How to Keep Pet Joint Pain at Bay
What you need to know about prevention and management of pet joint pain, or osteoarthritis in cats and dogs.
Owners often bring their pets to their veterinarian when they notice their companions are no longer as active as they once were. These dogs and cats often overweight by the time they present to their veterinarian. If the diagnosis is osteoarthritis, the goal is to prevent any ongoing discomfort for pets. Often, owners ask if there was anything that could have been done to prevent it.
Certain breeds of dogs are predisposed to osteoarthritis (OA). Yet there are ways to help keep pet joint pain at bay and delay the onset of clinical signs in those breeds. Every veterinarian you ask about OA, regardless of specialty, will respond with the same no. 1 answer to preventing or delaying the onset of clinical symptoms of OA.
“The most important part of preventing the clinical signs associated with osteoarthritis is weight management and maintaining an ideal body weight,” said Martha Cline, DVM, Dipl. ACVN, a board-
certified veterinary nutritionist from Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey.
In studies, obese dogs with OA have shown noticeable improvement even with only a 6.10-8.85 percent reduction in body weight.
Controlled activity is another way to prevent injury that leads to OA. Leash walks or jogging/trotting with pets help improve joint nutrition and assist in keeping the ligaments and cartilage healthy.
“When joints are healthy, they are less likely to incur injury with explosive activity,” said Michael Conzemius, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVS of the University of Minnesota.
Dietary supplements also have been shown to help maintain joint nutrition. Omega-3 fatty acids, such as EPA and DHA, help mediate the inflammatory response in joints.2 Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are commonly found in joint supplements for pets. It’s truly buyer beware with any of these products. Nutraceuticals such as joint supplements are not FDA-regulated, and more objective, randomized clinical trials that investigate the effect of specific components of these supplements need to be performed.
