Dogs and Arthritis...How Do Parents Help?

As you may have seen on our Twitter page yesterday, a friend's Newfoundland named Thor has bad arthritis and it seems to be getting worse.  I stayed with him last night while my friends went to training class with their Newfoundland puppy, Megan.   This advancement of Thor's pain got me thinking about what we as pet parents can do to help our fur kids if this ever happens to them and while there are tons of websites with ads for medications claiming to naturally help arthritis I personally had a hard time finding good information about this topic.  I did, however, find these three links that I liked:

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/arthritis-in-dogs-symptoms-and-causes

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/medications-supplements-dogs-arthritis

http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/arthritis-pets/glucosamine-large-dogs.html

Thor has had so many health problems which is unfortunate and very unlike the breed.  He has had a couple of shoulder surgeries, he has allergies to several things not the least of which is fleas and, of course, arthritis.  Big breed dogs often have issues with joints  which is why a lot of owners will give supplements to their big dogs to help with this later in life.  I personally give my Great Dane supplements to hopefully keep his joints as healthy as possible for as long as possible.

Thor at 4 years old

Arthritis is very painful, as the ones of you who know someone who has it or may have it yourself know, and as the disease progresses it becomes harder and harder to treat.  Pain medications can only do so much which is why it is very important to keep your dog as healthy as possible by feeding him/her the best food you can and visiting your vet so any early signs/symptoms can be detected.

There are several other conditions that can lead to arthritis in larger dogs such as hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament rupture and Osteochondrosis.  These conditions are very easy for a good vet to detect so if you notice any changes in your dog's gait, or if he/she cries out in pain during various everyday activities such as walking then call your vet immediately.

We all love our animals and keeping them healthy is extremely important.  Feed a good food, know what's normal for your animal and please see your vet every year.

As always, we welcome your comments, questions and topics you want to see posted.  Follow us on Twitter and tell your friends and family about us.

Pet Sitting Thor and Megan the Newfoundlands

This is Megan at 17 weeks old.

I was pet sitting for friends this weekend and they have two Newfoundlands.   One is Thor who is 4 years old and the other is Megan who is 17 weeks old.  Thor is a big teddy bear who loves people and all animals.  He has had a few surgeries and has a hard time walking now.  Megan, on the other hand, is 100% puppy.  She loves to play with people and Thor and he shows her how to play nice while on the floor so they don't hurt each other.

Thor at 4 years old.

These dogs are wonderful and are truly gentle giants.  My friends also have cats.  These dogs have managed to be trained by the cats on what kitty manners are and they definitely abide by this rule of the house.  The cats that are their personal cats are all black except for one tabby and one torbie.  They all have their own personalities just like humans.  Every time a new cat comes in there is dissension among the ranks until everyone gets used to the new kid.  That is very normal for cats, though.  Slow introductions are best when introducing a new cat to help everyone get used to everything slowly.

My friends are volunteers in rescue with me.  They help with cats that need special attention for anything from abuse to just needing to fatten up.  It is truly amazing the affect a lot of love and some food can do for a life that has been basically thrown away because its former owners didn't want he/she anymore.

I love pet sitting for my friends and love their furry family members.  They are like my own family and when one of them is sick they always text and call me to give me updates no matter what is wrong.