Experts Weigh-In: Aging Dogs and Arthritis

We’re starting our experts weigh-in series today. Top professionals – many of whom live in the San Francisco Bay Area – help you with your questions.

Q: We have an 11-year old Queensland Cattle dog that has numerous issues. Right now, we would like to strengthen his hind legs which have arthritis. Can you help us?

Professionals' background and advice (listed in alphabetic order). Have a question? Send us an email.  Thanks to all who participated for your valuable advice! 

Almudena Ortiz Cue M.A. CTC, CPDT-KA, TTouch PiT is the owner of CHACO Dog Training and Behavior Consulting. She is also a graduate of the San Francisco Academy for Dog Trainers, a national certified pet dog trainer (CPDT) by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and a Tellington TTouch PiT Practitioner for Companion Animals.

Cathy Chen-Rennie is the owner of The Rex Center. Cathy graduated from La Paw Spa canine swimming program and from The Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and Massage in Canine Therapeutic and Sports Massage. Cathy is also a Reiki Practitioner, a member of the International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork (IAAMB), the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), and Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT).

Donna Spector, DVM, DACVIM, is a board-certified veterinary Internal Medicine specialist from VCA Animal Hospital. Dr. Spector completed her doctoral degree in Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA). She also consults to HALO, Purely for Pets and has appeared on Ellen DeGeneres’s show.

Heather Sanders, CAAP, Cert. CN is a certified canine acupressurist, massage therapist, and nutritionist. Her house call practice, Wags 'n Wellness, uses these modalities in a holistic approach to your dog's well- being which is intended to complement traditional veterinary medicine. She holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from James Madison University, pursued post-baccalaureate coursework in neuroscience at UC Berkeley, and is a graduate of the Northwest School of Animal Massage, the Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute, and the Companion Animal Science Institute. In addition to a decade of experience in the fields of oncology and neurology, she has over 500 hours of training in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Heather is also a member of the International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork (IAAMB) and the Association of Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP).

Krista Niebaum, MPT, CCRT, is a licensed physical therapist and graduate of the Medical College of Pennsylvania/Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. She is also the Director of Rehabilitation Therapy at Scout’s House Rehabilitation in Menlo Park, California. Krista is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Canine Sports Medicine Association. She also teaches The Canine Rehabilitation Assistant through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute.

Kristen Hagler, BS, RVT, CCRP and California RVT License is a member of the San Francisco Veterinary Specialists. She received her BS in biology with a concentration in animal physiology from Sonoma State University. Kristen is a certified canine rehabilitation practitioner (CCRP) through the University of Tennessee's physical rehabilitation program, and has completed training in canine athletics from The Canine Rehabilitation Institute-Florida. Kristen is certified in Canine Body Work from the Caninology animal massage school and she is currently pursuing a certification in animal pain management.  

Almudena Ortiz Cue: I would recommend that you learn about Tellington TTouch body work so that you can, in addition to veterinary care, engage with your dog in daily short (3-10 minutes) bodywork sessions. The advantage of the Tellington work is that it is gentle enough that your dog will be able to tolerate and enjoy it.

In addition, you do not need to begin work in the affected area of the body, since engaging with ttouch body work in non-painful areas will also increase overall relaxation and blood circulation to the affected and painful back legs. Keep in mind that while it is possible to see immediate changes, most of the time the changes take place by engaging in regular TTouch body work. Feel free to contact me if you would like to find information regarding touch workshops or private sessions in the Bay Area.

Cathy Chen-Rennie: There are many things you can do to help your dog with arthritis, some examples include making sure the dog is lean, exercising him on a regular basis, adding nutritional supplements and working with your vet on a pain management regimen. My training is within canine massage and I’ve worked with a number of dogs in a canine aquatic fitness setting - so I know from experience that swimming is a great non-impact exercise that works the joints gently. Water has the benefit of buoyancy so your dog can exercise while getting a bit of a break from gravity. We have observed many dogs using their hind legs for propulsion when swimming so we’ve seen that it helps with stretching the back leg muscles.

