Canine Degenerative Joint Disease and Inflammatory Joint Disease

Degenerative joint disease and inflammatory joint disease are each forms of arthritis. Degenerative joint disease usually has it's beginnings when the dog is still a puppy. A puppy needs a good diet to promote bone and skeletal health, as well as overall health. Puppies, mainly large breed, have many rapid growth spurts. The weight needs to be monitored during those growth spurts. If a puppy gains too much weight too fast, added stress is added to those joints. That added stress can become evident later in life. It can show hip dysplasia or knee dysplasia. It can also become evident with loose knee caps or osteochondritis. Osteochondritis is the development of flaps in the joints, which occurs when bone development is disturbed. Since cartilage has no nerves, the damage can progress with no symptoms until the joints are severely compromised. At that point, the synovial fluid will be thinned and no longer able to lubricate the joints. If the synovial fluid can not lubricate the joints, there is no protection for bone surfaces.

Degenerative joint disease can sometimes be halted or prevented if x-ray indicate a malformation early enough to be treated. If not, relief can be obtained by pain killers, low impact exercise, rest and diet. You must be very careful about over the counter pain medications for your pet. Some over-the-counter meds can upset the stomach and the bowels, causing diarrhea, diarrhea with bloody stool, diarrhea with mucous, severe abdominal pain and vomiting.

Inflammatory joint disease is caused by infection or bacteria. This can due to a tic bite. Inflammatory joint disease also has another category and must be treated differently. The second category is caused by an underlying immune disease.

Signs of degenerative joint disease would be reluctant to walk, the dog holds a limb up and does not bear weight on it while standing, or the dog has difficulty rising from a resting position. The signs of an inflamed joint are swelling or heat around a joint. There may be tenderness when the joint is palpated. There is a problem when the dog stops panting and holds it's breath when examined. The dog may suddenly turn it's head and snap when an inflamed joint is touched.