has your pet been diagnosed with arthritis are you confused about what
this will mean for your cat or dog and what the next step is are they lame
stiff or slow and are you wondering if it's more than age well in this video
series I'll answer all of these questions and more so let's get started
hi I'm Dr. Alex Avery from OurPetsHealth.com helping you and your pets
live a healthier happier life and in this first video of the arthritis series
I'll be busting a few myths to give you the facts about this disease which
animals are most at risk and how it progresses what signs to look for in
both cats and dogs as well as finally discussing how we can best diagnosis it now
arthritis or more accurately osteoarthritis is one of the most common
diseases in our older cat and dog population it is the result of a
breakdown of cartilage within the joint which sets up a process of inflammation
of further damage gradually results in a painful disease of arthritis so which of
our pets is most at risk well we used to consider it mainly a disease of elderly
large breed dogs however as our understanding has grown and with
improvements in the recognition of pain and cats and dogs has become apparent
arthritis is a condition that affects all breeds of dogs and is also very
common and underappreciated in our elderly cats more than 60% of cats over
the age of 12 have arthritic changes present on x-ray now this is not to say
that arthritis is are given in old age there are certainly individuals who are
at greater risk of suffering from this painful and debilitating disease now
number one on this list has to be specific breeds as with a lot of
conditions breeding has resulted in genetic developmental conformational
abnormalities that massively predisposed to arthritis breeds such as the Labrador
and German Shepherd a prone to hip dysplasia that results in the hip joint
not forming properly other breeds have been bred so that their legs are
shortened and twisted again resulting in abnormal joints and abnormal forces
acting through them some may only be small dogs but a lifetime of abnormal
wear will really still take its toll now obesity is the next major issue and one
that's becoming more and more of a problem with up to fifty four percent of
our dogs and even 59 percent of our cat population being overweight or obese now
been clearly shown at an overweight dog may develop arthritis three years
earlier from the same dog were it a healthy weight overweight cats are five
times as likely to suffer lameness than healthy weight individuals
check out my obesity video series linked here for more information and dieting
advice for overweight and obese cats and dogs
now other conditions which make arthritis more likely to develop include
previous joint damage such as fractures joint infection or ligament injury with
cruciate ligament damage being one of the most common osteochondrosis which is
a joint developmental abnormality in young growing large breed dogs will also
set up conditions that are ideal for the early onset of arthritis now in these
cases the most commonly affected joints include the elbow and shoulder and this
highlights the fact that arthritis can affect any joint in any leg now age is
perhaps the final massive risk factor so we can't turn back the clock with our pet
population living for longer and longer than they ever used to before and as a
result more and more individuals starting to suffer from arthritis okay
so now we know who is most likely to get osteoarthritis but how does the disease
develop well this is important to consider to help explain the clinical
signs that we'll witness and help understand the treatment options
available and also to help understand why no single treatment plan is
appropriate for every individual and why treatment plans will need to change over
time so a normal joint is made up of bone covered with a layer of cartilage
which is a smooth substance and produced by special cells forming a matrix rich
in substance is known as proteoglycans and elastin fibers as well as cartilage
a joint is also lined with something called the synovial membrane which
produces synovial fluid now this is a clear sticky liquid that acts like a
lubricant to the smooth cartilage and this normal joint structure allows
smooth friction free movement in the early arthritic joint the surface of the
cartilage becomes disrupted and break down of the cartilage matrix structure
begins so the cartilage cells that are there
try and counteract this breakdown but then just not able to keep up with the
damage being done and this breakdown results in cracking erosion flaking of
the cartilage until its full thickness is eroded and the underlying bone
becomes exposed now in response this exposed bone it becomes thickened and new
bone is formed in an effort to stabilize the joint
this in itself increases inflammation in a joint and it all just results in a
vicious circle of inflammation cartilage breakdown new bone formation and then
further inflammation now depending on the underlying cause or problem this
process it can actually be very rapid taking place in a matter of months or in
other situations the process can be very slow progressing slowly over years so
how do we know a cat or dog has arthritis it's easy
they limp right well yes and no cats and dogs are different in how they let us
know they're in pain so let us consider each in turn because they're a little
easier to interpret let's start with our dogs often the first sign is a mild
intermittent lameness or limping that happens after a particularly large
amount of exercise while this lameness may be seen at the end of the exercise
period it's often actually not until the following morning or that evening after
