Managing Your Pet's Arthritis and Supplements

Osteoarthritis or arthritis is the inflammation, degeneration and remodelling of cartilage joints in dogs and cats. It usually occurs secondary to an underlying cause, insult or injury and is characterised by pain and lameness in one or more joints.

Treatment of arthritis involves the management of pain, the control of inflammation in the affected joints, and where possible, the correction of the underlying cause of the arthritis.

The progressive chronic nature of arthritis makes treating dogs and cats with the illness difficult. In the later stages of the disease, the long term use of pain relief can have unwanted side effects and at best only masks the pain associated with the underlying changes in the joint.

Where appropriate the early intervention of dietary control and nutritional supplementation can be successful in:

• Managing obesity – often an underlying cause and aggravator of arthritis
• Controlling the inflammatory process in the joint
• Providing the nutritional building blocks for damaged cartilage
• Protecting against oxidative damage of the joints

Remember, if your dog or cat suffers from arthritis, regardless of the underlying cause, keeping them on the trimmer side will reduce the stress on their joints.

Read more: Cats get arthritis too

Common nutritional supplements

A number of nutritional supplements can help in the treatment of arthritis, a few of the more common ones include:

1. Chondroitin Sulfate

This is the predominant component of articular cartilage. Its supplementation aids in the protection of articular cartilage and when given with Glucosamine has been show to improve pain associated with osteoarthritis and improve mobility.

2. Glucosamine

This the precursor for proteoglycans, one of the key components of articular cartilage. It helps rebuild cartilage and provides natural protection to existing cartilage. In combination with Chondroitin sulphate it has been shown to improve pain and mobility associated with arthritis.

3. Omega-3 fatty acid

This plays an important role in the control of inflammation. Its supplementation as part of green lip mussel has been shown to decrease swelling, improve pain and crepitus in arthritic joints.

 

Related products:

• PAW Osteocare® Joint Health Chews
  With Glucosamine Sulfate & Chondroitin Sulfate, these tasty kangaroo chews provide everyday joint care, helping to improve joint function and health in younger dogs and older dogs over long term use.
• PAW Cosequin® DS
  Containing a unique combination of Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, Manganese and Vitamin C, which work synergistically to help maintain joint function in dogs.
• PAW Osteosupport® Joint Care Powder for Dogs
  A highly concentrated green lipped mussel powder that is clinically proven to provide relief from arthritic symptoms in a measured capsule dose. Advanced care for arthritic pets.
• PAW Osteosupport® Joint Care Powder for Cats
  A highly concentrated green lipped mussel powder that is clinically proven to provide arthritis relief for cats. Provided in a measured capsule that can be opened and sprinkled onto food.

Sources: Fascetti and Delaney (2012), Applied veterinary clinical nutrition
McCarthy rel="noopener noreferrer" et al. (2006), Randomised double-blind, positive-controlled trial to assess the efficacy of glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate for the treatment of dogs with osteoarthritis