Symptoms of Canine Arthritis

Taking care of a pet is a huge responsibility, given the fact that it needs to be reared like a child and it ages for more than a decade. Dogs, regardless of breed, are probably the best companions a person can ever have; they will love you unconditionally (even if you are a complete jerk to them), they are pretty intelligent and may even take a bullet for you. Attending their needs is not a losing investment – the bond that a human and canine share is something that is priceless and must be nurtured and treasured. However, dogs are vulnerable to all sorts of diseases and ailments which can make day-to-day functions a bit of a hassle. One of these is arthritis. If you thought that this is only limited to humans, you thought wrong.
   
Basically arthritis is a degenerative disease that affects one or many joints in the body. Most cases occur in dogs that have ancestors with the same disease; however, it can also be taken from bacterial infection, improper diet and injury. The effects of this ailment are pretty harsh, once you take pain into account. It is not like a dog is able to tell you that one of its legs or if its hip is experiencing some sort of pain.  So, how can you detect it? Here are some of the symptoms:

Dogs are very playful animals. Taking them to the park to play catch and Frisbee is a great exercise activity, as well as jogging with them during weekend mornings. However, age and illness may take its toll, so it is imperative to see if your pooch is reluctant to do things that he is usually fond of doing at an earlier point of its life. This does not only include physically exhausting activities, but also activities like running, jumping on the sofa and climbing the stairs may be a hassle.
   

At some point in a dog’s life, it may hurt a paw or a leg, depending on the situation it was in. Limping is the act of relieving the stress or favoring a leg or more, depending on which is arthritic. In some cases, a dog may even refuse to move around and may only stand up if it needs to eat. Over time, this symptom will get worse.
   

Activities that are usually done without effort when they were younger may require a truckload of energy, which will cause them to tire easily.  In this case, playtime and walks may become shorter, and them refusing to cooperate may indicate that they are tired or are experiencing some sort of pain (maybe both). They may also spend more hours sleeping or resting up.

Sometimes, when we try to pet a dog and touch an arthritic area, they may growl or in extreme cases, try to bite (and show remorse in doing so since dogs are known to somehow possess feelings). There are also some cases where dogs lick or bite the area vigorously to try and relieve the pain which may cause the fur to fall off. This is particularly dangerous, since wounds may start opening up.
   
There are many ways to relieve the pain; however, being proactive is the best way to counter arthritis. This can be done by introducing health supplements and a proper diet.