Arthritis

If you think that it is cold, your pet will be feeling it too!!

If they have arthritis they will be feeling more pain than usual. 

Dogs can be reluctant to get out of bed, slow to move around or will limp.

Cats tend to clamber up things rather than jumping or stay sleeping even more.

You can give them some relief by providing them with a soft, warm bed.  Getting them a heating mat will also help.  Coats also help maintain body heat.

One of the most important things to consider is the animals body condition or weight.  In overweight animals, weight loss can have significant benefits for them as it reduces the pressure on the joints.  Bring your animal in for a free weigh-in and we can estimate body condition and the weight loss required.

Over the counter products for mild pain:

• 4cyte – granules that you add to your dogs’ food.  This can help the joints by stimulating new cartilage.  A 20kg dog can cost as little as 54 cents a day (based on a 100g packet). 
• J/D dog and cat dry or canned food.  No need to medicate your pet.  Just feed them this premium diet, which already has all the additives to reduce the pain of arthritis and provide the building blocks to help repair cartilage. 

As the animal ages, they may require stronger, faster-acting medications

Prescription medicines:

You need to book in for a consultation to ensure that it is arthritis causing the changes in your pets’ behaviour/movement.  There may be other reasons for limping e.g. torn ligaments, dislocations, cancers, soft tissue injuries or general illness.

If it is arthritis we can prescribe daily tablets or liquid.  There are also monthly arthritis tablets or injections available  (some of these products require regular blood testing of the kidneys and liver).

In severely painful cases we may prescribe a combination of prescription medicines and over the counter products.   Give us a call on 07 4787 4949 to ask us what will be best for your pet