Treat arthritis the vegan way
By Dr Robert Gropel Veterinarian and veganA
rthritis is one of the most
common and hidden diseases
in dogs and has no cure. Today,
the best we can hope to do is
slow the progression and
manage pain of arthritis in our pets.
Defined as ‘inflammation of a joint’,
arthritis is commonly recognised as a joint
which has suffered physical, irreversible
changes due to long-term inflammation.
Joints are designed to give a limb or
spine flexibility to allow movement as well
as cushioning the repetitive impact of
movement. Joints are designed to ‘spread’
the shock of impact weight-bearing across
the whole joint, minimising damage to any
one focal point.Causes of arthritis
There are many complex causes such as
infection or auto-immune conditions which
can severely damage a joint, but these are
uncommon. The two most common causes
are:- A developmental or hereditary cause. If
the joint surfaces aren’t perfectly aligned
(i.e. slightly loose hip socket or ligament
damage causing joint instability), then
the shock of weight bearing will not be
spread throughout the joint but rather
becomes focused on a specific point in
the joint. Repetitive impact can cause a
‘hotspot’ in the joint, leading to cartilage
damage and inflammation. - Wear and tear. Dogs that are very active
in life (e.g. years of daily ball chasing
in the park), will suffer from arthritis at
some stage in their senior years,
especially large breed dogs (over 25kg),
due to the increased load on the joint.
Therefore, at some point every dog will
develop arthritis. The age at which dogs
will suffer discomfort depends on whether
their joints developed correctly as a young
dog, the trauma the joint has suffered over
time, ligament injuries and many more.
Larger breed dogs will usually start to show
signs of discomfort about eight to nine
years of age.
Why is arthritis a hidden disease?
Because arthritis is a very slow and
insidious condition, your pet slowly adapts
and compensates by way of adjusting his/
her movement and reducing activity levels
(see clinical signs). Because the changes
are slow, owners often perceive them as
“ageing, slowing down or getting old”.But my cat/dog isn’t in pain, yelping or
crying
This is a common misconception. Animals
won’t complain about chronic pain. They
don’t understand that we can help them so
they’re not going to pull on our sleeve and
point to their sore hip. The pack mentality
of a dog is to keep quiet and hope the
problem will go away. The higher a dog
can make it in their social pack - the more
dominant they are and the more food they
have access to. There is relentless
competition from dogs lower in the pack.
If a dog looks sick or injured, it will
immediately be challenged for its position.
Dogs lower in the pack get bullied more
and have less access to food. This puts
them at risk of starvation. Now our pets
aren’t at risk of starvation, but they will still
maintain this basic primal instinct - keep
quiet, and it will hopefully get better.
Listed below are signs to look for if your
pet has arthritis. Your pet doesn’t need to
be suffering from all of these, it can take
only one or two.- difficulty rising from a sitting position
(most common) - limping (especially after rest, and warms
out of it) or having a stilted (proppy) gait. - slowing down on walks, not willing to
walk as far - sniffing a LOT more during a walk
(irritatingly so) - getting skinny in the back legs. Back legs
trembling when standing for long periods - sleeping a lot more
- less enthusiastic to meet the owner when
he/she comes home at the end of the day - getting upset, growling or snapping more
if they are touched around the back end - in severe cases, toileting inside or leaking
urine when sleeping at night
Don’t forget cats- Seeping more during the day
- Not jumping onto high surfaces
- Trouble jumping down from high surfaces
- Getting skinny in the back legs and
appearing stiff when moving
If you think your dog or cat has any of
these symptoms, please get them checked
by your local vet. Remember, arthritis is
irreversible, so be proactive. There are
steps that can be taken to prevent it. The
four best vegan treatment options are:
Weight loss
Significant evidence in the literaturepoints towards the benefits of weight loss
in both humans and animals with arthritis.
Overweight dogs are prone to developing
early arthritis, so weight loss is not only for
managing already present arthritis, but is
key in delaying its onset.
Help your dog lose weight by reducing
its caloric intake. The best way to do this is
to reduce their normal diet by 20 per cent
and replace this with steamed or raw
veggies (carrots, broccoli or cauliflower)- but not potatoes, pumpkin or corn as
these are higher in calories. Steamed
carrots mashed into food is the most
palatable option if your dog isn’t keen on
vegetables. We want to make your dog feel
full, but with a less calorie dense meal.
Alternatively you can reduce your dog’s
diet by 10 per cent only without adding
anything back. This is a guideline of where
to start. Re-weigh your dog after two weeks
and see if he/she has lost any weight. You
may need to reduce the amount of the
original diet further (another 10 per cent) if
weight loss is minimal, followed by another
weight check two to four weeks later, and
so on. Your local vet will know when your
dog has achieved an appropriate weight.
Cats on dry food are prone to weight
gain due to the calorie dense nature of the
food. Switch your cat to at least 80 to 90
per cent wet food to promote weight loss.
A high percentage wet food diet results in
better hydration and also promotes urinary
tract health for your cat.
Exercise
There is strong evidence for the efficacy
of exercise in the management of arthritis
in both humans and dogs. If your dog is
reluctant to go for a walk, the last thing
you should do is let them sleep all day. A
lack of exercise results in muscle wastage
which in turn leads to reduced joint
support. Reduced joint support leads to
increased stiffness and discomfort, which
in turn leads to further reluctance to walk.
This is a cycle we can’t allow to happen.
Once your pet loses muscle mass, it is
very hard to get it back. You can’t take
dogs to the gym to do leg presses or go on
the cycle machine. Controlled exercise is
extremely important - but dynamic exercise
like throwing the ball or rough play with
other dogs will cause sharp increases in
load on the joints and increase the risk of
injury or discomfort post exercise. Controlled
leash walks for as long as they are willingyour petsOLIHVW\OH