Chronic pain, i.e. pain that is ongoing, often goes unrecognised because dogs rarely cry out or moan. Instead they change the way they sit, stand or move to accommodate their discomfort and carry on. As owners we often put the changes down to old age, the heat, the cold, the long walk they’ve just done, […]
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Hip Dysplasia in Dogs
Dysplasia means improper growth and in the dog’s hip this tends to mean the hip socket becomes too shallow and doesn’t hold the head of the femur (thigh bone) firmly in place. This then means there is too much movement in the joint which can wear away the cartilage and cause arthritis and pain and […]
Elbow Dysplasia
Dysplasia is the term used when something doesn’t grow properly – in this case the elbow joint. The elbow is the coming together of 3 bones – the humerus in the upper leg, and the ulna and radius in the lower leg. If any of these grow incorrectly the joint will not be able to […]
Cruciate Ligament Damage – Signs and Treatment
Cruciate ligament damage in dogs has become more common in recent years. It used to be an injury seen almost exclusively in working and sporting dogs but is now seen very frequently in the general pet population. The cruciate ligaments are 2 ligaments which cross over in the knee or stifle joint and when they […]
All About The Environment For Arthritic Dogs
Previous blogs have talked about the importance of pain control and body weight in order to manage arthritis in dogs. Another important consideration is the dog’s environment. This means looking at your home and the things your dog needs to be able to do and seeing if you can change anything to […]
A Comfortable Old Age
Dogs, Like people, are living longer and also like people there is a desire to ensure that that longer life is active and comfortable. 80% of dogs over the age of 8 years are thought to have some degree of arthritis in one or more joint. Arthritis begins when a joint gets damaged and is […]
Massage – Proactive or Reactive
There are 2 aspects to massage. The proactive aspect where massage is used when your dog doesn’t have any mobility issues and the reactive aspect where massage is used to address mobility issues resulting from old age, joint problems or accidents. Massage is used proactively from puppyhood right through a dog’s life. With puppies massage […]