Rather than have him on the cold tile, I tried several different dog beds in that spot … and he wouldn’t lay on any of them. Buster usually sleeps on his sofa, but at night he likes to lay at the foot of our bed for a bit. Knowing that a pet with arthritis often feels achey, it’s important to provide a comfortable place to rest. READ MORE ⇒ The Best Strollers for Medium Sized Dogs Since we’re doing well with our current approach, we haven’t given CBD another try. We tried CBD years ago to help relieve Buster of his anxiety in the car, and it actually made him more anxious. Many people are also using CBD to help their dogs with arthritis. To make the tablets more appetizing, we wrap them in thinly sliced hard salami, and Buster wolfs them down. In addition to the herbs Buster gets in the Sound Dog Viscosity, he also takes a combination of Chinese herbs formulated to benefit hips and knees – the areas where the arthritis gives him the most trouble. Along with herbs known for their anti-inflammatory properties, Sound Dog Viscosity also has chondroitin, which can helps strengthen bones and cartilage, and hyaluronic acid, which can contribute to proper joint lubrication. We found that each large chew of Sound Dog Viscosity from Herbsmith not only provided 1000 milligrams of glucosamine, but 1000 milligrams of MSM, which can help boost the body’s natural process of forming connective tissue. In fact, we attribute Ty and Buster’s long lives to the fact that they’ve eaten so well all these years!īefore beginning any supplement, you should discuss it with your veterinarian, and they’ll often recommend glucosamine for dogs with arthritis. It’s a human-grade pet food that’s gently dehydrated and contains natural ingredients, with no additives or preservatives. Much to Ty and Buster’s droolite, The Honest Kitchen has been our dog food sponsor for most of their lives. Over a couple months, he dropped those extra pounds and he’s nice and slim again.Ī healthy diet with natural ingredients can also help the body deal with the inflammation of arthritis. To get Buster back to a healthy weight, we reduced how much he was eating to correspond to his lower level of activity. Of course, carrying extra weight is also hard on the joints, which are already painful when arthritis sets in. And for now, Buster’s doing well with short walks. It’s too hard to locate and schedule treatment sessions given our nomadic lifestyle. Swimming is another excellent exercise for dogs with arthritis, but we haven’t tried it with Buster. But going too far can cause additional pain and stiffness. Moderate exercise helps reduce joint pain and keep muscles toned to support the joints. Once Buster had a confirmed diagnosis of arthritis, our first step was to walk him more frequently, but for shorter distances. And without as much exercise, he started getting a little chunky. One of the things that tipped us off to Buster’s arthritis was that he wanted to walk less. READ MORE ⇒ Could A Wheelchair Help Your Dog?ĭiet and exercise are key in maintaining a good quality of life for a dog with arthritis. Other treatment plans might include acupuncture, laser therapy, magnetic therapy, stem cell therapy, and ultrasound therapy.Įach veterinarian will have a preferred course of treatment and will advise you on which will be the most effective for your dog. And once you leave the vet, there are a number of things you can do at home to help your dog deal with arthritis. Drugs for pain, anti-inflammatories, or steroids can be prescribed. There are a number of medications your vet can recommend for a dog with arthritis. We had x-rays and blood work done to rule out other possible causes, and then we got busy figuring out how we could help our boy. In a 10-year-old German Shepherd, it wasn’t surprising to see some indications of arthritis developing. Squatting to urinate or urinating indoors.Lameness and/or stiffness (especially after rest).The signs of arthritis can be subtle, and many dogs are excellent at hiding their discomfort. It can strike dogs of any age, and about a year and a half ago, we started noticing some of the symptoms in Buster. Studies show that as many as one in five dogs suffers with arthritis.
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