Ever wonder why dogs are so susceptible to developing arthritic conditions?

Rhieon was diagnosed with arthritis a few years ago. She take a glucosamine supplement everyday. It isn't cheap, but it helps her tremendously!

Thanks for the info. Because of those reasons - we keep our lab/pointer as lean as possible. He tends to get heavy very quickly and easily!

I also like to make them oatmeal cookies made with salmon and cherries. Cherries are wonderful for joint health!

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U wishing you laughte

I didn't know that.

I did not know this, but it makes sense.
My mom's dogs are obese and I always knew table food was not really good for them.
She has them on a diet now and they are doing better.
I had told her they needed to trim down, but when their doctor told her they
would not live long if they did not...well, that put her into action.

Thanks for sharing the info.

What a great thing to remind us all about. I just inherited a very old dog when my dad passed away. She is in a lot of arthritis pain, but she still seems happy to be among the living. One other tip for arthritic dogs (please confirm with your own vet): Enteric coated aspirin (Bufferin) can help a dog's suffering. Please make sure it is aspirin, NOT Tylenol and NOT Ibuprofen. There are other NSAID (anti-inflammatory) pills available by prescription, but good old affordable aspirin will do the trick too. Make sure it is the buffered kind with enteric coating to help ease the stomach upset.

Many experts recommend one aspirin per 32 lbs of dog given twice per day. You can safely go 50% higher too, but it is best to err on the safe side. Aspirin also slows clotting in dogs, just like in humans.

There has been one or two studies that suggest some dogs cannot digest the enteric coating. In this case, regular un-buffered aspirin would be recommended. I'll leave it to your imagination how you can tell if your dog is having trouble digesting the buffered aspirin (hint, the coating is often a bright orange color).

I give my older dogs one 325 mg buffered aspirin a day even if their weight supports more. I give them a second pill 12 hours later only if they are in serious pain. It is amazing how much relief a single aspirin seems to bring them.

My FIL had to give his angel dog..Rex aspirin as well for the same reason. He was very old. Noone knew for sure how old he was as he was gotten froma shelter with no history.

I did not know that. Our 6 year old boxer started limping about a year ago. They did x rays, all sorts of stuff, and couldn't find anything. We started giving her metacam for a little while. As soon as we took her off it, she started limping again. We put her back on the metacam, and have had to leave her on it...very wierd. We took her to 3 different vets too, and they all said they couldn't find anything.

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Thank you! I agee with what you said, also I think keeping your dog active helps.

On the aspirin, I only give it to "Sissy" my Cocker Spaniel when she's having seizures, until I can get her to the doctor for more diazepam, which really helps & gives her a little more energy and not so "poppy" when she moves from a lying down position. By "poppy" I mean when her bones pop because she's moving around. Which Cockers are prone to seizures for some odd reason:(

Excellent information! Thank you very much!

Good information - I keep my dogs lean and mean... well not mean but lean and happy. I have English Springer Spaniels and they are a very active type dog anyway. I LOVE my dogs. They are family!!!