| Is your dog limping and you are wondering why? This is a common occurrence for pet owners. If your canine is active to almost any degree, he or she will usually have times when a leg or ankle is twisted a bit and begins limping.
Of course if they are outside dogs, they may also have a sticker or thorn in their toe. Always check for these well if you see your dog limping. One time, and this is funny, we had a big Irish Setter who came up limping on a walk. It turned out he had an acorn stuck between his toes! I don’t know why he didn’t just dig it out with this mouth, but he continued walking on it until we removed it.
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But in this article we will detail a reason for dog limping that is most common in older dogs. And that reason is arthritis. All dogs will get this joint disease to some degree as they age. The disease is just the same in humans and is caused by the degeneration of joint cartilage tissues which then cause the bones to rub together. This then is a painful situation for the dog.
Small dogs have less of a problem with arthritis and usually limp less than larger dogs. Many times you will see older dogs limping after vigorous exercise. In most cases you will first see older dogs begin limping on their front legs. Although hip arthritis is very common also, it usually is displayed earlier in a dogs’ life. If this becomes a common sight, it’s is time to take them to the vet for a checkup. Tell the doctor that you suspect it may be arthritis.
If the vet agrees that the limping is caused by the onset of canine arthritis, he will discuss with you the alternatives for treating the disease. First and foremost is the issue of the dog’s weight. It is absolutely important that the dog not be carrying any extra weight. These added pounds aggravate the joint condition and will cause the dog more pain and to limp even more.
Next on the list of important things to consider when a dog is limping from arthritis is that he or she gets the right amount of exercise. If the dog gets too much exercise, it will simply worsen the joint condition and cause more problems. If he gets too little, the muscles will not support the joints well and this too will cause more pain for the dog.
Next, the doctor will probably talk about giving your canine a joint supplement for his limping such as glucosamine. This product is made not to cure or stop the pain, but to actually help the body rebuild the joint cartilage that has been damaged by the disease. In many cases, after several months of using glucosamine, the dog limping is all but gone.
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