Dealing With Your Dog's Arthritis: Treatment Options To Consider
Posted on: 10 April 2016
When you have a dog that is getting on in years, you may notice that they have trouble moving around, standing up from sitting or laying down, or suffer from other mobility issues. Once you find out that these issues are not just caused by old age but also be arthritis, you may wonder if there are any treatment options available to your dog that can help them feel and move better in spite of their condition. Get to know some of the arthritis treatment options available to your dog so that you can get your dog back up and moving as soon as possible.
Prescription Medications
Prescription medications are often prescribed by veterinarians to help treat arthritis in dogs. While over-the-counter supplements like glucosamine can be helpful as well, sometimes the condition is too advanced for supplements alone to be sufficient.
There are several different prescription medication options that can be useful to a dog with arthritis. A prescription pain medication, known as tramadol, is a treatment that is often successful for dogs that experience pain and mobility issues due to their arthritis. Administered every 8 to 12 hours, these small pills can get your dog moving and active when they would otherwise be lethargic.
Another prescription option for canine arthritis is a series of anti-inflammatory injections. These injections are designed to relieve the swelling and inflammation in your dog's joints. However, unlike tramadol, these injections are quite expensive and require several visits to the veterinarian for injections in a relatively short period of time.
Laser Treatments
If you are looking for a treatment option to complement or replace prescription medication treatments for your dog's arthritis, then a pet laser treatment may be the right choice for you. Therapeutic laser treatments have long been utilized in the treatment of human health conditions to great success and similar treatments have been successful with pets.
These laser treatments use what is known as a cold laser to target the joints and the tissues around the joints that are affected by arthritis. The laser painlessly penetrates the skin and stimulates the cells to regenerate and heal (because of the thermal energy created by the laser). Regular laser treatments can greatly reduce the joint inflammation that is characteristic of arthritis and will help your dog to move more freely and feel healthier in general. Places like the Cherokee Hospital for Animals may be able to meet you needs in this area.
Now that you know a few of the treatment options available for your dog's arthritis, you can contact your veterinarian and be get the treatment process started as soon as possible.
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