Know the Symptoms: Causes and Prevention of Joint Pain in Dogs

Joint pain in dogs that are advanced in age is very common, read about how you can keep your pet from suffering!

As your pet grows older, their joint flexibility begins to decrease and arthritis begins to set in. Since we all love our pets like family, no one likes to see them hurting. You should be prepared with some effective ways to recognize joint pain in dogs. Your vigilance towards your pet’s wellbeing can make them live longer and healthier. So it’s important that you should know everything about joint pain in dogs like symptoms, causes and prevention.

Joint Pain Symptoms

Arthritis is a result of inflammation in cartilage. Generally, middle-aged and older pets fall prey to this painful condition. If your pet has regular visits to the veterinarian clinic, you can understand the symptoms and easily identify whether your pet is showing signs of this or not. Here are some usual symptoms of joint pain:

Staggering – If your pet walks clumsily or is unable to run quickly and smoothly, it can be arthritic joints causing the sluggishness. Try to observe which leg your pet favors from future vet visits.

Sluggishness – Arthritis is a painful condition. Your dog can become lethargic. Your pet won’t be interested to go out for a walk. Instead, it will be lying at one place.

Exasperation – Pets can become annoyed more easily while suffering from joint pain. They can lash out is touched or moved in a particular way, especially if it increases their pain.

Thinner Legs – Over time muscle tissues of your pet will atrophy do to disuse. As a result, the arthritic leg of your pet will tend to look thinner than others.

Appetite Loss – Pets tend to lose weight because of appetite loss. However, this could be a symptom of many other conditions. If your pet has suddenly dropped in weight, make an appointment with your veterinarian immediately.

Crying – Your pet will cry because of intense pain. They generally pant or squeal if the pain becomes overwhelming.

Joint Pain Causes

There are many causes of joint pain in dogs. It includes ligament, tendon, or muscle disease, developmental disorders, dietary and hormonal disease, overweightness, metabolic disorders, osteoarthritis, inflammation, etc.

You should consult a veterinarian who can advise you the ways to help alleviate joint pain in dogs. For such a common issue, many Sarasota veterinarians well-versed in how you can manage joint pain in your dogs.

How to Manage Joint Pain in Dogs

Medical treatments can be very expansive, and certain options used when all other ways fail to alleviate pain. You should take advice from a vet about nutrition and supplements that you can incorporate in your pet’s diet. Sarasota veterinarians also give physical therapy treatments to arthritic pets that can include light therapy for pets, which is a great way to help reduce inflammation and swelling.