Top Five Myths about Dog Arthritis
Here is a post that I was asked to write for www.dogquality.com. It talks about the myths around dog arthritis, so please check it out and have a look at Ann-Marie’s site while you are there.
Christopher
Dog arthritis is a debilitating disease that affects one out of five dogs. To treat the disease, NSAIDs are a very common medication prescribed by many veterinarians. NSAIDs stand for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These medications alleviate the pain and the inflammation caused by dog arthritis. They do this by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory enzyme prostaglandin. Unfortunately, when NSAIDs suppress the inflammatory properties of prostaglandin, they also suppress the enzyme’s other functions.
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Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs are drugs with analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-pyretic (fever reducing) properties. In higher dosages, they are able to suppress inflammation as well. Being nonsteroidal means that they are used as an alternative for steroid-based medications such as cortisone that also have the same properties. The most popular examples of NSAIDs are aspirin and ibuprofen.
NSAIDs are able to reduce pain and inflammation by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. In veterinary medicine, there are two kinds of NSAIDS: the new ones and the traditional NSAIDs. The difference between the two is that the former only inhibits COX-2 prostaglandin while the latter inhibits both COX-1 and COX-2 prostaglandins.
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Vets are now advocating dog owners to be an important part of their dogs’ arthritis treatment. An effective dog arthritis treatment plan is no longer only composed of a list of medications and supplements your dog must take – physical therapy is now included.
Unfortunately veterinary bills are usually not included in the monthly budget. Paying for dog medications can be heavy on the pocket, making dog physical therapy sessions unaffordable for many people. That is why more vets are informing their clients that in many cases they do not need expensive equipment or the services of a professional dog physiotherapist; all they need is the time and energy to help their dog cope with dog arthritis.
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Dog sports test a dog in many ways – speed, endurance, strength, agility, and intelligence. They are a fun way for people and their dogs to meet in friendly competition, but they can also result in injury. Most of these injuries are to the musculoskeletal system and may lead to dog arthritis.
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