Recognizing pain in aging dogs
However agile your dog is, it will age with time, so you need to get prepared on how to help it live comfortably during its final years. Every dog owner needs to know that as dogs age, changes in their behavior will be noticed.
The playful ball-chasing and constant running around furry friend that we associate with during the early years always gives way to adult dogs that characteristically nap in the sun and lounge during evening family times.
With senior dogs, learn to accept even more slowing down with the zest based on the understanding that dog old age is not a disease. As a dog owner, you need to make a distinction between normal age-related changes in dog behavior and abnormal behaviors that could be important signals of pain.
While joint support for dogs should not be a preserve of dogs of certain ages, if you have a senior dog, effective joint care is crucial.
Some obvious visible behaviors you should not ignore and which should trigger you to enhance joint care for your senior dog include avoiding slippery floor surfaces, limping or lameness, lying down while eating or drinking, difficulty getting up or slow to stand from a down position, reluctance or inability to jump onto furniture or into a car, reluctance to go up or down stairs, reluctance to raise the head to take a treat, reluctance to sit when asked, lazy sitting, and urinary or fecal accidents, among others.
Any of the foregoing signs should prompt you to visit a veterinarian so that the source of the dog’s pain can be identified and appropriate treatment can be commenced.
Joint support for dogs with arthritic pain and inflammation
Arthritis is usually the source of joint pain and inflammation in the majority of senior dogs. That is because with age, the cartilage in a dog’s joints becomes less and less, which makes them become inflamed, causes the bones to spur, and allows the retention of fluids. These consequences of damaged cartilage can cause the painful symptoms commonly associated with arthritis in dogs. The areas of a dog’s body most commonly affected are the knees, hips, elbows, and back. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that aren’t backbreaking that you can use to ease your senior dog’s painful and inflammatory joints and improve the quality of their lives, and it is all about dog joint medicine!
The effectiveness of dog joint meds in easing pain and inflammation in dogs
You can use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to ease the pain and inflammation experienced by your senior dog with arthritis. While these dog joint meds are not a cure for dog arthritis, they’re effective in controlling the pain and inflammation caused by the disease. They also help improve a dog’s mobility.
You can also ease your senior dog’s joint pain and inflammation by giving it a dog joint care supplement that your veterinarian precisely recommends for dogs. Dog joint supplements not only amplify the pain-relieving effects of NSAIDs, but they also have fewer side effects and may decrease the amount of joint med for dogs recommended to effectively relieve your dog’s pain and inflammation.
When my senior dog started to significantly slow down and I suspected the onset of arthritic pain, I approached a friend who is a consultant veterinarian with Antinol UK and also runs a vet clinic in my neighborhood. She told me that when she meets a new patient who has come for dog acupuncture services to address dog joint pain, the first thing she does is to start the dog on a dog joint care supplement.
Dog joint supplements are particularly good for senior dogs because they help to maintain the dog’s mobility, reduce inflammation, encourage the growth of new cartilage, prevent the breakdown of the existing cartilage, and limit the progression of joint diseases.
Should you give your senior dog joint supplements?
If you’re wondering whether you should give your senior dog joint care supplements, the answer is straightforward—do it right now! Even if your furry friend is not exhibiting signs of arthritic pain and inflammation, such as liming and licking joints, they still need dog joint supplements to prevent the onset of joint pain and inflammation.