This year, I joined the Canine Chronic Pain Symposium 2024 which involved over 30 hours of CPD, all understanding the different components of osteoarthritis, how we can help and how it influences our dogs. In this blog, you will discover some very valuable information that I found particularly interesting and I hope it helps you, as owners, to understand the disease from a physiological point of view.
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Here's some take home points to consider:
· Extra body weight does not directly contribute to the progression of Osteoarthritis (OA) in terms of weight, it is the extra body fat that contributes to inflammatory responses.
· Cartilage loves loading and can adapt.
· Cartilage gets its nutrients through compression and load. Chrondyctes are specialised cells that make collagen and aggregan and they love load!
· Nutrition can also play an important factor in the management of OA such as reduced fat levels in what you feed your dog.
· Muscle contraction can release IL-6 which can reduce inflammation.
THOUGHTS – If cartilage loves loading, then why does it hurt to move when you have OA?
· When your pet has OA, it will result in their pain system to become hypersensitive.
· OA increases body wide inflammation which means, if your pet has OA in one joint, its likely that your pet feels pain elsewhere even though they have no pathology there.
· The amount of pain present does not reflect the amount of tissue damage.
TREATMENT
· Exercise/Activity – inflammation decreases as it stimulates anti-inflammatory cytokines and increases your dogs confidence.
· Slowly increase to exercise over time, decreases the over protectiveness of the pain system
· Strengthening exercises can reduce inflammation in the joint.
REMEMBER: do not go over your dog’s pain tolerance and boundary as this can have negative affects on their threshold and may reduce their ‘safe’ zone tolerance when it comes to exercise. Increase gradually if there’s no stiffness after exercise.
PHYSIOTHERAPY
You may be thinking, well where do I start? How do I know I'm doing too much? Well... we are here to help!
Has your dog been diagnosed with arthritis?
If your dog has already been to the vets and been diagnosed with arthritis then we're good to go. Physiotherapy can help in a variety of ways. We're here to offer advice and get your best friend back on their feet. Take a look at what's involved in a Physiotherapy session here. Physiotherapy can aid the symptoms of arthritis by decreasing inflammation and pain, improving joint range of motion and mobility and help increase muscle mass around the arthritic joints to help support. Please contact us if you require any more information or you wish to book an appointment.
Is your dog showing signs of arthritis?
You may have seen a difference in your dog but you're not quite sure where to start. My recommendation would be to go straight to your vets. By law, they are the only professional that can diagnose. Once we have a diagnosis we can continue with physiotherapy.
Common signs of arthritis in dogs:
Limping or Lameness: Your dog may favour one or more limbs, resulting in a noticeable limp.
Stiffness: Especially after resting or first thing in the morning, your dog may appear stiff and slow to move.
Difficulty Moving: Reluctance or difficulty in getting up, climbing stairs, jumping, or even walking.
Pain: Your dog may show signs of pain when touched or when moving.
Decreased Activity: Reduced interest in playing, walking, or general activity.
Changes in Behaviour: Irritability, aggression, or changes in temperament due to discomfort.
Muscle Atrophy: Loss of muscle mass around the affected joints due to reduced use.
Swelling: Joints may appear swollen or tender to the touch.
Licking, Chewing, or Biting: Your dog may lick or chew at the painful areas.
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