Greetings,
Welcome to this month's issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Please pass this along to your friends!

Table of Contents:

1. Content from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center
2. More Issues with Food and Family Pets
3. Pet Arthritis Message Boards

Real Food Treats Improve Your Pet's Health We love to give our dogs treats, and they love to get them. The healthiest treats we can give our dogs and cats are made from real, fresh food. Since we like to give them variety and tasty tidbits as well, we'll review briefly each category of treat. Nutrition and Arthritic Pets We have talked about the importance of both diet and exercise when dealing with a pet that has arthritis. I think that diet is such an important issue that it is one we should discuss in greater detail. It is becoming common knowledge that as humans, our bodies perform better when we "eat right." It is equally important for pets to follow healthy food guidelines as well. Big Dogs: Big Problems - Caution on the Exercise Front In the past, we have talked about certain breeds of dogs that are prone to developing arthritis problems. Generally speaking, it is the larger breeds that are more prone. Of course, arthritis does not discriminate.

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More Issues with Food and Family Pets

Recently, I went back to discussing food issues in some detail. It is important to understand that we do have ways of helping out pets not only with their diets, but with preventing things from happening long term.

Obesity in Pets and Ways to Deal with It
We have discussed this before. Obesity is an issue for both humans and pets when talking about arthritis. Overweight pets are not only more prone to developing arthritis, those who have joint related issues experience greater difficulties when obesity is present.

Simple Solutions
When pets are young, and I refer to those under the age of one, we put them at greater risk of obesity through our own actions. I think that most of us are likely to feed them more and to provide "treats" because this seems to satisfy both the pet and us. I mean, who can refuse food to a cute little dog or cat?

They are all little "beggars" at this stage. This is also the time when their bodies are more prone to developing fat cells. Now, part of this is our own fault because we are more likely to "give in" when they are seeking food. Of course by doing so, we are setting in motion a long-term problem.

We Control the Future Here
This pattern of feeding too much in the early years gives rise to long-term obesity. It is not found in animals that are living in the wild. They tend to be lean and this leads us to the conclusion that it is the domestic pets that suffer the greatest risk here.

Unfortunately, if we are over feeding our pets when they are young, we tend to continue this pattern. Even as they grow beyond this first year or so of life, we just keep giving in to their demands. Of course, obesity leaves pets more prone to developing medical conditions; and for our purposes, it makes the development and management of arthritis more difficult.

The Best Prevention is Early Prevention
Over feeding in the younger years causes fat cells to build in your pet. This pattern becomes aggravated by continuing this over feeding in their adult years. As fat cells grow in the body they are more difficult to control; and, the dangers for the pet are that they will likely develop hip dysplasia or other arthritis related problems. In short, we are leading them into a life of pain and discomfort when arthritis is considered.

If this is where you are now, what should you do?
We have said this many times before but the nature of the diet is a factor. (See, other articles in this series) Exercise is critical. When you combine obesity with an arthritis problem in pets, they suffer.

Cutting Down Now
This almost certainly means following different food regimens and cutting down the quantity of food you are giving your pets. I recommend trying to cut down about 10-20% if you have a pet that has become obese. It is not going to be easy at first; they will beg for food. Just remember, it is in their best interest to resist.

Just watch that diet. Your pet will thank you many times over for doing so. Of course, it may take some time for them to realize that they are the winners.

See you next time.

For information on arthritis in pets visit our site at http://www.arthritis-cats-dogs.com

For information on glucosamine and the leading products read The Guide to Glucosamine Products. Or you can learn more about glucosamine formula Syn-flex®, our recommended glucosamine product.

A feature to our Pet Arthritis Resource Center is the Pet Arthritis Message Board. You can post messages, ask questions, learn more, and meet friends. You can post messages in any of the following sections.

Dogs

• Canine Hip Dysplasia
• Arthritis in Dogs
• Glucosamine for Dogs

Cats

• Feline Hip Dysplasia
• Glucosamine for Cats
• Arthritis in Cats

Other Animals

• Arthritis in Other Animals

Here's a few sample posts from the Forum...

Christina's mom
Posted on 16 May 2005

I have had my 12 year old border collie/aussie cross on rymadyl on and off for the last two years. A month ago, the vet suggested that we put her on it for life...about two weeks ago, Christina developed extreme difficulty when she gets up. Her hind legs seem almost paralyzed until she finally pulls her self up with her fronts and strains to stand in the rear. I have had to help her up several times in the past week. She usually runs with me to feed the horse in the morning and evenings, but now she struggles to keep up and lags behind me about 6 feet. HELP!!! I am taking her off the Rymadyl and I want to put her on some supplements. Cosequinn, Kaprex, Syn Flex, MSM...where do I start???

Post your own message on The Pet Arthritis Message Board now!

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This concludes the May Issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Look for the next issue in your inbox on June 15th, 2005!

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Have a great May from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center and The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. See you next month!