Does Your Pet Have Arthritis? Ease the Aches with These Treatments

If your pet is walking around like he was wounded in the war he may have arthritis. Large pets are more vulnerable to getting arthritis. Of course, taking him to the vet to see if that is the actual problem is the best idea. The vet will prescribe anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin to help your pet live with his/her arthritis but there are plenty treatments you can administer to help ease your pet’s arthritis. The first treatment to ease your pet’s arthritis aches is to slim down your pet. Since heavier pets are more likely to get arthritis, putting them on a diet can help ease their arthritis. Slimming down reduces stress on the joints providing much need ease and relief from arthritis aches. You can either cut down on the human food or also give your pet a dog food that has less fat and more fiber.

The next treatment is to get fido walking. Exercise helps control the progression of arthritis and alleviates stiff, achy joints. Although it may be difficult at first due to the aches, exercise helps ease arthritis pain. Take your pet for a nice twenty minute walk everyday, if twenty minutes is too much at one time break up the time into intervals. Playing with toys can also provide some necessary exercise and keep your pet’s mind off his aches. For dogs only, swimming is a great exercise and many dogs with arthritis will love swimming. You can take them to a pool, lake, or if they are small enough right in the bathtub. The next treatment is to make sure your pet’s area is shield from the cold, especially if they stay outside. Cold and rain can make arthritis worse, of course, another solution to shield your pet from the rain or cold is to bring them inside. Make sure your pet’s bed is cozy and warm, hard surfaces are cold and tough on joints causing arthritis to worsen.

Lay your pet on something warm, like a warm bed. Don’t use a heating pad or apply hot water to the joints. Using a warm water bottle or a towel soaked in warm water and applying it to the achy joints helps tremendously. Applying the heat twice a day for about fifteen minutes eases those aches. Guess what? Pets love massages too. Haven’t you had some aches and pains and someone comes along and gives you a soothing massage, while why not give your pet the same soothing massage. They’ll enjoy it and love you for it. Another treatment to use for pets with arthritis in their neck is to raise their food to a level where they don’t have to bend over to eat. If your pet is having trouble walking help them out by putting a towel under their belly and using it to help them stand upright.