Canine Arthritis - What is it? | Benyfit Natural

All About: Canine Arthritis

June 13, 2023By Sally Hayler

At Benyfit Natural we get a lot of pet parents making the switch to raw food to ensure they are caring for their pets health. We're seeing more and more cases of Canine Arthritis with raw food and premium nutrition being used to help manage this. We've enlisted the help of canine wellness expert Yaz from Yorkshire Pooches Therapies to go through everything you need to know about canine arthritis.

Your dog may have started slowing down as the years creep up on them, they are stiff in the morning or lag behind on a walk. A Vet appointment confirms your suspicions and you have a diagnosis of Canine Arthritis, what do you do now?

Firstly I think it's important to understand what is happening in the joint, to get a true appreciation of what your dog is experiencing. Take for example the stifle joint, or your dog's knee. This joint consists of cartilage, ligaments, synovial capsule, and synovial fluid. Arthritis can affect different parts of this structure, your dog may have cartilage destruction which has caused synovial fluid to become inflamed with debris and ligaments to become lax. This may be occurring secondary to an orthopaedic condition such as Hip Dysplasia. However, not only is the joint affected, but surrounding soft tissue can atrophy and compensatory tension can occur elsewhere in the body.

To effectively work with this chronic condition we have to work holistically, taking the whole dog into account, their mind, body and soul to achieve a successful pain management plan. Now we know mechanically what can occur in the joint, next we need to understand the type of arthritis that can occur.

Types of Canine Arthritis

Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Immune-mediated arthritis
Systematic lupus arthritis
Septic arthritis

Being a canine pain management specialist, the most common type that I see in my clinic has to be Osteoarthritis. This chronic inflammatory condition sadly has no cure but there is so much we can do to help manage the pain levels and subsequently the inflammatory response. The aim is to slow down joint degeneration as much as possible. It is incredibly prevalent in our dog population with research indicating, “prevalence values ranging from 20% in dogs older than one year up to 80% in dogs older than eight years” (Anderson, K et al. 2018) These numbers are absolutely staggering, and as a collective of pet parents and professionals we have to help tackle this issue head-on, but how can we do this?

Multimodal management is key when formulating a treatment plan for this chronic condition, you have to build a team around your dog. So who is in this team?

Veterinary Team

The only place you can get diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, homoeopathic and or herbal medication. This part of your team can include your Vet who you see for medication checks, the Veterinary Nurse who runs the weight management clinic and also Orthopedic Specialists.

Veterinary Rehabbers

This group of paraprofessionals can include Massage Therapists, Hydrotherapists, Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, and Reiki Practitioners… there is a lot of us. What I would recommend is that any Vet Rehabber you do take your dog to see is suitably qualified, insured and part of a governing body that sets guidelines for best practice.

Lifestyle Management

This can range from helping your dog in and out of the car to recognising signs of subtle pain and adjusting exercise levels or even popping rugs down on slippy flooring.

Nutrition

Feeding a species-appropriate diet is one of the cornerstones of overall health, but for me incredibly important for joint health. Feeding a raw food diet that is full of healthy proteins and fats with a low carbohydrate load is the perfect way to support reducing the body's inflammatory response. Benyfit Naturals Senior Care Turkey Recipe with Joint Support, which includes additional Glucosamine and Chondroitin the very building blocks of joint health! Even if your dog isn't senior this recipe is still fantastic, it's just been made slightly finer for older dogs.

Supplements

Benyfit Natural's specially formulated Mobility Topper certainly ticks a lot of boxes for me when I’m choosing supplements for my own dogs. Whole food ingredients with wonderful anti-inflammatory properties such as Rosehips and not forgetting one of the powerhouses of joint health, Green Lipped Mussels! Treats such as Air Dried Sprats or White Fish Skin Cubes can be a great way to add additional omega-3 fatty acids to help clean up free radicals left behind from inflammation. Not forgetting natural Chicken Feet and Duck Feet, which are all packed with glucosamine which is superb for joint health.

If you suspect that your dog, regardless of age may be displaying signs of silent pain, I refer to the four pillars of pain. Any changes in the following may indicate pain and a Vet visit would be prudent to rule out causes or start a potential pain trial.

Signs of Canine Arthritis

Gait
Posture
Capability
Behaviour

Keeping the gut microbiome happy and flourishing with a species-appropriate diet is a great way to support the body's ability to manage inflammatory responses, plus a lot of pain-mediating chemicals are produced in the gut! Continue to nourish your dogs with compassion, massage and species-appropriate nutrition.

Yaz, Yorkshire Pooches Therapies

Vet Rehabber & Canine Wellness Expert

Products for Dogs With Arthritis

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All About: Canine Arthritis

Types of Canine Arthritis

Veterinary Team

Veterinary Rehabbers

Lifestyle Management

Nutrition

Supplements

Signs of Canine Arthritis

Products for Dogs With Arthritis

Benefits of Raw

20% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER

Natural Raw Dog Food

Raw Food Calculator

Transitioning to Raw

Planet Friendly Packaging

Our Ingredients

Benefits of Raw

20% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER

Natural Raw Dog Food

Raw Food Calculator

Transitioning to Raw

Planet Friendly Packaging

Our Ingredients

All About: Canine Arthritis

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