New
Arthritis Treatment Options for Your Dog
by Dr. Karlye
Teders
Arthritis not
only effects the human population but can cause pain and suffering in our canine
Veterinarians
now have a variety of treatment options for animals to help counteract the pain of
arthritis and to help your dog live a more comfortable and active life.
Typical therapy
involves treating not only the pain of arthritis but attempting to rebuild the affected
joints, as well. Arthritis pain can be
treated through the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which are akin to very
potent aspirin but designed especially for dogs. The
two that we dispense most frequently in our clinic are called Etogesic and Rimadyl, and we
have had good success in terms of pain control with both of these products.
Treating the
pain is only part of the needed therapy, however. We
also seek to improve the joint environment, as well.
We recommend oral and injectable supplements which help to nourish and
replace the damaged cartilage in the joints, which is the root of all the arthritic
problems. The injectable product we use is
called Adequan and a dog gets a series of 6 shots over the course of 3 weeks, then one
shot every one to 6 months as needed. Adequan
contains polysulfated glycosaminoglycans which inhibit further breakdown of the cartilage
in the arthritic joints and also help to curtail joint inflammation. Along with the injections, we also recommend an
oral supplement of a product called Glyco-Flex which delivers cartilage pre-cursors which
the body needs in order to rebuild its cartilage.
The doctors at
Greens Fork Animal Hospital have had much success using the above protocol in older dogs
with arthritis, and in younger dogs as well. If
you worry about your dog’s ability to move around comfortably, we might be able to
design an arthritis therapy plan for him or her. Any
therapy plan would begin with an appointment which might include diagnostic tests such as
x-rays as well as discussions as to what the best options are for your pet.