Joint Health In Older Dogs And Cats

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

- Doctor, look at my poodle, he is limping, I think he has something with hooves.

- With hooves? !! Dogs have toes with claws, they don't have a hoof!

- Doctor, you just don't know! The Poodle is the only dog breed that has hooves! Listen to how he claps!

(Dialogue in a veterinary clinic)

The transitional seasons bring along with them, in addition to pleasant things (golden leaf fall and the first snowball in the fall, the singing of birds and blossoming leaves in the spring), also an increased load on the body. The length of daylight hours changes, the temperature jumps, the weather becomes windy and rainy. All this cannot but affect health. One of the most common problems associated with the peculiarities of the weather and climate are osteoarticular pathologies. There are many drugs on the market, how to choose the right one in a specific situation? We hope that this article will be of interest to both veterinary professionals and pet owners.

How, unfortunately, many owners know little about their pets! Moreover, they try to get information about them not from a veterinarian or a cynologist (felinologist, ornithologist, herpetologist, ichthyologist), but from any, the most dubious sources. How amazed the owners are when they hear the diagnosis: myocardial infarction, prostatitis or arthrosis! "Do cats (dogs) have heart attacks (prostatitis, arthrosis) ?!" But if dogs and cats have a heart, a prostate gland, joints (and many more other organs), then they can hurt in the same way. Alas, our pets suffer from the same problems as we do.

So spring has come. And with it - dampness and windy weather. The load on the body increases, the sores that previously lurked come out. Let's talk today about joints

The bones are connected to each other in two ways: motionless - by adhesions (bones of the skull; there are quite a few of them, but it seems that this is one large bone) and mobile - joints. All joints are made up of two or more interconnected bones, a fluid-filled bursa and ligaments. Some joints also have discs and menisci. Some joints move in only one direction (we can only bend and unbend the finger), others rotate in any direction (with the hip, you can swing back and forth, right and left, twist). It should be emphasized that the vertebrae are also connected by joints.

How does a joint work? Naturally, the surfaces of the bones must be perfectly smooth, otherwise movement in the joint will be difficult. For this, the articular part of the bone is covered with smooth cartilage, and for additional sliding and preventing abrasion of the cartilage, the joint cavity is filled with a special fluid - synovia. The bursa and the ligaments that hold the articular surfaces together are made of strong connective tissue.

Because of what joints can hurt?

With improper feeding, lack of ultraviolet radiation and movement in the fresh air, puppies will not form properly joints (DYSPLASIA). At the beginning of the disease, only a good surgeon-radiologist can make a diagnosis, and then incorrect positioning of the limbs, rapid fatigue, and lameness appear. This is especially true for puppies and adolescents of large and giant breeds: weight gains quickly, and the development of joints and internal organs (in particular, the heart) lags behind. Heredity also plays a role in the development of dysplasia, so it is undesirable to get offspring from dogs suffering from dysplasia.

In old age, the joint tissues and synovium begin to lose moisture, the cartilage becomes less elastic, brittle, the surfaces of the joint become uneven, rub against each other. All this causes severe pain. Outwardly, the joint may not be changed, but when moving, a characteristic crunch is often heard. Usually, getting up after sleep, the animal experiences pain, but, dispersed, begins to behave more calmly. The process of destruction of the joint is called ARTHROSIS.

Infections, colds lie in wait for all of us, regardless of age. In this case, the joint becomes inflamed, the amount of synovia increases, but it may contain pus, blood, salt crystals, fibrin threads. Pain and volume increase are the first signs of ARTHRITIS. The animal limps or refuses to move, groans, does not use a sick limb. Chronic arthritis is less pronounced, but sharply aggravated during chilly, damp weather. In advanced cases, fibrous fusion of the joint may occur, leading to its immobility (ANKILOSIS).

With INJURIES, ruptures of ligaments and tendons, hemorrhages in the joint cavity, chipping of pieces of cartilage, displacement of the articular part of the bone (dislocation) or disc (meniscus) may occur. Outwardly, injuries can manifest themselves as a complete dysfunction of the joint, and a change in its shape, and an absolute absence of clinical signs. In any case, a surgeon's examination and X-ray examination are necessary.

