Owner Education is Key to Helping Numerous Dogs With Osteoarthritis That Currently go Untreated

"It's important that people learn to recognize the signs of pain in their pets,'' says Bernadine Cruz, D.V.M., Laguna Hills Animal Hospital, Laguna Hills, Calif. She notes that dogs enter the senior category around age 7. "Just as parents notice when their children are in pain, dog owners should pay special attention to the signs of pain and aging in their senior dogs and not just accept them as normal.''

Osteoarthritis pain affects many dogs

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common canine diseases, affecting more than 8 million dogs in the United States (2). Yet more than half (55 percent) of dogs with arthritis pain go untreated (3). In fact, the prevalence of arthritis in dogs is similar to humans, with one in five dogs experiencing arthritis (4), compared to one in six people (5).

Osteoarthritis is a chronic, degenerative and painful condition that can develop gradually over time. Pain and disability become more severe as joint tissue deteriorates and advances from the early stages into later stages. Arthritis can affect a dog's quality of life, keeping them from activities, such as walking, running and playing.

"Because the incidence of canine arthritis more than doubles in senior dogs (age 7 and older), it's important to learn which signs to watch for before your dog reaches senior citizen status,'' Cruz adds. "Teaching owners to recognize the signs of canine osteoarthritis pain will help them help their dogs, especially since many veterinarians don't routinely check for osteoarthritis during an exam (6).''

Signs of osteoarthritis pain include tiring easily on walks; limping, lagging behind or appearing stiff after activity; reluctance to climb steps or jump up; or being slow to rise from a resting position. It is important to recognize these signs early and provide pain relief to help keep the dog active and mobile, and therefore less likely to become overweight.

Osteoarthritis awareness leads to action

"Owners also need to understand that arthritis is probably just as painful for dogs as it is for humans,'' Cruz adds. ``Generally, when owners become aware of their pets' pain, they want to do something to relieve the pain.''

This is borne out by the results of the Yankelovich survey. It found that 65 percent of survey respondents worry about various physical health concerns that may affect their dogs, and 88 percent of respondents agreed that dogs can experience the same problems as people (1). As in people, proven prescription products for arthritis pain are available for dogs.