Arthritis is inflammation in a joint. There are many possible reasons for arthritis, including infection, immune system disease, joint deformity, trauma, and more. In its most common form in pets, arthritis is a progressive and permanent deterioration of the joint.

Diagnosis of the problem is made by the pet's history and signs. For many pets we also recommend xrays and palpation of the joints while the patient is anesthetized. It is often worthwhile to complete this baseline evaluation with a blood profile and urinalysis.  

There are, unfortunately, no treatments that will completely stop or reverse the progression of arthritis. Affected pets can have a very favorable prognosis, however, if they are given the benefit of the following therapies. There are arthritis treatments other than those discussed here, but we have found that these are the most worthwhile.

MULTIMODAL APPROACH

NUTRITIONAL THERAPY

ACTIVITY

SUPPLEMENTS

  GLUCOSAMINE / CHONDROITIN

  HIGH-DOSE FATTY ACIDS

MEDICATION

LASER THERAPY

MULTIMODAL APPROACH  Perhaps the most important strategy for managing an arthritic pet is to use multiple therapies at the same time. All of these treatment options are complementary.  

NUTRITIONAL THERAPY  Excessive body weight obviously places more stress on joints. What is not so obvious is that a patient's body fat produces hormone-like substances that provoke inflammation. This inflammation occurs throughout the patient's body, including in the joints. 

Any pet that is overweight, whether it is by very little or quite a lot, will benefit significantly from being dieted down to its ideal weight. One simple option for starting a diet is to continue to feed the same foods and treats that you are using now, and decrease the total consumption by 25%. Weigh your pet at the start of this diet, and reweigh it in a month. 

There are other options to aid weight loss, including Prescription Diets and medications. We recommend an exam and consultation prior to starting a diet. We will help you develop a weight loss strategy, and then we will help you monitor the program.

ACTIVITY  Activity is the only thing that will definitely help an arthritic pet maintain muscle mass and tone, and healthy joint tissues and fluid. Activity should be daily, and the amount and type should be tailored to your pet's needs and abilities, and should not leave it feeling exceptionally sore afterward. For some pet's a walk around the inside of the house is sufficient; for others it might be a 5 mile run in the woods.

SUPPLEMENTS  We recommend two supplements for arthritic pets: glucosamine/chondroitin and high-dose fatty acids (also known as fish oil and omega 3s and 6s). It is vitally important to note that these products only work if they are given every day. They cannot be used on an as-needed basis and expected to work.

It is equally important to note that many dog and cat foods contain some glucosamine/chondroitin and fatty acids, but, with the sole exception of the fatty acid content of Prescription Diet J/D, no food contains these supplements in sufficient quantities to be considered therapeutic. They should always be given in addition to the pet's regular diet.

GLUCOSAMINE / CHONDROITIN  This supplement improves the quality of cartilage and joint fluid. There are many versions of this supplement available, and they are not all created equally. Manufacturers are not required to meet the same standards with these products that pharmaceutical manufacturers have to meet and consequently some glucosamine/chondroitin have very little digestible, absorbable glucosamine/chondroitin in them.

One manufacturer, Nutramax Labs, aims to be the leader in nutraceuticals by voluntarily producing their products using the same exacting quality control with which drugs are produced. Dasuquin is Nutramax's best glucosamine/chondroitin product, and is our recommendation for pets.

HIGH-DOSE FATTY ACIDS   We have long-known that fatty acids have antiinflammatory effects. What we have learned more recently is that higher doses of fatty acids have better antiarthritic effects than standard doses.

Once again, quality is important, and the Nutramax product Welactin is our recommendation. High-dose therapy typically involves administering two to three times the amount recommended on the label of Welactin and other veterinary fatty acid products. We will calculate the correct dose for your pet As noted earlier, Prescription Diet J/D contains enough fatty acid to qualify as high-dose therapy (and it is also a excellent maintenance diet); if you feed J/D you do not also need to give an separate fatty acid supplement. 

MEDICATION  In addition to supplements, most dogs benefit greatly from regularly taking an nsaid (nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug). The latest generation of the dog-specific version of nsaids has been available for several years. They are extremely safe and effective. Our three favorites are Previcox, Metacam and Rimadyl.

Aspirin is an original nsaid, and it is still an good drug. It is not as safe and effective as the dog-specific medications, however. Please do not give your dog or cat aspirin or any of the other nsaids intended for people unless directed to do so by your veterinarian.

There are no nsaids approved for long-term use in cats.

Some of our arthritic patients take more than one medication. The most common situations involves pets that have been on an nsaid for some time and are not responding as well as they once did, and pets that have a fair but not good response to an nsaid. Examples of other medications that we have used very successfully for management of arthritis are gabapentin, amantidine, and corticosteroids. (Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, are a very effective treatment for arthritis but they are usually not our first choice; while they relieve the pain they also speed up the deterioration of the joint tissues to some degree.)

LASER THERAPY  Therapeutic laser treatment is a relatively new mode of arthritis treatment. It involves application of laser light to affected joints. This therapy has been shown to slow the progress of the disease and provide pain relief. A laser treatment session takes no more than 10 to 15 minutes and is not painful - it actually feels good! A typical schedule of laser treatments is an induction of three treatments in the first week, two in the second week and one in both the third and fourth weeks, followed by maintenance treatments ranging from once weekly to once monthly. We will individualize a schedule for your pet.