Content
- Arthrosis in dogs
- Symptoms of arthrosis in dogs
- Consequences of canine arthrosis
- Physiotherapy for dogs with arthrosis
- Veterinary physiotherapy for canine arthrosis
- Benefits of physiotherapy for a dog with arthrosis
- Veterinary physiotherapy as preventive treatment
THE arthrosis canine it is a degenerative joint disease that affects cartilage. It is often a consequence of aging, but it can also be caused by an anomaly in the joint, as in the case of hip dysplasia, or by trauma that causes a fracture.
Arthrosis cannot be cured, but it is possible to slow its progression and alleviate the pain it causes your dog. Veterinarians generally prescribe two types of treatments that work only against pain: anti-inflammatory for non-steroidal canine arthrosis and corticosteroids. Veterinary physiotherapy is a good complementary treatment, as favors cartilage regeneration and it has good results in dogs with arthrosis. In this PeritoAnimal article, we'll explain what the physiotherapy for dogs with arthrosis, its benefits and the importance of identifying arthrosis in dogs as soon as possible.
Arthrosis in dogs
THE canine arthrosis it's joint degeneration and is one of the most obvious effects of aging on our dogs. One of the first symptoms This disease is that the dog moves less, a symptom ignored by many guardians who believe this is normal, a general loss of physical condition caused by age.
Symptoms of arthrosis in dogs
Then, more specific symptoms of osteoarthritis emerge: the dog that used to follow you everywhere now refuses to get in or out of the car, the couch, or just stand in front of the stairs. He may also have difficulty getting up after lying down for a long time, may even limp after exercising, or limp permanently. Acute arthrosis attacks can occur with very intense pain and it is usually at this advanced stage that we notice the problem and consult our veterinarian.
If you suspect your dog is in pain, we suggest reading the article about 5 signs of pain in the dog.
Consequences of canine arthrosis
Arthrosis in dogs produces a activity decrease of your dog, which has the following consequences:
- loss of muscle mass: in a dog with arthrosis, amyotrophy occurs, which is the loss of muscle mass due to decreased physical activity. Fibrosis also usually appears, occurring when connective tissue invades the joints and it is common for the dog to suffer from muscle pain and muscle contractions that generally affect the musculature of the cervical area and the back of the elderly dog.
- Effects on collagen and tendons: progressively lose their structural and mechanical qualities.
- Locked joints: in canine arthrosis there is a decrease in proteoglycan synthesis, bone loss under the cartilage due to demineralization, cartilage erosion, appearance of osteophytes that are abnormal bone protrusions that damage the joint, or cartilage erosion. As a result, there is a decrease in joint flexibility, leading to ankylosis, that is, movements are increasingly reduced and the joint remains closed and locked in one position, which reduces its vascularization and worsens its degeneration.
- bones more sentences: We observed a decrease in bone synthesis and an increase in bone resorption, which means that the bones become increasingly fragile in a dog with arthrosis.
- Vascular consequences: Blood capillaries, which are small blood vessels that nourish bones and joints, decrease in size, and also decreases the return of venous blood to the heart (venous stasis) and lymphatic drainage is reduced (lymphatic stasis).
- Consequences on the nervous system: the nervous system is less and less stimulated, and this hypostimulation can cause inhibition of nerve cells and a partial paralysis (paresis) of the muscles, or even a complete paralysis in the long term.
- Weight gain: all this increases even more with the decrease in physical activity, which leads to weight gain, which worsens the condition of arthrosis in dogs.
Physiotherapy for dogs with arthrosis
Physiotherapy is a set of curative or preventive treatments based on the action of water, movement, thermal agents (cold and heat), electricity, sound waves and light. Most of the techniques applied to humans were adapted to animals, in the veterinary physiotherapy, who have been benefiting for some years from very advanced techniques, such as canine physiotherapy.
There is no single treatment of physiotherapy for dogs with arthrosis, each case is different and only a veterinarian trained in functional re-education can determine, after examining the dog, which physical therapy exercises will be suitable for him.
Veterinary physiotherapy for canine arthrosis
According to each case, physical therapy techniques may involve:
- Cryotherapy: the use of cold against pain and inflammation is a technique used in physiotherapy for dogs with arthrosis.
- Thermotherapy: the use of heat and its analgesic properties, also as preparation for exercise in veterinary physiotherapy.
- Hydrotherapy: the reduction of the animal's weight on its joints, thanks to the buoyancy in water and the massaging effect of water, favors exercise, improves muscle strength and cardiac activity. So, if the vet has a treadmill submerged in water, he can make your dog walk or swim in the water without trauma. Physical exercise in water reduces pain and ankylosis, and also limits muscle loss.
- Massages: They can have a stimulating or relaxing effect, depending on the type of massage, heat the area, and increase blood circulation and tissue drainage. Also, if the vet clinic is away from the dog house, the vet can teach you massage techniques to apply yourself this technique of physiotherapy for dogs with arthrosis in short sessions at home.
- Kinesiotherapy: the veterinarian gently manipulates the dog's joints through stretching techniques, passive therapeutic exercises or active mechanotherapy with balls, boards, trampoline, or also with proprioception exercises.
- electrotherapy: can be used to combat pain (analgesic effect) or to increase the muscle mass of a dog with arthrosis.
- Ultrasound: in this physiotherapy treatment for dogs with arthrosis, the use of ultrasound has massage, heating and analgesic effects in the deep tissue areas.
- Laser: has a powerful analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oedematous effect for arthrosis in dogs.
- shock waves: have a defibrosing effect on tissues.
It is important that all the techniques you apply to your dog with osteoarthritis at home, under the guidance of your veterinarian, are atraumatic and painless. If your dog suffers from osteoarthritis, jumping, strenuous exertion, running on hard floors, climbing and descending stairs are activities that we do not recommend. Instead, go for short walks and, especially when possible, allow your dog to swim in the water, as this is an excellent way to practice gentle, natural physiotherapy that strengthens your partner's muscles and joints.
Benefits of physiotherapy for a dog with arthrosis
If your dog suffers from osteoarthritis, physical therapy is a good option to help him fight this degenerative disease. With proper care, physiotherapy allows:
- Decrease pain, and sometimes reduce the use of medications (canine arthrosis drugs);
- Preserve or even restore joint flexibility;
- Maintain or regain muscle mass;
- Stimulate the nervous system and tissue vascularization;
- Keep the dog with osteoarthritis at its ideal weight;
- Improve your heart activity and your physical condition.
The sooner you act, the more efficient the treatment will be therapeutic for canine arthrosis proposed by the veterinarian. In fact, the lesions caused by osteoarthritis at the bone level are irreversible, so it is better to prevent them from appearing.
As for problems secondary to arthrosis, such as amyotrophy, ankylosis and body weight gain, physical therapy can also help to combat them, but it will take longer if it starts at an advanced stage of the disease.
Veterinary physiotherapy as preventive treatment
For the best results and to avoid the occurrence of diseases such as osteoarthritis in dogs, you can start practicing physiotherapy in your dog from 5 years old, in large breeds, and a little later for small breeds. In the case of puppies with hip dysplasia or osteoarticular problems, it is necessary to ensure regular monitoring as soon as the disease is diagnosed.
It's never too late to help your dog and physiotherapy will, in any case, improve your comfort and mobility.
Take the opportunity to check out this PeritoAnimal article with the 10 tips for choosing a good veterinarian.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.