The cold weather is are , the days are getting shorter and our senior pets are feeling it as well. There are a few simple things you can do to help ease any discomfort of arthritis that affects up to 70% of all cats and dogs over 8 years of age.
Cats are very good at hiding the signs that may be suffering from arthritis or inflamed joints. They will often just sit around and sleep more and are less active. A very important sign to notice, is that if your cat normally jumps off the table straight to the ground but you now see them jumping onto a chair first, it is its way of reducing the impact and any subsequent pain.
Dogs tend to be more demonstrative with signs of arthritis. You may see them being stiff to get up first thing in the morning and “warming’ out of it. You may see a limp or a reluctance to go up/down stairs or wanting to go for shorter walks.
Talk to us about the many things that are available to help with this degenerative and often painful condition. A simple recommendation may simply involve swapping to a special food that contains glucosamine and actually turns off the genes that are responsible for the inflammation in the first place.
There are also injections given weekly for 4 weeks that can reduce the signs of arthritis by up to 80%, anti-inflammatory tablets, acupuncture and even stem cell therapy using fat cells!
It is best to start any therapy before the very cold weather hits to ease any winter chills and ills.
Just call us or mention any problems your pet may have next time you are in.
This article in the magazine Dog’s Life has more hints and tips on settling winter worries. Dr Shibly’s colleague veterinarian Dr Michael Archinal, also known as Dr Arch is amongst the experts.
