Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

402 •DOG OWNER’S HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK
Treating Osteoarthritis
Degenerative joint disease is incurable, but treatment can substantially improve
the dog’s life. Treatment involves physical therapy and weight control, the use of
analgesics and corticosteroids to relieve pain and improve function, and the use
of chondroprotective agents to repair joint cartilage and prevent further damage.
Acupuncture is another therapy that has shown good results for arthritic dogs.
All of these should be used at the same time. (See the chart on pages 404–405 for
an overview of medications used to treat osteoarthritis.)
Acupuncture and physical therapy are alternative or additional ways to
make arthritic dogs comfortable.
In severe cases, surgical fusion of painful joints, such as the hock or elbow,
relieves pain and restores limb movement in some dogs.
Physical Therapy
Moderate exercise is beneficial because it maintains muscle mass and preserves
joint flexibility. Excessive exercise, however, is counterproductive.
Arthritic dogs should not be allowed to jump up and down and should never
be encouraged to stand up on their back legs. Dogs with pain and lameness
should be exercised on a leash or a harness. There are veterinary physical
therapists who can help design an exercise (and weight loss) program.
Swimming is an excellent exercise that improves muscle mass without
overstressing the joints. Exercise can be increased as the dog improves with
the use of medications.
Overweight dogs should be encouraged to lose weight, as described in
Weight Reduction, page 308. Being overweight seriously complicates the treatment
of osteoarthritis.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
These are anti-inflammatory medications, but they do not repair or heal cartilage.
Ideally, they would be used along with supplements and given with
food. These do provide rapid relief from pain.
A few NSAIDs have chondroprotective characteristics, which means they
protect against the breakdown of cartilage. Others, such as aspirin, actually
destroy cartilage in the dosage required for pain relief. This is one reason why
aspirin is used less frequently for treating osteoarthritis.
The NSAIDs most often recommended are prescription medications.
Newer medications have been developed that offer significant advantages
over aspirin and the older NSAIDs. Rimadyl (carprofen) is an excellent drug
with a low incidence of gastrointestinal side effects that has proven itself over
time. It must be given daily. Rimadyl provides good pain relief and seems to
slow the arthritic process. There are no detrimental effects on cartilage.
Labrador Retrievers, and possibly a few other breeds, may show a higher predisposition
for liver toxicity with Rimadyl. Etogesic (etodolac) is another