Posts Tagged ‘hip dysplasia’
Causes of Dog Arthritis
Dog Arthritis and its causes can be broken down into two main categories and two subcategories:
- Degenerative Joint Disease:
Degenerative Joint Disease develops from acute or chronic trauma to a joint.
Acute Traumatic Arthritis – marked by a sudden injury or accident of some sort.An injury that disrupts the joints will cause inflammation that will then have the potential to lead to dog arthritis.It is possible that deterioration of the joint will not set in if the degree of the injury was minimal.
Repeat trauma-induced arthritis – brought on by any repetitive stress on unstable joints. The joints may be unstable in a dog that has poor conformation or the activity itself my cause instability. A young puppy with developing joints is also suseptible to trauma to the joints if asked to do repetitive strenuous exercise such as jogging long distances.Being overweight will subject the joints to excessive stress.In most cases you will not notice any signs of pain until it is too late, the damage is extensive.This is true because cartilage does not contain any nerves.Pain sets in only after extensive damage has occurred to the cartilage.
Stress or trauma, whether it be acute or chronic, causes the joints to release large amounts of an enzyme that breaks down cartilage. This is a normal enzyme that would normally maintain a balance of buildup and breakdown of cartilage, however in the case of arthritis, the break down occurs too rapidly.
Degenerative Joint Disease cannot be entirely reversed but it can be managed with weight control, exercise, and arthritis medicine for dogs.Dog arthritis medicine can include nutritional supplements and homeopathic remedies. Glucosamine for dogs is a particularly popular and effective way to help manage the pain of dog arthritis. The safety of glucosamine for dogs is also an important factor.
2. Inflammatory Joint Disease:
Inflammatory Joint Disease is less common than degenerative joint disease and develops from either an infection or an autoimmune disorder causing inflammation in a joint.
Infective Arthritis – can occur if a joint becomes infected as a result of a wound, such as a bite or penetrating object. The other possible route of infection is from the bloodstream.The treatment includes veterinary care in the form of antibiotics and potentially draining and cleaning directly into the joint.
Autoimmune Arthritis – normally affects multiple joints. Rheumatoid Arthritis is an example of an autoimmune arthritis.In an autoimmune disorder, the body does not recognize its own tissues but rather reacts as if it was a foreign substance. The underlying cause of auto immune arthritis in dogs is not known.
Inflammatory joint disease requires immediate attention from a veterinarian and medications available only from a veterinarian.