Arthritis and The Aging Pup

It is reported that arthritis affects 3 in 5 dogs. However, that does not mean your pup’s activities need to be limited. Oftentimes, as dogs age, the fallback answer to your dog’s decreased mobility is “they’re slowing down”, “they’re getting older”, or “they are just aging”. While these answers may be true, at least in part, it does not have to stop their activities or become a life sentence.

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Signs and Symptoms

Common signs you will notice:

Difficulty and increased stiffness getting up

Uncontrolled sitting or lying down

Stiffness in their back and legs

Decreased participation in walking, jumping, or playing

Canine PT and
Arthritis

Regardless of your pup's activity level, movement is one of the best activities to manage arthritis in both humans and adults. As the saying go, "motion is lotion" and "you lose it if you don't use it".

Both pain and weakness both contribute to the loss of mobility caused by arthritis, however, canine PT can help with that. We use various modalities and manual therapies to alleviate the pain. Then we use specifically tailored exercises to help improve your pup's strength and mobility. At Pawsitive steps, we focus on a home exercise program which allows the Pet owners to continue working on these exercises at home for optimal results. Just as with anything in life, consistency is the key.

The Underwater Treadmill may be something that you've seen online or heard about from your vet as the key for recovery, but that is just one of many tools and may not be appropriate for your pup. While it does have it's benefits, there are other factors and techniques that may be better suited for your pup. Additionally, research does not support that it is better than for improving strength than regular exercise for animals. You can learn more about underwater treadmill and the body weight support system we utilize at our clinic. Click Here to read more about it.

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