Dog Arthritis Treatment

Dogs with arthritis should be under veterinary care, and your veterinary surgeon can determine which treatment, or treatment combination, is best for your dog. New generations of drugs to relieve pain are constantly being discovered. Incidentally, you should never give your dog or cat human products, such as aspirin or paracetamol as it can be fatal. Suitable products must be prescribed by your veterinary surgeon.

There are two types of medications in treating dog arthritis, namely :

1. Prescription only medications
2. Non-prescription medications

Prescription only medications

The commonest products used are the ‘non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs’ or NSAIDs. This group of drugs includes meloxicam, carprofen and tepoxalin. All of these products primarily work by reducing inflammation in the joints, hence relieving pain and improving mobility.

Most of these products work by blocking the biochemical pathways in the joint that lead to inflammation and pain. Which of these drugs will be chosen for your dog will depend on your veterinary surgeon, and there is often no way of predicting which one your dog will respond to best. For example, some dogs respond better to carprofen than meloxicam or tepoxalin. Others will respond better to meloxicam than carprofen or tepoxalin.

Carprofen comes in regular tablet form and also palatable tablets that most dogs enjoy. Meloxicam is a liquid that may be administered with food. Meloxicam comes with a dosing syringe that allows you to measure the correct amount depending on the weight of your dog. Tepoxalin comes in ‘fast-melt’ lyophilisate form, these are tablets that dissolve in your dog’s mouth, or can be put in food. It is generally thought to be best to give all non-steroidals with or after food, though these drugs rarely upset the stomach.

Boswellin is a type of commercial drug veterinarians may prescribe. Its job is to improve blood supply and ensure that the blood vessels are working normally. It provides for mobility of the joints and reduces instances of swelling.

Non-prescription medications

Current anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce inflammation and pain within an arthritic joint, but are not thought to help greatly in the regenerative process of the joint. In the past few years a number of products called nutraceuticals (e.g Synoquin for dogs, Cosequin for dogs, Seraquin) have had remarkable success in assisting dogs with various disorders, including arthritis.

A nutraceutical is defined as a food or naturally occurring food supplement thought to have a beneficial effect on health. Nutraceuticals are not considered medications and, while veterinary surgeons will commonly dispense these products, they can be obtained without a prescription. Among the most popular are chondroprotectives. These are substances that when eaten provide nutrients that are required for repair and maintenance of joint tissue.

Nutraceuticals with Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate (Sulfate) have been proven to aid dogs with osteoarthritis. There are many choices and it is very important to purchase a product that has been made by a manufacturer who maintains high manufacturing standards. Not all products have the same quantity or have the same quality of products listed on their ingredients. For example, similar-looking products may be purchased in high-street health food stores more cheaply but this is a false economy as they are not the same.

Products such as Synoquin, Cosequin and Seraquin are manufactured to strict pharmaceutical quality, meaning that the amounts of active ingredients are assured and impurities, which may affect the benefits of the active ingredients, are not present. This is not the case for many cheaper imitations, which may appear similar from the label.

For cartilage to grow and maintain its form and function within a joint, it requires specific compounds. The demands on your pet’s system to produce these specific nutrients are extremely high so increasing the supply of these compounds will guarantee their availability for your dog’s own repair processes to draw from.

Products such as Synoquin, Cosequin and Seraquin contain a unique combination of naturally occurring chondroprotective agents which provide the cartilage with its key building blocks. Supplementation with these products ensures much higher levels of chondroprotective agents than your dog could achieve from a normal diet. The body’s own maintenance and self repair processes can hence be optimised by natural supplementation.

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate (sulfate) are precursors of cartilage and by taking these precursors orally, a dog’s body can address cartilage breakdown with the ability to rebuild. Glucosamine may have anti-inflammatory properties of its own and/or may act by stimulating the synthesis of joint lubricants and collagen within the damaged joint.

Glucosamine makes the synovial fluid thick and gelatinous, which allows it to hold more water. This increases its cushioning and lubricating ability. Thus glucosamine has the ability to decrease friction and pain in the joint.

In addition, glucosamine may aid in rebuilding damaged cartilage. Though they control pain and inflammation, some NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) have been shown to do the opposite, actually causing the disease to progress at a faster rate. Glucosamine may thus protect against the detrimental effects of certain NSAIDs.

Chondroitin in fact is a glycosaminoglycan (these are the essential building blocks of cartilage and joint fluid) that is concentrated in joint cartilage. Like glucosamine, chondroitin helps produce substances needed for the formation of connective tissue. In addition, chondroitin (unlike glucosamine) also has the ability to protect existing cartilage from prematurely breaking down by inhibiting cartilage-destroying enzymes. Together (as in Synoquin, Cosequin and Seraquin), glucosamine and chondroitin work even more effectively than each one given on its own.

Seraquin, in addition to chondroitin and glucosamine, contains curcuminoids, extracted from the curcumin plant. These extracts are potent natural anti-oxidants which have powerful free radical scavenging properties. These curcuminoids reduce the destructive effects of free radicals on tissues including the joints.