Dog Arthritis and Common Joint Problems Part 2 – The Back Legs
Thanks for reading Part 2 of this article on common joint problems. Dog’s really do give their joints a workout and dog arthritis is unfortunately very common. Let’s continue our tour, joint by joint, through the common problems can lead to dog arthritis.
Please note this is just a summary, I don’t have time to detail each disease but the common ones you will find on other posts.
Hip Joint
One of the most common causes of hip joint problems in dogs is hip dysplasia, a deformity of the hip joint (coxofemoral joint) that occurs during your pet’s growth period.
In a nutshell, the ball of the femur does not fit properly into the hip socket. Some affected dogs show no signs of this condition, while others may develop an altered gait and, as dog arthritis sets in, pain.
Other hip joint problems include:
- Coxofemoral Luxations (hip dislocations)
- Legge-Perthes Disease (a deformity of the femoral head resulting in lameness)
Knee (Stifle)
As is the case with humans, your dog’s knee joint is the articulation between the femur bone and the fibula and tibia. The stability in the knee joint comes from the surrounding soft tissue, and because it plays such a vital role in the movement of your pet, it is also susceptible to a number of injuries, including:
- Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture, a tearing of the knee ligaments that cross over deep inside a dogs knee. Very common!
- Caudal Cruciate Ligament Injury, similar to the cranial cruciate ligament injury
- Collateral Ligament Injury, injury to the ligaments on each side of the knee
- Multiple Ligament Injuries
- Meniscal Injury, a torn knee cartilage – very common!
- Patellar Luxation, a displacement of the kneecap, usually medial (towards the middle)
- Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Stifle. Cartilage from the knee detaches and causes arthritis.
Hock or Ankle (Tarsus)
The dog’s hock joint is what would correspond to the human ankle. In the hock, the large bone of the lower leg (tibia) rests principally on the tarsal bone (talus).
One of the most common hock joint problems is OCD (osteochondritis dissecans), which means, as it does in the shoulder and the elbow, a small piece of bone or cartilage has come loose in a young dog’s joint, resulting in inflammation and irritation.
However, when examining your dog with hock pain or swelling, your veterinarian will also consider the following in order to make a correct diagnosis:
- Ligamentous injury of the Tarsus, a sprained ankle
- Achilles tendon injuries very similar to what we get
Other Joint Problems
Not all joint problems are specific to a particular joint. Inflammatory arthritis is common in people as rheumatoid arthritis. Thankfully this disease is far less common in dogs but they do suffer from a similar condition called immune mediated polyarthritis which can be very debilitating.
Cancer can sometimes be seen. While not common in canine joints, bone cancer sometimes occurs around the knee, shoulder and wrist resulting in dog arthritis symptoms.
Dog joint problems should be taken very seriously, as early intervention and treatment by your veterinarian can prevent any associated onset of dog arthritis. Read my blog and you can ask me any questions in the comments section below.
What did you think of this post? Have your say in the comments box below or get involved in our Facebook community!
Tags: Coxofemoral Luxations, Cruciate Ligament Rupture, dog arthritis, dog arthritis treatment, dog hip, Dog Hip Dysplasia, dog joint health, dogs arthritis, Legge-Perthes Disease, Patellar Luxation
I have a 7 year old mix breed dog we got from a rescue at age 1 1/2. The reason the rescue had him was because he had been hit by a car but xrays, etc, showed no real damage. He had no problems until recently. He has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia and spinal arthritis. He also has difficulty with his front legs. I don’t think surgery is an option because he would need almost his entire body operated on. I have him on a raw diet and numerous supplements. There are no alternative therapy vets near where I live. Is there anything else I can do for him? Thank you.
Hi Kim,
If your supplement regime (a pretty good one) is not working then you may need to try the prescription drugs. Used intermittently or longer term they can help a lot. You will need to discuss this with your vet. NSAIDs like Rimadyl as well as pain killer like tramadol or gabapentin can help a lot.
Is he unwell in himself with all this? Or just happy but stiff. There is also an immune mediated polyarthritis to consider if he really does seem unwell. This is very different from the wear and tear arthritis and I mention it because of the lack of any other problems on x-ray 18 months ago. Again, your vet would be the best to discuss this with.
Let me know.
Dr Chris
[...] Joint Problems and CareDog Arthritis and Common Joint Problems Part 2 – The Back Legs [...]
My vet just diagnosed my 3 year old Chihuahua as having knee dysplasia. he indicated there wasn’t much that could be done (unless I opted for $1500 surgery). He indicated that arthritis will be a factor as she ages. Is there anything I can currently do to put off or even prevent the inflammation and pain of arthritis later?????
Sorry to hear that about your little girl. Surgery IS the best option but because she is small she is likely to improve with time even if you do not have surgery. This is because scar tissue will form around the joint and (kind of) stabilize the knee. I know some small (but older) dogs that never got around to the surgery but I would suggest you save and get it done in the next 6 months or so if you can. Many humans would wait that long to get their knee done. If you don't have surgery she will 100% get some pretty severe arthritis in that knee and may well do the other knee.
In the meanwhile you want to slow down the progression of arthritis. I would be using something like Dasuquin in combination with high dose fish oils, with some prescription anti-inflammatories as needed. Expect her to be up and down with her lameness.
Hi Sherri…I’ve had 4 shih tzu’s and one of mine had problems that made her limp. I took her to a vet and was told she had hip displaycia…..My vet was out of town…when she came back I had my dog re-examined by my vet. My dog ended up only having a luxating patella(knee cap) hip displaycia is hereditary…
surgery is very expensive! There should be medicine you can give your dog daily to help with her pain. I give my older dogs arthritis pills….well good luck!
There is lots to help with the pain and the NSAIDs are often best here if they are proved safe for your dog. Also a joint supplement to minimize the ongoing cartilage damage from the luxating knee cap. I like to operate on these guys, they do well long term and often no need for supplements. If you add up the cost of a lifetime of drugs versus surgery it is not that different
plus they do better on their leg.
I have had a few dogs escape my scalpel blade and do well up until about 8-10 years of age and then start to get sore. The owners are often not happy for surgery by this age so we try trigger point therapy which helps quite a lot.
My dog has developed some hip issues. I found your blog and enjoyed reading about some of the causes for hip problems. My boy is 10 now, and I am trying to find ways to help him grow older without pain and stiffness.
I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
Most dogs with hip arthritis were born with it, so he has done well so far
Dogs tolerate hip pain remarkably well, especially if they can stay well muscled in the back legs because that helps stabilize the joints. I would have your vet check him and I would make sure he has no spinal problems as this can complicate arthritis treatment. See my blog post on this.
If you have been reading this blog you will know the importance of weight control and exercise, with some simple physio thrown in if you can.
Medically the aim is to slow the progression of arthritis and relieve pain with a combination of joint protectors (like Dasuquin but there are plenty of brands), high dose fish oils and a prescription pain killer like Tramadol as needed. The veterinary anti-inflammatories I would keep in reserve for now. There is a LOT that can be done, so keep me posted here or on Facebook.
[...] by dogarthritisdoc Hip dysplasia or the abnormal growth of your dog’s hips can and will lead to dog arthritis in their later years. This condition is also hereditary in dogs of larger breeds like German [...]
[...] View the original article here This entry was posted in Canine Arthritis and tagged Arthritis, Common, Joint, Problems. Bookmark the permalink. ← Dog Arthritis and Common Joint Problems Part 1 – The Front Legs [...]
[...] This post was Twitted by dogarthritisdoc [...]