Volume 1 - Issue 11

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

Table of Contents:

  1. Featured Articles from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center
  2. Proper Pet Exercise (Part I)
  3. Pet Arthritis Message Boards

Featured Pet Arthritis Content

  1. A Guide to Glucosamine Products for Pets
  2. Canine Hip Dysplasia
  3. Stories of Users of Rimadyl
  4. Natural Arthritis Relief for Pets
  5. Recommended Books on easing arthritis pain in Pets
  6. Using Glucosamine to Ease Arthritis Pain in Pets

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Proper Pet Exercise (Part I)

By J.R. Rogers We have discussed the importance of exercise for arthritic pets. Again, we cannot emphasize enough the significance of making this part of your pet's healing process. Since there are three types of exercise involved and all are important, we will be devoting the next three issues to addressing each. (Aerobic; Strength; and, Stretch)

Aerobic Exercise - Increasing Flexibility
This is likely the easiest of the three points in a pet exercise program and very important. It is the one area where we can assist our pets in maintaining whatever muscle and joint strength they have particularly in injured ones.

Most of our pets are pretty active with stretching (and, particularly cats) but frequently, when an injury or arthritic condition hampers them they tend to slow stretching activity in those areas. It is an easy situation to remedy. Just take the time to involve yourself and assist your pet with some stretching of their limbs to continue to allow them to maintain a normal range of motion.

This is not as difficult as it may seem and if we are careful, there is no risk that we will injure our pets when doing it. Time permitting, you should set aside several times daily when you can actively "assist" your pet with stretching their limbs. Pay some attention to extending their limbs in what would be a normal pattern without going too far. If we go too far, there is a definite risk that we will injure the limbs rather than help in rehabilitating them.

Swimming
If you have access to water, it provides a great place to let your pet do their own stretching. With cats of course, water exercise is not going to be an option. Cats are generally going to need more "assistance" or hands-on help with stretching sore and injured joints.

Dog owners get a real break here. Swimming is considered one of the best aerobic exercises possible for both humans and pets. Not only are there aerobic benefits, it also builds muscle. Swimming also reduces the load on the heart and protects against "abrupt" movements that can stress an affected joint or strain muscles. There are some other benefits as well.

Swimming allows even an arthritic pet to continue exercising even during periods when pain is high. It also improves your pet's posture and coordination.

But I don't have a pool
You don't need a pool at home or a lake nearby to open the door to some swimming exercise. A trough on the farm will work and if your dog is not too large, even a bathtub will work just fine. For those who own pets that just can't get the hang of swimming, just use a towel like a sling so your pet can get the benefits of paddling around without the stress of not handling the water very well.

Again, time is a luxury that not everyone can afford. The ideal situation is to have 3-4 times set daily and spend at least 8-10 minutes working with your pet to ensure that all joints get the activity that is so essential to the healing process. If you are running a work schedule and this is not always as easy to accommodate, try to get in a minimum of two sessions daily: one in the morning and one in the evening would work fairly well.

Cautionary Notes
If you notice any swelling or heat being generated in the joint area following these sessions, there is a strong possibility that either a ligament or the joint capsule has been stretched out of its normal shape. The net result is that there is not enough support for the joints. If you notice these symptoms, talk to your veterinarian about getting splints for those joints. It will allow for the necessary support to allow your pet to continue their exercises without risking additional injuries.

Coming Up
In our next edition we will be discussing "strength" exercising so join us as we continue the healing process for your beloved pet.

See you next time.

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Pet Arthritis Message Boards

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...

Kimberly
Posted on 28 Oct 2002 at 05:21

My dog has been on glucosamine since her first acl tear and repair when she was 6 years old and a second one at 8 years if age. (glucosamine/chondroiton) she has never had any pain and at age 14 now is doing well. i believe the early advantage of starting an animal on this is well worth the overall results. we only notice a change in her walking when we had to stop giving it to her for a couple of months to get her regulated on insulin a few months ago. we now make sure that the glucosamine/chondroiton that we give her has no sucrose in it, as the previous one did and quite a bit. but after a month back on g/c she bounce back to her normal self. any dog that is aging 6-8 yrs. plus i would definetly give this as preventative maintenance. the same in humans as in animals-it works.

Lynn
Posted on 13 Nov 2002 at 20:53

My poor almost 16 year old Sheltie Cross is so arthritic and I have tried just about everything--synflex, prednisone, metacam, acupuncture, massages... she gets some relief but she finds walking, even getting up very hard. She's ok most of the time on carpet, but the kitchen tile is too slippery for her. She's still eating, but her spirit doesn't seem as strong or perky. When and how do you make the decision to end her suffering?! I don't mind the extra work she requires, but am I just being selfish? This is such a hard decision to make, maybe the hardest. Any ideas or support would be greatly appreciated.

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

This concludes the November Issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Look for the next issue in your inbox on December 15th, 2002!

Please forward to any friends that have pets with arthritis and who would be interested.

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

 

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