More About Osteoarthritis
Arthritis, which means joint inflammation, occurs in humans and dogs. You probably know someone with arthritis, as it affects about one in every six adults. Of those, almost half suffer from the pain and disability of osteoarthritis (OA). While more than 100 forms of arthritis are known to affect people, OA and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common.
Understanding OA will help you know how to make your dog feel like a puppy again.
Figure 1: Cycle of Pain
Like in humans, OA in dogs (canine osteoarthritis) is an inflammation in one or more joints. It affects about one in every five adult dogs*, with the hips, elbows and knees being especially prone.
If OA isn’t detected and controlled, a vicious cycle of pain and disability occurs. Damage to cartilage (a rubbery, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in joints) triggers inflammation as the tissue tries to repair itself. This inflammation causes pain, which can lead to a decrease in exercise and, in turn, to a loss in muscle tone and strength. Less exercise combined with muscle loss can lead to weight problems or obesity, which can increase stress on the damaged joint and more cartilage breakdown.
Joint cartilage breakdown, inflammation and pain are often present before obvious signs of a problem are noticed. Since OA cannot be cured, it’s very important to spot the subtle signs of OA pain in your dog as early as possible. Your veterinarian can do a routine screening for signs of OA pain, so be sure to ask for one. If osteoarthritis is identified, you and your veterinarian can take steps to control pain and inflammation, increase your dog’s ability to move and improve your dog’s quality of life.
Figure 2: Anatomy of a joint
What’s going on inside a dog with osteoarthritis?
OA is caused by abnormal stresses on a normal joint, or instability of the bones forming the joint due to trauma or abnormal anatomy.
A synovial joint is a connection where two bones meet. Ligaments and a joint capsule hold the bones together as shown in Figure 2.
When the joint gets damaged by trauma or an altered force due to improper joint alignment, there is physical damage to the joint cells. This physical damage causes an interruption of healthy cell production within the joint. Note the physical differences between a healthy hip joint and a non-healthy hip joint as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Arthritic versus healthy canine hip joint
The surface of the cartilage gets worn down, the joint capsule swells with inflammation and the tissues around the joint become painful.
*Data on file.