Dog Arthritis Signs

Just like people, many dogs will get arthritis when they get older. I have first hand experiences in this and will share some of them with you. Dog arthritis signs are usually subtle at first. My dog, Storm, had severe arthritis in his hips in his later years.

When he was around 8 or 9 I first started noticing how he would get up from a nap. Sometimes he was moving in almost slow motion. I did not know it then, but that was one of the classic dog arthritis signs. Stiffness when getting up is very common in dogs just starting to suffer from arthritis.

Here is Storm.
He had arthritis pretty bad and we learned quite a bit from him about helping dogs with arthritis. In fact, Storm is the reason CactusCanyon.com exists!

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Be Aware of the Subtle Dog Arthritis Signs

Another thing I noticed was how he changed his going-to-the-bathroom technique. Instead of hoisting his leg like a male dog, he often relieved himself just standing there. Again, I did not know when a male dog gets arthritis in his hips; it hurt him to hoist his leg. I thought at the time he was just being lazy actually. But this too is another one of the common dog arthritis signs for at least male dogs.

Limping After Playing

Storm loved to play hard when he was younger. But I noticed more and more often that his playing would end with him limping. And he did not make those sharp cuts with quick bursts of speed as much as he used to. I am sure if he could have talked, he would have told me just how badly his joints were hurting. But dogs are a lot tougher than people, and they can tolerate far more pain than we can without complaining.

The above conditions were sporadic for a while. But when they became more common, we took Storm to the vet. It was obvious to the vet Storm had all the dog arthritis signs typical of so many older dogs. Storm most definitely had arthritis. His arthritis continued to worsen for the next 7 or 8 years.

Larger Dogs Usually Have More Problems

Storm passed away from very old age (about 16), but now we have one of our other dogs, Katie, who is starting to exhibit some dog arthritis signs. She is about 12, but is a much smaller dog than Storm was. Smaller dogs usually have fewer problems since their joints do not have as much stress on them.

I will list below some of the dog arthritis signs I have seen in my own dogs.

• Slow in getting up…stretching more…walking slowly after getting up
• Trouble going up and down stairs…or jumping onto or off the bed/couch (if you let them)
• Will often come up limping after playing hard
• May have problems reaching a feed bowl on the ground (taller dogs). We had to start sitting Storm’s food on a step for him to easily reach it.
• May spend time licking their joints after exercise
• Male dogs will have trouble “hoisting” their leg
• Female dogs may have trouble getting into their low squat position to relieve themselves
• In advanced cases, the dog will not be able to squat to poop. He will just do it while walking or standing.

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