With a swim coach, your dogs can gain confidence in the water and perhaps work up to doing a few short length laps in the pool. A swim coach can also create resistance and drive by having them tread water or letting them swim against a current. I work with dogs in an indoor warm-water swimming pool and perform massages while in the water to help them feel comfortable. We use warm water because it promotes muscle relaxation and good circulation. If you would like to learn more about canine aquatic fitness, please feel free to contact me.

Donna Spector: With a proper plan for diet, exercise and pain relief, you can improve your dog's joint health and minimize the negative effects of arthritis on his quality of life. Tips for managing arthritis include: (1) Diet: Keep your dog at an ideal weight—overweight dogs have more weakness, pain and other symptoms of arthritis when compared to fit dogs. Feed your dog a highly digestible, high quality protein food to help promote lean body mass and strong muscles. Provide a daily vitamin-mineral supplement to insure your dog has the proper nutrient balance to keep his bones and muscles healthy. (2) Exercise: Your dog should get regular exercise to keep muscles strong to support his joints. Swimming is an excellent exercise as it limits stress on joints and encourages a large range of motion. Keep running, jumping and rough-housing to a minimum for your dog's comfort. (3) Environment: To improve strength and mobility, provide soft padded bedding to help reduce pressure on your dog's arthritic joints. Consider ramps to help your dog tackle hurdles such as stairs, couches, beds and cars. Elevating your dog's food bowls may help alleviate pressure on their joints from bending during mealtime.

Physical Therapy, Massage and Acupuncture can improve the stiffness and muscle pain of arthritis. Ask your veterinarian to teach you passive range of motion exercises that will benefit your dog. Dietary Supplements such as glucosamine/chondroitin, glycosaminoglycans and green lipped mussel can be very helpful at alleviating arthritis pain as they help repair cartilage and joint damage. An omega-3 fatty acid supplement can improve joint inflammation and arthritis symptoms. And anti-inflammatory medications effectively treat pain associated with arthritis and include aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids. All of these medications can have negative side effects and should only be used under the close supervision of your veterinarian.

The best tip is to visit your local VCA Animal Hospital (http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/directory.html) and speak with your veterinarian about the best treatment for your dog.

Heather Sanders: There are lots of ways to help your dog have an active life despite this common symptom. It is important to first see your vet and determine the severity of the underlying cause of the arthritis. Xrays will reveal any structural abnormalities in the joints of the limbs or the spine. Also discuss with your vet options for pain management. Your dog cannot begin an exercise regimen to regain muscle strength if s/he is in too much pain!

Arthritis occurs when the connective tissue in the joint is damaged, resulting in inflammation and pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as Metacam and Rimadyl are commonly prescribed but can be damaging to your dog's liver and kidneys over time. Fortunately, other safer options are also effective in managing pain. Ask your vet about Adequan injections which help the body to rebuild the connective tissue in the joint and consider these other means of alleviating pain.

Diet and weight management are important components of an arthritis treatment plan. Any extra weight causes exponential pressure on arthritic joints and additional wear on the connective tissue. A canine nutritionist can work with you to tailor your dog's diet to his/her health needs and your budget and lifestyle.

Additionally, many dietary supplements including fish oils, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, MSM, and vitamin C can be beneficial in minimizing the effects of arthritis. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association recently conducted studies on the effects of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) for the treatment of osteoarthritis (also known as arthritis or degenerative joint disease) in dogs. The dogs receiving fish oil demonstrated improvements in their ability to rise from a resting position, walk, and play and had improved weight bearing on the affected limbs.

Acupressure (which uses touch) and acupuncture (which uses needles) are practices that date back 1000's of years and have proven efficacy in reducing pain and inflammation. Holistic veterinarians may also recommend Chinese or western herbs that have anti-inflammatory properties or that serve to improve circulation and blood flow to the affected areas.

Once you have mitigated your dog's pain, regular exercise is critical to building muscle mass. Swimming is an ideal activity because there is no impact on the joints. Long walks, especially on sand or uneven trails, are excellent for strengthening smaller, supporting muscles while simultaneously building mass in larger muscle groups. Avoid steep grades and discourage jumping or running - even onto furniture or in and out of the car. Start with short sessions and gradually increase the duration, paying close attention to your dog's enthusiasm and recovery time.