The joints make themselves felt especially strongly in rainy, cold weather. Dogs bred in a warm climate (fila brasilera, bordeaux, mastino and others) are extremely sensitive to our St. Petersburg dampness, and for other breeds a humid, cool climate is not a gift. Unfortunately, a seemingly long-cured dislocation or arthritis no-no, and will remind of itself in a late autumn evening. And, at least, until the morning … Even on a warm, clear summer day, chronic "arthritis" will predict tomorrow's rain.

For the treatment and prevention of all of the above nightmares, a large number of special drugs have been developed. They include Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Collagen Hydrolyzate, Calcium, Phosphorus, Manganese, Selenium, Sulfur, Vitamins.

Let's remember the biochemistry of connective tissue.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin are part of the articular cartilage, increase the moisture content in it, due to which the cartilage becomes more elastic and has anti-inflammatory properties. Glucosamine also increases the amount of hyaluronate (part of the synovium).

Collagen hydrolyzate consists of essential amino acids - a building material for connective tissue (in particular, tissue of joints, ligaments). In addition, Collagen retains Calcium and Phosphorus in the bone tissue.

Calcium and Phosphorus are involved in the formation of bone tissue. For their better assimilation, you need a sufficient amount of Vitamin D3 (Holicalciferol). Manganese is involved in the assimilation of Glucosamine, the formation of bone tissue, relieves stress on tissues exposed to increased mechanical stress. Selenium and Manganese are also important antioxidants. Sulfur is essential for collagen synthesis. All macro- and microelements should be given as part of organic compounds or in the form of water-soluble salts, which significantly increases their absorption.

Vitamins E (Tocopherol) and C (Ascorbic acid) have antioxidant properties, slow down the aging process.

In different drugs, the combination and amount of active substances is different, which should be taken into account when prescribing a complex treatment.

Let's take a look at the table. It contains one novelty in our market and several of the most famous drugs from the range of veterinary pharmacies in the city. As you can see from the above table, some preparations contain 2-3 substances that are part of the articular tissues (glucosamine, chondroitin, collagen), but do not contain calcium and phosphorus. It is more logical to use these drugs to prevent damage and regeneration of already damaged cartilage (for arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis, paralysis and paresis associated with damage to the intervertebral discs).

Other preparations contain collagen hydrolyzate, calcium and phosphorus. Such drugs are also intended to strengthen the ligaments, but it is especially important to use them for the prevention and treatment of bone pathology (cracks, fractures, rickets, osteoporosis, osteomalacia), since calcium and phosphorus are part of the bone tissue, and collagen helps to retain them in the bones. For the same purpose, you can use preparations with collagen hydrolyzate, not enriched with macronutrients (for example, Kanvit Chondro), provided that supplements with a high content of calcium and phosphorus are used simultaneously (Vitamix Calcium, "8 In 1" Calcidium, Biocephitis and others). When choosing drugs, you should take into account that it is more convenient for you to give - tablets or powder (the powder is easy to mix into the feed, and the tablets are easier to dose and can often be bought individually).

Considering that the same course of treatment requires a different number of drugs (multiply the daily dose by the duration of use), and knowing the price (consult a pharmacy), you can choose the most economical and effective remedy for a specific pathology.

In addition to drugs that restore the joint, pain relievers must be used. Cartilage restoration is a long process, and pain must be relieved quickly to prevent unnecessary suffering. Now effective and safe medicines have been developed specifically for animals (Rimadil, Quadrisol, homeopathic medicines Traumeel and Zel T). Heat treatments and massage relieve joint pain.

Your doctor may prescribe physical therapy, anabolic steroids and other medications and procedures depending on the condition of your particular animal. Swimming in summer is very beneficial in warm weather. The most important thing is not to start the disease, not to self-medicate and follow all the doctor's orders. New joints, of course, will not grow in an elderly dog, but it is possible to significantly alleviate the condition. Young animals have a very good chance of full recovery. And if you take care of your pet's health in advance (to strengthen the joints in childhood, support them throughout life and protect them in old age), then problems can be avoided altogether. Prevention of any disease is cheaper than treatment, and most importantly, it does not allow the suffering that disease brings to both the animal and its owner.

Despite our St. Petersburg dampness and short northern summer, I wish you and your pets health!

"ZooPrice" - magazine for pet owners