There’s nothing worse than having to watch your pooch suffer from arthritis pain. You can tell by the look in their eye they hurt. Chances are you desperately want to do something to ease their misery. The good news is there are things you can do to slow

As a matter of fact any breed, age or size of dog can get arthritis. It is not very clear as to why the dogs get arthritis, but as believed by many experts it is an autoimmune disease. What it means in simple words is that the body starts to fight against its immune system.

When arthritis strikes, it causes cartilage to break down. Cartilage is the dense connective tissue that protects the joint between bones. In dogs, these areas include the hip, knee, and ankle joints. However, arthritis can occur in other locations such as the feet or spine. As the cartilage wears away the bones rub together, leading to pain, inflammation and stiffness.

Symptoms of arthritis in dogs include:

The dog finds it difficult to stand, sit or move from the bed or floor  Some limbs are effected  Reduction in activity, extra sleep, no interest in playing  Gaining weight  Alteration in approach or behavior  Looking stiff with tender joints  The joints are inflamed

In recent years, scientists have been studying Glucosamine as a way to treat arthritis in dogs. Glucosamine is a glucose molecule produced naturally in the body. Its job is to fuel cartilage cells to produce the proteins that hold joint tissue together. As dogs age, they are less able to produce glucosamine, which causes the cartilage to wear down and stiffen.

An element which is understood to hold back the enzymes which harm the cartilage is known as Chondroitin. Two important components to keep the joints healthy are Glucosamine and chondroitin. They have the capability to defend as well as invigorate cartilage tissues when they are together.

A scientific trial was done on rats in 1998 where they were injected arthritis into the system. The group was separated into two. Glucosamine and chondroitin was administered to one group and the others were left to themselves. While 96.5 percent of group which was not treated got the symptoms of arthritis, just 54 percent of the group who were given glucosamine and chondroitin got arthritis symptoms.

It is seen that the supplements of Glucosamine and Chondroitin also help in the treating dogs with signs of secondary arthritis. The most known cause for this kind of arthritis is when a pet has had injury or surgery. According to data collected if a combine of these two drugs is given it will decrease the symptoms of osteoarthritis in dogs to a great extend.

This is the last point but equally important that there are no side effects if you add Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements to the meal you give to him when he is very small also. Nevertheless it will be better if an expert is consulted before doing it as there are some contradictory reports on the studies made on this and he will give you the right advice.

Tags: Arthritis

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