your dog's body also changes with age. Less exercise means that the muscles are not stretched enough and can (slowly) degenerate. In addition, changes in the bone structure changes and in the joints appear as signs of wear.

But what exactly happens in osteoarthritis? In a healthy, young joint, a layer of cartilage covers the ends of the bones. This acts like a shock absorber. The synovial fluid in the joint space also ensures that the bones glide smoothly over each other during movement. This is why this fluid is also called synovial fluid. Over the years, the joint cartilage can become brittle and very fine cracks appear. In addition, the body produces less and less synovial fluid. As a result, the joints no longer contain enough "lubricant" and the resulting friction in the joint causes increasing pain and inflammation. The repeated inflammation in turn promotes wear and tear and keeps the process going: avicious circle in which the joint cartilage is damaged even further!

Even if only a single joint is initially affected, osteoarthritis can affect all parts of the musculoskeletal system (muscles, ligaments, tendons and other joints). This happens above all when your dog adopts relieving postures due to the pain and does not put any or only one-sided strain on the affected joint. This can not only lead to incorrect and excessive strain on other joints, but the joint protection also damages the diseased joint itself: The lack of movement means that the remaining joint cartilage is no longer supplied with sufficient nutrients. This causes additional damage and accelerates cartilage degradation.

The insidious thing about osteoarthritis is that it progresses gradually and is unfortunately often only noticed when a large part of the joint cartilage has already been irrevocably destroyed.

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

You may notice these symptoms in your four-legged friend:

• Restricted mobility (e.g. when climbing stairs, but also when scratching, cleaning or stretching)
• Alternating lameness, especially after lying down for a prolonged period 
• Pain, especially with sudden movements
• Swelling of individual joints
• Changes in behavior or nature (e.g. less expression of pleasure, avoidance of everyday movements, sensitivity to touch, seeking out places of retreat)
• Sensitivity to the weather (e.g. worsening of symptoms in cold, wet weather)

CAUSES

Causes of Osteoarthritis

There are many causes of osteoarthritis:

• Congenital or acquired misalignment of the joints with the resulting incorrect loading
• Overloading and incorrect loading due to sporting activities such as agility, etc.
• Unhealed injuries (e.g. as a result of strains, bruises, sprains, or a torn cruciate ligament)
• Combination of too little exercise and being overweight
• Age-related joint wear and tear

In principle, osteoarthritis can affect any of your dog's joints. Heavily used joints such as the hips, elbows, hocks, knees and toe joints are particularly frequently affected. In general, the risk is higher in large breeds (retrievers, German shepherds, rottweilers and Bernese mountain dogs) than in smaller breeds.

DIAGNOSIS

Examination and diagnosis

If symptoms typical of osteoarthritis occur, it is advisable to take your dog to your vet as soon as possible.

For an accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment, you will be asked detailed questions about your pet at the practice. This is followed by an adspection, the visual examination of the dog. The vet will look at the dog's posture when standing and how it walks in different gaits. It is also of interest to see how your dog behaves when climbing stairs, when making tight turns and when sitting down and standing up. Other relevant factors are weight, muscling and the position of the legs. During the subsequent palpation, the affected joints and muscles are palpated and examined for swelling, crunching, pain and mobility.

X-rays or ultrasound, and in some cases CT or MRI, are used to confirm or rule out the diagnosis. These examinations are often supplemented by a blood test to get an overall impression of your dog's health.

TREATMENT

Treatment of osteoarthritis

Depending on the stage of the disease, the treatment of osteoarthritis can be challenging. The good news is that the earlier treatment is started, the better you can positively influence the course of the disease and slow down its progression. This will improve your four-legged friend's quality of life and allow you to spend many happy hours with your pet.

Various aspects should be taken into account during treatment:

• Adequate, adapted exercise without excessive strain on the joints (e.g. swimming, steady movements on a suitable surface)
• Reduction of excessive strain on the joints (e.g. weight reduction, no uncontrolled romping, avoid jumping)
• Feeding according to requirements, which can be supplemented with veterinary support, e.g. with feed supplements
• Maintaining the musculature and releasing tension (e.g. through physiotherapy or chiropractic treatment)

Above all, pain treatment should be an important part of the therapy and should take place as soon as the diagnosis is made. Your dog should be given an anti-inflammatory medication during periods of lameness, swelling or pain. Firstly, this has the short-term effect of reducing the inflammation in the joint and thus alleviating the pain. Secondly, the treatment also counteracts the development of a so-called pain memory. This is because if your four-legged friend suffers from pain for a long time or repeatedly, the body can literally remember this pain and it becomes more difficult to treat the pain. This is why pain treatment should be started early and in a targeted manner. However, as any medication can also potentially cause side effects, regular check-ups with your vet are strongly recommended. Together you will discuss the best treatment options for your four-legged friend.

Would you like to give your dog additional support? As a long-term therapy, the administration of veterinary medicines with regenerative effects on the joint cartilage is recommended. A combination of several therapy methods tailored to your pet can have a positive effect on the course of the disease. Make sure that the medications used can be combined with each other and cause as few side effects as possible. This is particularly important if your dog has to take several medications.

Everyday life for dogs with osteoarthritis

If your dog suffers from joint wear and tear, you can support and relieve it with a few easy changes:

• Aids such as ramps (e.g. to avoid jumping into the back of a vehicle), low steps or rugs placed on slippery floors
• Several short walks a day instead of longer laps
• Adapt your walking speed to your dog
• Small changes in the household such as raising the position of the water and food bowls or purchasing an orthopedic dog bed

PREVENTION

Preventing osteoarthritis in dogs

Prevention is the best treatment - this is especially true for osteoarthritis. You can implement the following tips to keep your dog's joints healthy and resilient for as long as possible:

As important as regular exercise is for your four-legged friend, you should always adapt the type and amount of exercise to their breed, weight and age. Swimming, for example, promotes healthy dog joints. The entire musculature is exercised here, while the joints are not stressed due to the buoyancy of the water.

It is best to consult your vet about a suitable exercise program and an optimized diet for your dog.