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Four legs can be
twice the problem!
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| A daily walk is not only good for your dog - your own health will benefit as well. |
DURING a cold snap, four legs can be twice the problem. The recent cold weather spells bad news for both pets and people with arthritis.
Cold weather can aggravate the joint pain felt by dogs and humans. If your dog seems to have the signs of arthritis the good news is your vet can help.
July was Pet Arthritis Month. Arthritis is equally as painful for dogs as it is for their masters and an animal's lifestyle can be restricted in the same way by pain, stiffness of joints and decreased mobility.
During Pet Arthritis Month, Pfizer Animal Health Group, together with Arthritis New Zealand, saw many more families focus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the painful condition.
Prevention measures for the four legged family members are the same as for the two legged members. Which is very handy because all the family can stay healthy together - weight control, good diet, regular exercise, and prompt attention and care for any joint injury are basic means to taking care of your body - and that of your pet. Diagnosis will involve professionals - the vet for your pet and a doctor for the humans.
The symptoms can be very similar - there may be visible symptoms such as knobbly joints, or other signs such as difficulty in walking or running, getting up and down, and even just general irritability.
A dog may also yelp when touched and will try to soothe aching joints by licking them. An early diagnosis is important so that appropriate treatment can be started immediately.
It may involve medication, a gentle exercise regime, providing warmth (heat packs) for the affected joint and lifestyle changes to prevent further damage.
It is also worth remembering that just as for people, who can feel irritable as a result of the pain and frustration of not being able to do things, so too can animals. A pet with sore joints should be handled with lots of care to avoid hurting it.
The saying: "If your dog is putting on weight then you are not getting enough exercise" is more true than ever if both you and your dog suffer from arthritis - you will both benefit from a daily walk, and if a long walk is not likely then take two shorter walks every day. A walk around the block is 100 times better than no walk at all - you don't have to climb any mountains for the exercise to be beneficial to both you and your dog.
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