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(303) 237-9542
2525 Youngfield St.
Golden, CO 80401
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Arthritis
Arthritis, or degenerative joint disease, is the number one cause of chronic pain in dogs and cats. This condition is the result of long term stress placed on a joint, and can arise secondary to a previous injury, or a poorly conformed joint. During your pet’s exam, our veterinarians will manipulate all of your pet’s joints looking for signs of pain, discomfort, or crepitus (clicking or grinding of the joint when moved). If these signs are noted, x-rays of the joint are normally recommended to determine the cause of these abnormal signs. Many times, signs of degenerative joint disease are found on these x-rays including new bone formation within or around the joint, or signs of a poorly conformed joint. If your pet is diagnosed with arthritis, we will discuss many things you can do at home for your pet, in addition to a large number of treatments we can offer your pet.
Home Care
Overweight pets have significantly more pain and inflammation than pets of a normal weight, and do significantly worse with arthritis. In addition to heavier pets having more weight to carry on diseased joints, fat cells have been shown to produce chemicals which contribute to inflammation in the body, actually making existing joint disease worse! The best thing you can do for your arthritic pet is to help him or her lose weight. Please talk to our veterinarians for pet weight loss suggestions.
Regular exercise, in addition to helping your pet lose weight, will help improve joint mobility. Muscle strength will also be improved with exercise, providing support to the diseased joint. While vigorous exercise may be difficult or detrimental to your arthritic pet, frequent light exercise can provide a huge benefit.
Physical therapy can also provide a huge benefit for your pet. Extension and flexion of the affected joints and massage of the associated muscles will help improve joint flexibility, range of motion, and help relieve pain. Limited physical therapy can be performed by pet owners at home, or more advanced physical therapy can be provided by our staff at Mesa.
Nutraceuticals
Nutraceuticals are nutrients that have been shown to have medicinal properties. These products are considered a starting point for management of joint disease. In general, nutraceuticals will always be long term supplements, and require weeks to months to build to a level where they can provide a benefit.
A quick word about nutraceuticals – these products are not regulated by the FDA. This means that the normal rigorous testing for efficacy is not performed and dose recommendations can widely vary. This also means that manufacturers are not subject to testing of their products to ensure potency, digestibility, and accuracy of labeling. This essentially means that a certain nutraceuticals supplement may provide no benefit to your pet. At Mesa Veterinary Hospital, we carry nutraceuticals products that have been subject to independent testing to ensure that you are getting what you expect. These products have also been used by many pet owners under our veterinarian’s supervision, so you can be assured that these products actually work.
Glucosamine and Chondroitin
These products are components of the cartilage itself, and by taking them orally as a supplement, your animal will have these basic building blocks of cartilage around for the body to use to repair damaged cartilage that comes with joint disease. These products may also have anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce pain and inflammation when given long term. These nutraceuticals should be given to your pet every day, if needed. We recommend the glucosamine/chondroitin supplement Dasuquin.
MSM
Methyl Sulfonyl Methane (MSM) is found in plant and animal tissues and is a natural anti-inflammatory agent. In addition, it is a natural source of sulfur, which is a component of the glycosaminoglycans that are part of the normal joint cushioning. The joint supplement that we recommend, Dasuquin, contains MSM.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
The most common source of Omega 3 fatty acids is fish oil. These fatty acids are used by the body to produce chemicals that block inflammation and can be a very potent tool in managing joint disease. Dogs and cats are able to use DHA and EPA, but not other types of Omega 3 fatty acids which can be present in some supplements. Additionally, certain supplements may contain Omega 6 fatty acids, which are converted by the body into chemicals that can cause inflammation. Talk with one of our vets about appropriate Omega 3 supplementation for your dog and we can guide you to an appropriate product.
Pharmaceuticals
There are a large number of pharmaceutical products that can be used to help manage pain and inflammation caused by your pet’s joint disease. These medications will generally provide immediate relief for your pet.
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are one of the most common pharmaceutical agents used to treat arthritis pain because they can immediately stop the inflammation associated with joint disease. Many owners have said that their dog acts like a puppy again after starting on an NSAID. Cats will only be prescribed an NSAID under special circumstances as they can be extra sensitive to them. These medications should only be used under the supervision of a veterinarian because they do carry some side effects. If NSAIDs are going to be used long term, bloodwork to monitor your pet’s liver and kidney status will be recommended to ensure safe usage of these drugs.
It is important that you never administer a human NSAID to a pet. The majority of human NSAIDs are toxic to pets and can cause severe liver or kidney disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, or red blood cell damage.
Analgesic medications
This is a broad class of medications that will modify or stop the sensation of pain by the body, but do not control inflammation like NSAIDs do. If NSAIDs and nutraceuticals are not sufficient to control your pet’s discomfort, our veterinarians may recommend an analgesic medication.
Legend/Adequan Injections
These products are similar to glucosamine and chondroitin in that they help the body repair damaged cartilage. By giving them as a series of injections, they are able to better target the damaged joints. An improvement is usually seen within a month, and treatment can be continued indefinitely. These medications are very safe as side effects are virtually non-existent.