Arthritis in dogs is a degenerative joint disease that is a very painful condition for most dogs. Dogs get arthritis either because of long-term stress on their joints, because of poor joint conformation, or from injuries.
Dog arthritis cannot often be reversed, even with surgery. Therefore the main focus in treating this common dog illness is with medications designed to slow down the progression of this joint problem.
Most people bring their dogs to see their veterinarian once they see how painful arthritis is in their dogs. And usually veterinarians will put dogs on several different medications each designed to work synergistically together. Here are three of the most common ones used for a dog arthritis treatments.
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates are by far the most common drugs used for canine arthritis. They are derived from see mollusks and are usually given to your dog orally in the form of pills or capsules. These compounds provide the building blocks to help your dog repair their damaged joints.
Aspirin, which falls in the class of drugs known as NSAIDS, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, is the second commonly used medication for dog arthritis. These drugs are great at not only reducing the pain your dog feels, but also at reducing the amount of joint inflammation.
The most common NSAID is aspirin, but safer medications have been developed for pets like Carprofen, Deracoxib, and Meloxicam. These newer arthritis medications are more advanced then aspirin and do a much better job of blocking pain and inflammation.
Adequan is a newer type of dog arthritis treatment. It is given as an injection directly into your dog’s joint. This compound is basically chondroitin sulfate which is made from the windpipe cartilage of cattle. Adequan is great because it blocks joint inflammation, lubricates joints, and stimulates cartilage repair.
If your dog is suffering from painful arthritis be sure to see your veterinarian. Also, if your dog is overweight, putting them on a diet can help to reduce the amount of stress on their joints.
Learn more about arthritis in dogs by stopping by Dr. Chris’ website. If your dog is suffering from arthritis, memory foam dog beds can also help them.