a good rest that our early arthritic dog appears stiff and lame as the arthritis
progresses the frequency as well as the severity of the lameness gets worse
until a point where the dog is lame every day and can't exercise for more
than a short period without becoming unable to muster more than a slow limp
a hallmark of the lameness due to arthritis as opposed to lameness due to
other causes is that at least in the early stages it is seen after a period
of rest once the dog warms up and stretches out then this lameness may
disappear completely the problem may also often seem worse or first appear
when the weather is colder now in advanced stages of arthritis the
stiffness and lameness may become more of a permanent feature so one of the big
frustrations I have is to hear from people that their pet is stiff and
slowing down just due to age and there's no way they are in pain so this I say
that age itself isn't a disease and that there is a reason any animal or
person for that matter is stiff and that reason is pain for the truly skeptical
when I am as certain as I can be at the diagnosis I'll often recommend a short
treatment trial with pain killers owners are generally amazed at the
improvement there is in their dog especially for a problem which they
haven't even appreciated in the first place the problem is that the the signs
of arthritis they come on so slowly and because we're seeing on every day we
just don't notice that slow deterioration taking that pain away
really allows us to see what they're like without pain being present
while this lameness and stiffness is the most obvious sign of pain caused by
arthritis there are more subtle behaviors that our dogs
exhibit to try and just reduce the amounts of pain they're in they'll often
refused to exercise spontaneously no longer rushing to the front door to
greet visitors or stopping early on walks instead choosing to plod slowly by
your side rather than exploring all the smells and excitement of the area the
dog may refuse to jump into the car they may stop climbing stairs or coming onto
your bed at night it's jumping or climbing it just causes them too much
pain and discomfort it may struggle to get that first thing in the morning or
whenever they lie down and this is likely to be worse when they're on a
slippery floor they may also spend more time sleeping
after all doesn't hurt so much when they're not moving as a result of this
they may also gain weight and that only makes matters worse behaviorally they
may appear grumpy agitated irritable or lethargic they may flinch when stroked
they may really object to certain areas being touched and can even show signs of
aggression when people especially strangers go to touch them for this
reason they may also stop interacting with the family as much and become
withdrawn and you can see how all of these things would massively affect
their quality of life okay so let's review these signs again
as if your pet is showing any of them then they may very well be in pain due
to arthritis and getting them checked out by your local vet would be a great
idea so we've got lameness or stiffness especially after a period of rest which
they then warm up out of a worsening problem in cold weather a reduction in
activity levels and reduced desire to exercise unwilling or hesitant to jump
up or climb difficulty getting up on slippery surface increased time sleeping
weight gain reduced interaction with the family and finally a change in behavior
becoming grumpy agitated irritable or even aggressive okay
now let's consider cats and the signs you might notice if your cat is
suffering from arthritis so cats are the great hiders of disease and so it can be
much harder to spot when they have a problem arthritis is no different cats
tend to adapt their behavior much better and as a result you may only notice
signs of a problem that things are much more advanced or of course if you know
what to look for now cats are very three dimensional in your space they occupy
loving to jump climb and sleep off the ground in the early stages of arthritis
they'll still do all of these activities but you'll notice that they may be
hesitating either before they jump up or just psyching themselves up as they
prepare to jump down from the height where possible they might also choose to
get to where they to go via a different route an example
of this would be a cat who used to jump straight up onto the table instead going
via chair to get to that tabletop now as the disease progresses and it is
a progressive disease pain levels worsen and you'll then find them less willing
to make the effort to jump or climb completely and so find that they stay
downstairs will never sleep in their old high spots instead preferring lower and
easier to access areas they may also struggle to do other everyday activities
such as using their litter tray or going through their cat flap and just like
dogs activity levels in general will reduce with less hunting and less play
behavior being shown instead being replaced with increased time spent
asleep cats will also often choose to reduce their interaction with family as
a way to avoid potentially painful situations as a result they can appear
more grumpy as well they may hiss when approached or even lash out in more
extreme circumstances grooming habits is a final clue to watch out for in
arthritic cats imagine being stiff and sore all the time past a certain point
even the simple act of keeping clean becomes too much for even the most
fastidious cat the coat will become unkempt and scruffy looking they'll stop
removing all of their shed coat and will start to become matted as they will be
moving less and reducing their scratching behavior their claws may also
