Older cats and dogs often suffer from this disease.
Dogs and cats have become a member of many families. All the people who have a pet at home take care of it and love it as if it were another brother, which is why it is very painful to see when your dog or cat begins to age. If your pet begins to find it difficult to climb the stairs or no longer gets up as easily as before, the first symptoms of osteoarthritis may appear.
The first signs can go unnoticed by the owners, but these cases are key to start treating a problem that will mark the rest of the life of your dog or cat. In many cases osteoarthritis in dogs is directly related to old age, but it can also be due to other factors such as genetics, obesity or trauma.
Animals older than 12 years are more at risk of osteoarthritis. This disease can cause acute pain, its evolution is slow and it affects your pet’s mobile joints, mainly the elbow, hip and knees. This disease gradually degenerates the articular cartilage causing difficulty in mobility, stiffness and chronic pain. For this reason, it is very important to attend to your pet to find out if it is suffering from this type of disease, treat it as soon as possible and prevent it from becoming chronic.
The main symptoms
In the Canine and Feline Geriatrics Manual of the veterinarian Salvador Cervantes Sala, you can find a series of symptoms that will alert you that your pet is beginning to suffer from osteoarthritis. Although it is very important to comply with the check-ups with the vet, it must be taken into account that in a series it is very difficult to observe all the changes in the behavior of your dog or your cat, so the owners must be very attentive to their day. a day. Owners should always save their pet’s x-rays to be able to identify bone changes in the joints and nearby tissues.
– If your pet no longer feels like interacting with your family or other animals so much, if he is restless, breathes faster, shows an altered facial expression and his body temperature varies, these may be some signs that he is suffering from osteoarthritis. If he moves away when you caress him in certain areas of his body, it may be because it causes pain. You will especially notice it in their character, they will be more tired and irritable and not wanting to interact with anyone.
How to treat osteoarthritis in your pet
To help treat your pet’s osteoarthritis, the first thing you should do is follow all the veterinarian’s recommendations and guidelines. You must supply the medications that have been prescribed to your pet and also prevent it from falling into a sedentary lifestyle. A correct diet, applying heat, giving massages and adapting the house so that it can move easily can be steps that will greatly help the relief of your pet.
In addition, you can buy orthopedic beds or cold-insulating mats, aerobic exercise prescribed by specialized physiotherapists can also be very beneficial. Finally, you must have constant control of your pet’s weight.
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