Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Spinal Arthritis in Dogs - A Deadly Problem If Not Treated Early


It is common for older and bigger dogs to develop arthritis in the spine. Often times, this problem could be a result of too much physical activity. Many owners encourage their dogs to jump up for the ball when they are younger. When the dog jumps up for something, this jolts their back legs. As a result, this could bring early arthritis. As a little word of advice, when you play fetch with your dog, you should not encourage them to jump high. Yes, it's fun seeing how high they can jump, but you are doing them damage. We recommend you throwing the ball lower. This way, your dog will not dive into the air to catch it. Below, we are going to discuss spinal arthritis in dogs.

With this condition, the tissue that is around the vertebrae starts to deteriorate. This cause could be related to the age of your dog. The breakdown that comes about will be causing some pressure on the spinal nerves. Your dog may also have difficulty moving around and walking. The pet could also develop paralysis.

We have saw animals go down and drag themselves around with the front legs. We have also saw cases where dogs have had problems with their forelegs. Eventually, the animal is down and cannot get up as the legs become unsteady and stiff.

One of the symptoms in a dog with arthritis is poor appetite. You will also find that your dog is weak, less active and not able to eat as much as he or she used to. This problem may not be noticed when it first starts, but as it progresses, it will become obvious.

You need to know about the signs and symptoms of arthritis in the spine as this is a deadly disease and can cause your dog a great deal of suffering. When you treat it early, you can prevent those complications. You should take your dog to the vet regularly in order to have him or her examined.

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