Physiotherapy for dogs with osteoarthritis
Canine is a degenerative disease of the joints that affects cartilage, often a consequence of aging, but can also be caused by a joint abnormality, as in the case of hip dysplasia, or by trauma that causes a fracture.
- Osteoarthritis can’t be cured.
- But it’s possible to slow its progression and relieve the pain it causes in your dog.
- Veterinarians generally prescribe two types of treatments that only work for pain: anti-inflammatory medications for nonsteroidal canine osteoarthritis and corticosteroids.
- Veterinary physiotherapy is a good complementary treatment because it promotes cartilage regeneration and works well in dogs with osteoarthritis.
- In this peritoAnimal article we will explain what physiotherapy is for dogs with osteoarthritis.
- Its benefits and the importance of identifying osteoarthritis in dogs as soon as possible.
Canine osteoarthritis is joint degeneration and is one of the most obvious effects of aging in our dogs.One of the first symptoms of this disease is that the dog begins to move less, a symptom that many guardians overlook and believe this is normal, a widespread loss of physical condition caused by age.
Then, more specific symptoms of osteoarthritis appear: the dog that followed you everywhere now refuses to get in or out of the car, the sofa or stops in front of the stairs, you may also have trouble getting up after a long, long period of Over time, you can even limove after exercising or limping permanently.Acute osteoarthritis attacks can occur with very severe pain and it is usually at this late stage when we notice the problem and consult our veterinarian.
If you think your dog is in pain, we suggest that you read the article about 5 signs of pain in dogs.
Dog osteoarthritis causes a decrease in your dog’s activity, which has the following consequences:
Physiotherapy is the set of curative or preventive treatments based on the action of water, movements, thermal agents (cold and hot), electricity, sound waves and light.Most of the techniques applied to humans have been adapted to animals in veterinary physiotherapy, which have benefited in recent years from very advanced techniques, such as canine physiotherapy.
There is no unique physiotherapy treatment for dogs with osteoarthritis, each case is different and only a veterinarian trained in functional rehabilitation can determine, after examining the dog, which physiotherapy exercises suit him.
Depending on the case, physiotherapy techniques may involve
It is important that all the techniques you apply to your dog with osteoarthritis at home, under the direction of your veterinarian, are atraumatic and painless, if your dog suffers from osteoarthritis, jumping, doing streets, running on hard floors, going up and down the stairs These are activities that we do not recommend, on the contrary, prefer small walks and, above all when possible, allow your dog to swim in the water, as it is an excellent way to practice natural and gentle physiotherapy that strengthens the muscles and joints of your partner .
If your dog has osteoarthritis, physical therapy is a good option to help him fight this degenerative disease; with proper care, physical therapy allows:
The sooner you act, the more effective the therapeutic treatment for canine osteoarthritis offered by the veterinarian, since the lesions caused by osteoarthritis at the bone level are irreversible, so it is better to prevent them from appearing.
As for problems secondary to osteoarthritis, such as amyotrophy, hookworm and body weight gain, physiotherapy can also help fight them, but it will take longer if it starts at an advanced stage of the disease.
For best results and prevent diseases such as osteoarthritis in dogs, you can start practicing physiotherapy in your dog from the age of 5, for large breeds, and a little later for small breeds, in the case of dogs with hip dysplasia or osteoarticular problems, regular follow-up is required as soon as the disease is diagnosed.
It’s never too late to help your dog and physiotherapy will improve their comfort and mobility in any case.
Take the opportunity to consult this Article of Animal Expert with the 10 tips to choose a good veterinarian.
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any type of diagnosis, we suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Degenerative Diseases section.