Does your dog have canine arthritis?

If your dog could talk, being his best friend would be a lot easier. But he can’t tell you that his knees stiffen up after he plays too long- or that his hips hurt when he goes up or down stairs.

So he’s counting on you to recognize signs of pain and decreased mobility and have your veterinarian diagnose the cause. Stiffness, limping or other subtle signs of pain may be early indications of osteoarthritis.

Know the facts about canine arthritis

  • Osteoarthritis is one of the most common sources of chronic hip pain treated by veterinarians. It is a painful, degenerative joint disease that often results from hip or elbow dysphasia.
  • Osteoarthritis affects one in five adult dogs- or more that eight million! And these are just the cases that have been diagnosed. The actual number of dogs suffering from this degenerative disease is unknown because many owners attribute the subtle changes in their pets to “old age” or “slowing down” when, in fact, it really can be osteoarthritis.
  • While many cases occur in older animals, osteoarthritis can affect dogs of any age.
  • Overweight dogs are likely candidates, but dogs of all sizes are affected. – And while larger breeds are more prone to osteoarthritis, all breeds and mixed breeds can develop it.
  • In short, any dog can develop this degenerative condition.

Know the Signs of Canine Arthritis

  • Reluctant to walk, climb stairs, jump or play.
  • Limping.
  • Lagging behind on walks.
  • Difficulty rising from a resting position.
  • Yelping in pain when touched
  • A personality change- resisting touch.
  • Cold or sudden weather changes, or heavy exercise can make the pain worse and the signs more noticeable.

Know how to provide relief for canine arthritis

If your dog has osteoarthritis, pain relief is possible with Rimadyl (carprofen) caplets. Without the pain, your pet can move freely and happily again. You can have confidence in Rimadyl because it has been thoroughly tested. In trial after trial, involving more than 450 dogs, Rimadyl proved to be affective in relieving pain and inflammation, including the joint discomfort associated with osteoarthritis. It’s safe, too. Dogs have been on Rimadyl for up to five years with no clinically significant side effects. In clinical trial, the incidence of in appetence, digestive upset and behavior changes was low (4% or less), and not different between the Rimadyl-treated and non-medicated groups. And the caplets are easy for you to give. With the exception of joint replacement, there’s no cure for osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease in dogs. But the pain associated with these conditions, and the stiffness and lameness they cause, can be overcome. Help your best friend put quality of life ahead of his pain. Rimadyl. Real Relief.