Arthritis is a killer!

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...usually affecting the nervous system, causing  massive weight loss.

For returning readers, if you cut out this month's article and post it back to us, today, with all the 17 mistakes (including this one), you may win a holiday. To somewhere. At some stage.

As well as these 17 obvious delusions there are many further misunderstandings about arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a disease caused by cartilage damage. Cartilage is composed of a very particular arrangement of collagen fibres. Once there is damage to this God-given tissue, the body tries to sweep the problem under the carpet, like an old house-keeping trick my father taught me years ago. 

You see in the picture an arthritic joint.  Following damage to the cartilage, the body tries to fix it with a cheap alternative which, as with everything, doesn’t work as well. With time, the body also tries to fuse the joint with extra bony tissues laid down around the joint capsule. This eventually decreases the range of motion and agility of movements in diseased joints.

You see, the body is trying to ‘remove' the affected joint from action. Pain comes from movement of damaged cartilage and the body makes extra-articular bone in order to fuse the joint, thereby taking away the movement and, thus, the associated pain.  

Great idea — on paper! So, what are our options in helping our furry mates with their partially fused, pain-ridden joints?

• Cartilage-sparing medications such as cartrophen and hyonate injections actively slow the development of arthritic changes in affected joints.

• Chondroprotective medication such as Kimimove, Condrovet, Synoquin. These are glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, helping pain relief.

• Anti-inflammatories such as previcox, Metacam, which decreases inflammatory damage in the joints.

• The new pain relief injection Librela: this is a new modulator of pain relief only for arthritis pain. And it works really well!!  Essentially it creates antibodies against the 'pain molecule' involved in arthritis pain transmission. So, it blocks all arthritis associated pain and has no side effects.  One injection lasts a month and maybe it is  only in the colder months that your dog will need this extra help. 

So, keep your old yeller warm during the winter months – padded bedding. Weight loss, regular exercise and a healthy diet are all of great benefit too. 

Arthritis is a multi-model disease and we can help affected animals with multi-modal  treatment… your 13-year-old Labrador isn’t limping because he’s old, he is limping because he has arthritis and he can be helped a lot. Please contact us for a reply with information of the multiverse of arthritic managements available nowadays.

Omega 3 fatty acids, turmeric (with black pepper, apparently) and cannabinol oil all hold a lot of anecdotal effects as well. So, not so much as a mention of the elephant in the room; however, we wish you  a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Let us know if you want some Christmas ideas for your pampered pooch's stocking or your fat pussy's purse, as the girls are full of  good ideas and amusing suggestions. 

Lots of love and Christmas cheer from us all at Lagos Vets.