Keep your pet comfortable this Winter

By John Morgan | Dated June 4, 2022

After her racing career, Suzie get regular cartrophen injections to keep her comfortable, no matter how she chooses to sleep.

Can you believe it’s already Winter? With the weather cooling down, this can be a difficult time of year for some of our older patients as their arthritis flares up. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of joints that is most often caused by wear and tear. It is very commonly seen in older pets, but can also be present in younger animals that have had injuries or have joint deformities such as hip or elbow dysplasia.

The most common sign of osteoarthritis in pets is stiffness and soreness, which is often most obvious when they are getting up from rest. You may also notice them develop a limp or start to struggle on longer walks. At home, your pet may be less playful, sleep more and have difficulty walking on slippery floors or stairs.

We recommend a joint supplement to help the production of healthy joint fluid, healthy cartilage and to reduce inflammation in the joints. Most pets have a great response to a series of joint supplement injections called cartrophen. This includes four weekly injections which are repeated every six months. Oral supplements such as 4cyte, antinol, fish oil or rosehip can also be helpful.

In more severe and advanced cases, anti-inflammatory pain killers may be needed. In these cases, regular blood tests are strongly recommended as long term use of these medications unfortunately take a toll on kidney function. Early intervention with joint supplements at the first sign of osteoarthritis not only helps your pet moving more freely, but can also reduce their reliance on these stronger medications in the future.

If you have any concerns regarding osteoarthritis and your pet, please contact us so we can work out the best strategy to keep your pet moving!