Arthritis & Lameness

My dog is only 4 years of age and is showing signs of arthritis. Should I be concerned?

No normal dog (or cat) should be developing arthritis or signs of chronic pain associated with joints at this early age. We accept that arthritis can be a major problem in senior or geriatric animals but not when the animal is young. It is our recommendation that all cases of lameness are examined by a qualified veterinarian.

I read somewhere that you can give your dog glucosamine that is made for humans. Is this correct?

Yes, it is quite safe to give a dog over the weight of 30kg the same tablets that are sold for humans for arthritis – especially glucosamine and chondritin sulphate. But it is not safe to give a small dog or cat the same tablets.

We recommend that owner who wants to use some form of oral medication use products that are recommended for dogs or cats. An example is Sasha’s Blend.

Is there a better product for arthritis than the oral products?

Absolutely – there is an injection called Cartrophen that, in our opinion, is fantastic for arthritis in dogs and cats. This medication has to be given once a week for 4 weeks and is just a small amount of medication given by injection under the skin of the animal.

My dog struggles to stand up after lying down – is this a sign of arthritis?

Yes it can be, or it can be a sign that your dog is starting to develop serious spinal problems. We recommend all animals who are showing signs of lameness or pain are examined by a veterinarian.

Can cats develop arthritis?

Too right they can. We see lots of cats over the age of 12 years who have arthritis or spinal problems. Because the cat is a sedentary animal (lies around a lot) then a lot of owners do not recognize that their animal is in pain. Close observation of the activity of the cat may assist the owner to recognise there is a problem.

What do you recommend for my dog or cat who is starting to develop arthritis?

There is only one medication that we strongly recommend for arthritis and that medication is called Cartrophen. It is given by injection once a week for 4 weeks under the skin of the animal.

We do not recommend the oral products if the animal needs to be given some form of medication long term.

My dog is not walking properly on four legs but never makes a sound – is it in pain?

Dogs talk with body language. They never lie and they do not look for sympathy. If the animal is not using its leg then there is a good reason for that – it hurts the dog to use the leg. We recommend all animals who show signs of pain get

checked by a veterinarian