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Rheumatism in Dogs: Stages, Diagnosis and Treatment

Rheumatism in Dogs: Dogs can often suffer from lameness. The causes of this lameness are very numerous but we often hear about osteoarthritis and not only in older dogs! So what is it? What Rheumatism in dogs means?

Osteoarthritis is a condition of the joints that is very common in dogs of all ages. This disease is characterized by the progressive destruction of articular cartilage that covers the bones at the joints and helps cushion the shock a bit like a cushion. The formation of abnormal bone tissue at the level of the joint is generally observed during evolution by osteoarthritis.

 

Rheumatism in Dogs
Rheumatism in Dogs

So in this article, we will explain all the details about Rheumatism in dogs and how it causes, diagnosis and their treatment. Rheumatism is nothing but any disease marked by inflammation and pain in the joints. The main disease that dog suffers is arthritis. So let’s check about it.

Stages of Rheumatism in Dogs

Osteoarthritis in Dogs results in pain and long-term difficulty in moving. The joints lose their flexibility and movements are difficult. Osteoarthritis is the systematic evolution of a joint that is suffering or aging. It can affect one or more joints of the same dog. As the dog is a quadruped, osteoarthritis affects especially the joints that support the body like hips, knees, shoulders, and elbows.

Stage 1: In the Beginning

The dog will gradually refuse to jump, to exercise, to run. The animal will avoid leaning on the diseased limb and will defer this support to the other limbs. He can then limp. The osteoarthritis dog’s gait is stiff after a period of rest when rising from the sitting or bedtime position. We talk about “cold pain”. The dog feels pain in the affected joint.

Stage 2: At More Advanced 

The dog moans during certain movements and can sometimes try to bite to defend himself when trying to touch him. An old dog with osteoarthritis even if he is nice at first, can bite when he is hunched over or pressed against a painful joint. It is necessary to pay attention to the reactions of the dog especially in the presence of young children.

Rheumatism in Dogs symptoms

The symptoms worsen when it is cold when the weather changes suddenly or after intense physical exertion. The dog then presents “acute” attacks very painful with a clear lameness. It can even sometimes not succeed to get up at all.

Stage 3: In The Case of Old Osteoarthritis

The evolution leads to a blockage of the joint (ankylosis). This helps to reduce pain but some movements are no longer possible.

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Diagnosis of Rheumatism in Dogs

To diagnose osteoarthritis in a dog, a thorough examination of the animal is necessary. The joints will be manipulated one after the other. This examination is sometimes painful for the animal.

X-rays are often essential. The veterinarian will be able to use the clinical examination and x-rays to judge the severity of osteoarthritis and to propose the appropriate treatment.

Treatment of Rheumatism in Dogs

It aims to relieve the animal because osteoarthritis does not disappear. The treatment generally offered by veterinarians consisted in reducing the physical activity of the animal to relieve the joints (exits on a leash, short walk, no significant effort, avoid going down and up the stairs). Medical treatment is based on the administration of anti-inflammatories.

Treatment of Rheumatism in Dogs

Whenever possible, we advise you to have the dog do a moderate daily exercise (walk several times a day to the rhythm of the dog, swim). It will keep a certain musculature.

Conclusion:

Hence, You have got a clear picture of what is Rheumatism in Dogs and how it causes, diagnosis of the disease and their treatment to cure it. We mainly discussed arthritis because that is the main diseases dogs faces and it comes under Rheumatism in Dogs. Feel free to leave your feedback and ask your questions if you have any. We hope you like the article and willing to share the article with friends and families at social networking sites. Stay tuned to dogsfud for more awesome articles on the dog.

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