With the approaching cooler weather our senior pets can start to slow down especially in the mornings. Like us, dogs and cats can have problems like arthritis. Difficulty getting out of bed, stiff walking when first getting up and whimpering or crying are all signs of arthritis.

Arthritis is a degenerative joint disease causing pain and stiffness in our senior dogs, and to a lesser extent cats. Our pets seem to be more stoic than us and tend to suffer in silence. That is why such problems can go unnoticed until they are quite advanced, which can make treatment more difficult. Arthritis is more evident in the cooler times of the year and especially after extensive exercise.

Joint problems are aggravated by excess weight, which can also affect the length of your pet’s life and quality of life. So feeding a restricted diet may be necessary to reduce your pet’s weight.

Often, regular gentle exercise helps to maintain mobility, as joints that do not have regular movement may stiffen up, making your pet less active. Exercises such as swimming are ideal for dogs.

Giving your pets comfortable bedding such as a hammock style away from cold draughts will aid to cushion affected joints.

The good news for you and your pet is that medical care for these problems has advanced rapidly in recent years. There are several medications available which support the repair of degenerated joints and help to reduce the degenerative process.

These medications are probably our first. However, once the arthritis becomes more advanced, treatment with painkillers becomes necessary. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents are used to reduce pain and inflammation in the joints so improving the pet’s quality of life.

If your pet is suffering this winter please give us a call, we would love to help.

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