Avoid excess weight to prevent joint problems
If your dog is overweight, their joints are permanently (over)stressed by the weight.
Excessive body weight increases the risk of joint diseases, for example osteoarthritis, in dogs. If your dog is prone to joint problems, close monitoring of their weight is particularly advisable. Every excess gram of weight puts additional strain on your four-legged friend's joints! In addition to adjusting their diet, a balanced exercise programme helps to reduce weight in a healthy way. Swimming is particularly suitable as exercise that is easy on the joints.
Recognising joint problems early
Even people who make sure they feed their four-legged friends the right food and give them a healthy amount of exercise are not immune. The most common diseases that cause joint pain in dogs include inflammation (arthritis), injuries, and degenerative and hereditary joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. Our dogs don't always show us their pain, they often suffer in silence for a long time. It is therefore particularly important that dog owners keep a close eye on their dogs in order to recognise the first signs of pain in the joints.
Symptoms of joint problems include:
- Limping or lame gait
- Stiff posture
- A refusal to move
- Biting the joint
- Avoiding jumping onto higher objects
- Flinching when touched
- Difficulty getting up after lying down
- Swelling of the joints
Fever, fatigue and apathy can also be the first signs of an infection.
In many cases, joint problems have a good prognosis if they are treated in good time and your four-legged friend will soon be able to run around again without pain. There are also numerous treatment options available today for osteoarthritis, which is caused by the irreversible breakdown of joint mass. These treatments influence the course of the disease and improve the well-being of your affected four-legged friend. Therefore, if you suspect joint problems, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with your vet quickly to get to the bottom of the symptoms.
The information below is required for social login
Sign In
Create New Account