become overgrown and this can even be to the extent of curling around and growing
into their pads which in itself is incredibly painful okay so as you can
imagine from the extensive discussion we've had on the clinical signs our pets
with arthritis show the main way we diagnosed arthritis is from full
clinical history and determined that an at-risk individual is also displaying
these appropriate clinical signs when combined with a full and thorough
clinical examination by your vets there's often no need for further
testing to reach our diagnosis examination findings may include
thickened joints that creak and crunch and fail to move to the degree they
would have done some years earlier now this is known as a reduced range of
motion we will also get to sign that their painful with this manipulation
although this can vary from slight reluctance to move a joint through to
trying to bite depending on how severe the disease is and an individual's
temperament and stoicism will also likely see a loss in the
muscle mass of the affected limb they're using it less and so the muscle wastes
away in our classic cases such as the elderly stiff Labrador this history and
clinical examination will be enough to make our diagnosis and so
start discussing a treatment plan it's not always this simple though and there'll
times and further testing is needed to be confident and comfortable enough to
make a diagnosis this may be for several reasons an unusual patient in the sense
that they may be younger than normally expected or a breed that would be
thought to be less susceptible to arthritis may be a patient where more
unusual signs are being presented such as excessive pain signs possibly
attributable to nerve damage patients with a high temperature or the
lameness is shifting between different joints your feelings as a pet owner will
also clearly play a role here too so we're talking about the diagnosis of a
condition that will require ongoing management for the remainder of your
pets life so it's important that you are comfortable with that diagnosis and for
some that will mean x-rays at an early stage even when the case seems
relatively straightforward to get the best pictures x-rays are generally
carried out under a heavy sedation or an anaesthetic and we'll start with images
being taken of the affected limb now this may be targeted to a single joint
although very often multiple joints will have x-rays taken of them with several
being affected in most patients when we take our x-rays we're looking for a
number of things and these include new bone formation around the joints in
places where they would not normally be bone present we look for changes in the
density of the bone so the thickness of the bone and it will often appear
thicker and so white on an x-ray we'll also look for thickening of the
soft tissue structures around the joint and we'll also look for narrowing of the
joint space between the bones of the joint while a patient is sedated or
anesthetized the opportunity is also taken to reexamine the leg as joint
laxity such as caused by cruciate ligament rupture may only become
apparent in sedated animals especially in our larger breed dogs as well as
arthritic changes we're also looking for evidence of a different disease being
the cause of the discomfort and this might be a slipped disc or intervertebral
disc disease and it might be bone cancer joint infection
might be there might be developmental problems in younger patients there are
other conditions that may show up an absence of arthritic changes will also
prompt an investigation into other causes of the clinical complaint if the
x-rays show that arthritis is present then it is all we can say we can't tell
the degree of pain an individual is in just by looking at how much degeneration
of the joint is present we know that dogs and cats with only
mild and quite subtle changes on x-rays can be incredibly painful whereas some
pets with horrendous looking joints can be surprisingly comfortable so x-rays
can confirm a diagnosis of arthritis but severity is assessed really based on
clinical signs and symptoms that our pet is showing as well as their response to
treatment as already suggested an alternative approach when the diagnosis of
arthritis is highly likely is to give a treatment trial for around two to four
weeks now this is typically with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
painkiller although other drug options may be more
appropriate depending on your pets unique history if a patient shows a good
improvement then long-term management can then be discussed and if the
response is poor then xrays can be further justified
now if x-rays are negative for arthritis no other diagnosis can be made from them
then additional testing will be needed now this might involve blood and urine
testing sampling joint fluid may be taken from several joints may also be
time for advanced imaging techniques such as CT or MRI scanning to be used
and so it may be time for referral to a more specialist veterinary center okay
so I hope you found the first video in arthritis series interesting and useful
in the next video I'm going to be discussing all of the holistic treatment
and management strategies that we can use that don't involve drugs for the
treatment of this chronic disease now if you've got any questions if you've got
any comments that you'd like to share then I'd love to hear them down below if
it's your first time here consider subscribing to make sure that you don't
miss out on our future content and allow me to continue to help you and your pet
into a healthier happier life so until next time i'm Dr Alex from OurPetsHealth
because they're family
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