What are the Symptoms of Arthritis in Dogs?

So much activity. It is hard to watch every move when dealing with several Boston's at one time. It is finally warm, they all want to bounce full speed out the door into the yard, as fast as they can get out of the house... Talk about cabin fever!!!! Start counting heads to make sure no one was lagging behind in the house... Finally, some sun and dry ground. What a relief to see that sun.. Maybe that will be the last of the frozen pipes too. Even the birds seem relieved and have burst into song. If only that cold breeze would just stop. It would be perfect. If no one else loves you they will. All is good in the earth, at least for a little while.
Jerman needs the vet to look at his leg, he has been favoring his left rear leg, which typically means pain. Other causes have been ruled out; his paw pad is good, cannot find a thorn or any reason, so his arthritis must be acting up again. He is avoiding putting any weight on it. Noticed some stiffness, particularly in the morning. Arthritis often causes early morning stiffness and aches that reduce as the day goes on. It may also be heightened in colder weather. Jerman is taking his time getting up in the morning, taking much longer to get his engine running, it may be arthritis.

Was fetch your dog’s favorite game and now he’s not interested? It may be because running and jumping is painful. The same goes for climbing stairs and hopping up on the couch. Again, rule out other short-term causes of the pain. If your dog is also having trouble sitting or standing it may be tied to arthritis.

Spending more time sleeping; less alertness?
Laying down is more comfortable for a dog in pain than getting up and walking around. If you notice that your dog is spending more time sleeping and is generally less alert, it may be that pain is keeping him down.
As your dog reduces his physical activity, he will naturally gain more weight. It’s not a direct symptom, but related to other symptoms of arthritis. It’s always a good idea to watch your dog’s weight carefully, but since extra pounds make arthritis pain worse this is something to pay close attention to.

 Sometimes people give their dogs Aspirin. It has never been suggested by any of the many vets that I have taken the senior dogs that I have fostered to or any of my personal dogs either.  I know that Aspirin can cause blooding thinning and long term use might lead to damaging joint cartilage. Veterinary research has found that dogs have many of the same gastrointestinal reactions to Aspirin that humans do. So, if you do decide to use Aspirin, I read you should not give your dog enteric coated Aspirin when treating your dog's arthritis. Enteric coated are great for preventing humans from having gastrointestinal side effects; however, the enteric coating does nothing for a dog. In fact, if you give your dog coated aspirin you are simply negating the usefulness. Your dog's body cannot digest the coating, so the entire aspirin is passed out in the stool. Only give to adult dogs, not puppies, and please consult your vet first.

I have also learned that other non-aspirin pain relievers are not safe either.
Tylenol is not a substitute for Aspirin when treating your dogs and should never be given to them. Tylenol is toxic and can cause liver failure, damage to red blood cells, and many other conditions that lead to a fatal endings. This includes Advil and other non-aspirin pain relievers. When using Aspirin you should use plain, uncoated aspirin, or baby aspirin and nothing else.  So what do you give to help a dog with Arthritis?  After having taken seniors to several different vets I find that just like people there is one acceptable product that all the vets I have used recommend and that is a daily dose of Glucosamine & Chondroitin with Omega 3 fatty Acid, adjusted to the weight of the dog.

This combination of supplements is what all the vets I have dealt with have highly suggested that I should give to any of the Boston's that were showing signs of Arthritis or joint problems.  Along with this supplement combination, which comes under several brands, as in the case of Jerman we were able to give him some pain relief medications. The intent is a long term maintenance process, we had to be sure the medications given would do not harm yet give some support. Although I am not pushing any brand, I will share what our vet and I have decided to keep Jerman on for the long term...