It's important to respect that our pets age, just as we do, and they won't be able to play like puppies forever. However, with the myriad of options available today, we can enable our dogs to live more comfortable and more active lives.

Krista Niebaum: Osteoarthritis (OA) can be an especially crippling disease, particularly in older pets, causing pain and weakness in the affected areas and limiting mobility. Unfortunately, our license prevents us from suggesting specific exercises for a pet we haven't physically examined, but there are a number of things we can recommend for dogs and cats with OA.

Managing the pain of OA is paramount on the list, so you'll want to talk with your veterinarian about an appropriate medication. You might also consider giving your dog some of the supplements that have been found to help with arthritis, including glucosamine/chondriton and Omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, the results of two studies on the effectiveness of Omega-3 fatty acids in alleviating OA pain in dogs were just published in the most recent edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, citing a significantly improved ability to rise from a resting position and play by six weeks after beginning supplementation, and an improved ability to walk by 12 weeks. For more information, please go to Dr. Nancy Kay's blog "Speaking for Spot" athttp://www.speakingforspot.com/blog.

Equally important, be sure to keep your dog's weight at an optimal level as every additional pound can have a tremendous impact on his mobility. And you might also consider stem cell therapy for him as that can be very effective with some pets. Check out the Vet- Stem website for more information: http://www.vet-stem.com.

And, of course, consider giving physical rehabilitation therapy a try. At Scout's House, we have helped many dogs with OA live more comfortable and more functional lives using a variety of techniques, including hydrotherapy, low-level laser therapy, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, and therapeutic exercises.

Kristen Hagler: After 8 years of age a dog is considered geriatric, which means several things change both emotionally and physically. The most common age related condition that occurs in geriatric animals is arthritis, which can affect one or more joints. Several factors contribute to the severity of arthritis affecting animals, the most influential being body weight. The most important thing you can do to help a dog with arthritis is maintain an ideal body weight and get regular low impact exercise. Pain from arthritis can be alleviated nearly 10% by losing a few pounds and can be exacerbated to an unknown amount with excessive weight. Dogs normally bear 60% of their body weight on their front limbs and 40% on their rear limbs when standing in a neutral position. An animal with pain in the rear legs will often shift their bodyweight to the front legs altering the percentages and cause pain in multiple areas of the body, including those that do not have arthritis.

Another important thing you can do to help strengthen the rear legs is to think of the health of the entire body. The back, abdominal, and front leg muscles must also be strong to maintain proper body alignment. Walking for shorter, more frequent periods of time will help prevent overexertion during a walk. Start out slow on flat even surfaces and gradually begin to incorporate inclines and declines and small sets of stairs as tolerated. You and your pet should never need to stop in the middle of a walk, if this happens, you have gone too far. A walk should always start and stop strong. Once walking goals are accomplished, basic exercises such as performing a sit-stand, turning in a circle, weaving around objects, stepping over low ladder rungs, walking on a mattress, and swimming can help strengthen the entire body. Swimming does help a small amount to strengthen the rear legs, but unless the dog is walking in an underwater treadmill (typically at a rehabilitation facility) with adjustable water height, the rear legs are difficult to specifically target. General swimming is an excellent tool for cardiovascular health; just keep in mind the water temperature and underwater terrain. Colder water will be harsher on an arthritic joint and rocks can cause hazards. Before embarking on any new exercise progr am, it is strongly recommended to seek the advice of a professional trained in animal physical rehabilitation. This will ensure a safe and effective exercise plan for you and your pet.

Lastly, simple home modifications can be done to help weak rear legs. Elevating the food and water bowel slightly will help alleviate excess stress on the spine and front legs. If you have hardwood floors, purchasing booties for the rear legs will help to gain traction. In homes with a many stairs, purchasing a soft belly sling to aid in getting up and down the stairs will help avoid exhaustion and always have a soft padded bed available in a few areas of the home for your beloved companion to rest in.

Thank you to our panel of experts.