Opening Hours:
| Mon
- Fri |
8am
- 7pm |
| Sat |
9am
- 2pm |
| Sun |
10am
- 12pm |
(03) 9751 2999
Email:
drvc@bigpond.com
Address:
1449 Mt Dandenong
Tourist Road
Olinda 3788 |
|
|
Submit
your details to receive updates via email:
|
|
|
Date posted:
Arthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD) is a progressive and permanent deterioration of the articular cartilage in joints.
Just like humans, dogs commonly suffer from arthritis. This condition can affect more than one in five dogs and occurs due to the cumulative effect of abnormal stressors placed on the joints. These abnormal stressors are usually due to abnormal alignment of the bones, trauma, ageing or obesity as the joint must carry a larger load than it is supposed to.
Clinical signs of arthritis may include any of the following: reluctance to walk, climb stairs, jump or play, limping, lagging behind on walks, difficulty rising from a rest position, yelping in pain when touched, personality changes.
In order to correctly make a diagnosis of arthritism a full musculoskeletal examination must first be done to rule out any other causes of lameness. This includes palpation of all muscles, bones and joints as well as specific tests to look for laxity of tendons and ligaments.
X-rays should also be done and these can give important information about which joints are effected and how far the disease has progressed. From this information, we know what treatments should be instituted to give the best results.
There are several treatment options available for arthritis, these include non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, cartrophen injections, natural supplements such as sashas blend, weight loss, padded bedding and gentle exercise. A new diet is now available, called Hills j/d. This is a prescription diet containing a unique fatty acid (EPA) that modifies the genes to block the enzyme causing cartilage degradation. Many dogs experience significant pain releif whilst on this diet.
|
|
[Back To Top]
|
|
Other Health Issues:
-
ARTICLE OF THE MONTH
-
Can Kidney Disease be Detected Early?
-
Help! My Mare behaves Badly!
-
How do I Prevent Founder in my Horse?
-
How Poisonous is Snail Bait?
-
I Found a Tick on my Dog!
-
Is Chocolate Bad for Dogs?
-
Is it a Spider Bite?
-
Is Rat Bait Poisonous?
- My Dog has Arthritis, what can I do?
-
My Dog is Scared of Thunderstorms!
-
Off-Lead Areas for Dogs
-
Preventing Car Sickness Puppies?
-
Preventing Dental Disease
-
Puppy and Kitten Vaccinations
-
Reducing the cost of Vet Bills
-
Summer Toxins
-
What do I do if my Horse has Colic?
-
What is Feline AIDS?
-
What Shall we do with an itchy Dog?
|
