Probing the Causes of Arthritis in Dogs

Arthritis, a common disease in dogs, causes inflammation in the joints of a dog or in any part of its body resulting in pain in joints adversely effecting the movement as well as the quality of healthy life of the dog. Joints of every living being are a combination of two or more bones interconnected with each other. The articular cartilage at the end of these bones facilitates the bones in moving smoothly against each other alongwith the thick fluid in the joints that also protects the bones form deterioration as it acts as a shock absorber and lubricant. With the wear and tear of articular cartilage and dilution of the fluid in the joints, arthritis in dogs starts developing.

The loss of lubrication and padding in the joint and wearing off of the cartilages make the movement untidy and scratchy as the bones rub on each other causing a painful movement. Causes of arthritis in dogs Several possibilities of arthritis in dogs may or may not be known by owner of the dogs but it is better to know the reasons that are generally not known. Fracture in joints The fist and main cause of arthritis in dogs is the fractures, commonly found, in the joint of the dog which may cause disorder in the joint bones. If left unattended, it results in a muscle or ligament disease. Irrespective of the size of the dog, the ruptured ligament of the joint, due to knee injury, may cause an abrupt lameness in the leg. The awareness to the cause of disease will help you understand the situation.

Canine Hip Dysplasia in Dogs and Pain Can be controlled with Glucosamine, MSM, and Chondroitin

The injury in the joint of the dog will adversely effect the movement of the dog. If the injury in the joint is not attended well in time, it will get cured by the passage of time but swelling and disorder in the joint bones will cause difficulty in movement and will initiate the disease of arthritis. Internal disorderly developments The second main cause of arthritis in dogs is the disorderly development in the joint bones like hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia. These irregular developments in joints are usually found in large sized dogs in their mid or later part of their age. You should be aware of the disease if you are having or going to have a large sized dog. Dysplasia of the joint bones means the abnormal growth of the joint bones, either in hip or elbow, and it usually starts in the initial age of the dog. Hip dysplasia in dogs cause lameness in rear leg due to improper fitting of ball and socket and elbow dysplasia may cause lameness in front leg of the dog.

This abnormal development in the joint bones, either in hip or elbows, may cause rubbing in the bones with each other resulting in the painful joints and arthritis in dogs get developed ultimately. Congenital disorders The arthritis in dogs may also be caused due to the presence of diseases of congenital disorders like Wobblers syndrome or dislocated patella. Wobbler’s syndrome is caused by the disorder in the nerves system of the dog due to pressure on the vertebrae in the neck region that may result in the deformity in the spinal cord or the point where the pressure is found more, and development of arthritis in dogs starts. The dislocation of patella, on the other hand, normally does not return to its normal position until the muscle gets relaxed. The repetition of the dislocation and relaxation may initiate arthritis in dogs. Infections Intrusion of several bacterias through the wounds in the joint region of the dog may cause infection resulting into infectious arthritis in dogs. Certain foreign organisms may also enter the blood cells in the body of the dog through the wounds, which may circulate in the whole body and joints to cause septic arthritis. The force exerted by the immune system of the dog to fight with the infectious organisms can then cause inflammation and pain in the joints and bones. It is the common type of arthritis in dogs that can be found at any stage of its life. Failure of immune system This type of arthritis in dogs is caused by the failure of immune system of the dog to fight with the attack of foreign viruses or bacterias and affects its own tissues instead of, resulting in swelling and pain in the joints. Such type of dog arthrits  can be divided into two kinds: first is erosive or rheumatoid arthritis, normally found in small breed of dogs, caused due to wearing out of artcular cartilage and underlying bone. And second is non-erosive kind of arthritis, normally found in large breed of dogs, when cartilage is not damaged but the inflammation in the joints causes swelling and pain. It is usually accompanied with several other diseases like cancer of bones.

Deterioration of bones This type of arthritis in dogs is caused due to disintegration of joints due to age or irregular wearing of the bone which may cause damage of cartilages and ultimately develops the arthritis. It is a usual cause of this disease in the dogs of any age. Signs to detect Arthritis in dog • First sign of Arthritis is dog’s limping style of walking. Though it is not apparent severally as no swelling is felt but the difference in walking discloses the secret of arthritis. MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, • The swollen joints due to arthritis may hurt while stretching or contracting legs and may slow down the lying and getting up speed of the dog. Dog may bite on the effected area to get some comfort from the pain. • The dog with infectious arthritis may have fever and become lethargic with no interest in food. Thus, the arthritis in dogs is caused by several reasons but understanding the signs and getting the earliest consent of the veterinary doctor may increase the comfortable life of your dog. It is you to care about the ailment of your dog even if it has least signs of arthritis.