What is arthritis?
Osteoarthritis is the number one cause of chronic pain in dogs, affecting one in five adult dogs, with the incidence more than doubling in dogs seven years and older. It is a degenerative disease that causes pain, loss of mobility, and a decreased quality of life. Dogs can develop other types of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis, spinal stenosis, spondylitis, or spondylosis. Signs of canine arthritis include stiffness when getting up or lying down, limping, slowing down on walks, pain after exercise, or reluctance to jump or climb steps. It’s important to recognize the signs of arthritis in dogs and begin treatment early, to slow the progression and help preserve your dog’s quality of life. It’s extremely important when dealing with a dog who has arthritis to keep him as lean as possible. Extra weight puts added stress on the joints, and makes it harder for your dog to get proper exercise.
Supplements for your four legged babies?
A high quality, complete and balanced food formulated for your dog’s specific life stage and lifestyle will meet all the essential nutrients to maintain optimal health. When your dog shows signs of arthritis, there are a number of natural anti-inflammatory supplements that you can try before resorting to medications. Humans have used herbs for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Certain herbs reduce inflammation and are particularly helpful to arthritic dogs and people alike. Also certain foods may help with arthritis like celery, ginger, alfalfa, fruits like mango and papaya and cartilage are all good to add to the diet of a dog with arthritis. Remember that vegetables must be either cooked or pureed in a food processor, juicer, or blender to increase digestability by dogs, and fruits are more easily digestible when overripe. Carbohydrates supply the same number of calories as proteins do, but offer less nutritonal value to dogs. A low-carb, high-protein diet is better for a dog with arthritis than one that is high in carbs, which is more likely to lead to weight gain. Keep fat at moderate levels, to avoid weight gain.
Boswellia Serrata
Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world’s oldest medical treatment systems in India. Boswellia has been used for over three thousand years through ayurvedic medicines. It is also used for inflamed joints. This large tree native to India, is a potent anti-inflammatory that effectively shrinks inflamed tissue by improving circulation and increasing synovial fluid viscosity. Boswellia may help alleviate pain and improve range of motion within a week of daily use, and may slow the progression of cartilage damage. A bitter herb, boswellia is usually taken in capsules.
Glucosamine
The most common method of treating canine arthritis is the use of nutraceutical supplements called glycosaminoglycans or GAGs, also known as mucopolysaccharides. These include glucosamine – both the sulfate and the HCl forms and chondroitin sulfate, from sources such as chitin – the shells of shellfish, green-lipped mussel or perna canaliculus, and cartilage. Also included in this category are the injectable forms and Cartrophen or pentosan polysulfate. Although GAGs are usually the go-to treatment for arthritis in dogs, it is important to fully understand how these supplements work, and how to properly administer them to dogs. GAGs are important because they actually protect the joint rather than just reduce symptoms, by helping to rebuild cartilage and restore synovial joint fluid. GAGs may also have some preventative effect on arthritis, though this is speculative. Oral GAG products may be most effective if given separate from meals, though it’s fine to give them with food if needed. Always start with high doses so that you will be able to tell whether or not your dog responds. If you see improvement, you can then reduce the dosage to see if the improvement can be maintained at a lower dose. If you don’t see any change within three to four weeks, try another supplement. Different dogs respond differently to the various supplements.
Green Lipped Mussel – GLM
This edible shellfish has been a major part of the diet of the local population of New Zealand. In 1974 an American research program studying marine molluscs for anti-cancer properties found GLM to be a potentially natural remedy for arthritis. It naturally contained the components the body required to effectively give relief from the symptoms of arthritis without the adverse side effects associated with drug therapies and pain killers. The benefit comes as relief from joint pain, swelling and improvement in general mobility. Usually the improvement in these conditions is gradual and progressive, it is also usually long lasting and not temporary. Normally, the first thing to be noticed is a reduction in pain & swelling, which is then followed by gradual improvement in grip strength, freedom of movement or other mobility and all this without any adverse side effects of classical drug therapy. The reason for the benefit of GLM is because it contains anti-inflammatory agents, immune modulators and many essential proteins, minerals, glycosaminoglycans and marine long chain fatty acids, all naturally occurring substantial therapeutic agents known to maintain joint mobility and well-being. All these agents are needed to rebuild collagen, proteoglycans and synovial fluid found in all the joints, ligaments and tendons of the body. GLM contains the components to overcome arthritis and other auto-immune inflammatory conditions.
These are some supplements that address certain medical issues and could improve the health of your dog. It is always best to first discuss any medical concerns you have with your veterinarian and get their recommendation for supplements your dog may benefit from. It’s important to keep trying different combinations to find what works for your dog, as each dog is an individual, and what works for one may be different from what works for another.
