(Warning, if you really want to read this, make a cup of tea and get comfy, apologies for my ramblings) I was reading this book, a human medical book, mainly about Rheumatoid Arthritis but it also had a section on osteoarthritis (OA) which I found very interesting and thought I would share it for those with problems such as hip and elbow dysplasia. I didn't know that there was actually a very strong genetic predisposition to osteoarthritis as well as inflammatory arthritis varieties. This is generally multifactorial, but includes things like genetic mutations in collagen formation for instance. Osteoarthritis is generally caused by either abnormal joint physiology (such as the collagen forming fault mentioned) or abnormal joint stresses (such as obesity, trauma, mechanical issues). They can occur on their own, or together, which makes the arthritis more severe. Joint stiffness arises, at least in part, from the accumulation of hyaluronan (a joint lubricant and the most abundant constituent of synovial fluid) and hyaluronan fragments in the deep layers of arthritic synovium during periods of rest, which causes an exclusion of water within the synovial tissue. When joints are moved, the hyaluronan is agitated and is moved from the joint tissues into the blood and lymphatics and so improves the joint stiffness symptoms. This would fit in with why dogs like Charlie and Mabel have had both knees and elbows affected, and why I think Lilly may well have an elbow issue as well as her bilateral hip dysplasia And why it happens at such a young are. OA isn't a progressive wearing out of joints due to old age, and this belief in humans more so than animals perhaps leads to inappropriately reducing exercise when it should really be stepped up and increased, all be it slowly. Severity of pain and functional impairment are influenced by (in humans for sure) personality, anxiety, depression, daily activity levels and reduced muscle strength, the latter also influencing "proprioception" (the signals from the muscle that tell the brain what the structure of the body is doing) which influences strength, balance and falls. To help OA, education about strengthening exercise, aerobic (fitness) exercise and weight loss, along with addressing "mechanical issues" (in humans, maybe wearing insoles to tilt your foot to help your knee). Dietary supplements of glucosamine and chondroitin we have discussed numerous times, along with Hyaluronan - this is what Lady has had, as well as Rachael's horse Shaz (Happy Birthday again ). I don't have any links to evidence about the supplements, but the Yumove that so many people use contains all 3 of these supplements. I think the Hyaluronan is more effective given into the joint directly though. The other thing that was interesting was OA and osteoporosis.....thin bones. High bone density is apparently a risk factor for developing knee, hip and hand OA (again, in humans) but LOW bone density in fact is a risk factor for more progressive disease in knees and hips. I wonder if this is just related to weight? The heavier you are, the stronger your bones, lighter the weaker (in general). I would think that keeping weight down but exercising to increase your bone density makes complete sense and fits with this. If you've made it this far, well done, and thank you for humouring my musings - helps to write it all down sometimes to get it straight in your head. The genetic link to OA was a new one for me in human terms, but I guess not in the canine world with Hip scores So, regular, consistent, daily exercise, no weekend cowboys, keep the weight down, and Yumove. Yep, think this is what JulieT has being saying for years.
HeeHee - thanks Jac. Very interesting, indeed. Although I don't think the evidence for glucosamine and chondroitin is there at all, and I don't give Yumove (which is far from unique in its ingredients). I do feed glucosamine and chondroitin but only because the krill oil I feed comes with them as a 'nice to have' and I might as well just in case. Charlie does get monthly injections of Cartrophen and I do think this helps a lot. And I agree with your conclusion regarding exercise! I think I've been lucky - with the best treatment, Charlie kept his muscle mass. We reduced his weight while still building muscle (he was never really overweight but now he is definitely thin). With (also luckily) access to amazing rehabilitation, we were able to further increase that muscle mass. The result is that he has muscle that would put the average pet to shame - and so can exercise more, and build more muscle, and it keeps it all going in the right direction. So far, no signs of arthritis. Obviously many years to go yet, but so far, so good....
At lot if us have been saying it for years but I often get treated as a crank. Taking care is something which is not popular.
Very interesting and informative. A lot of it is really common sense, weight control, muscle fitness etc. but you are right, there is often a misconception about exercise and arthritis. As a rheumatoid and osteoarthritis sufferer, I know this very well. On occasions when for whatever reason I've had a few days when I've been unable to walk much, I have suffered the painful consequences. Getting the balance right between exercise and 'proper' rest is the key to living with these conditions - just the same for the dogs as us, so our serious responsibility to get it right for our dogs.
Yep, and it's common sense. When I started running long distances, my knees started hurting. My coach told me that I have to do exercises to strengthen the muscles around my knees. When I eventually did, I had no more knee problems. I ran 4 half-marathons during the last year and around a thousand kilometers of training without an injury. Cookie has bilateral hip displasia that went unnoticed (was an accidental finding) because he was all muscle. However, after an accident (he was hit by a car) and when he had hip surgery for a dislocated hip, his muscles have unfortunately atrophied in the affected leg which affected his gait. It's been a year now of physical therapies and we are seeing improvement in the muscle tone, although that leg is still weaker than the other (and has some neurological issues as well). Exercise is really important to keep the joints working, avoid muscle loss and of course, weight gain which adds unnecessary stress to the joints. I don't know if supplements help, but they certainly don't hurt. A proper diet with enough protein to feed the muscles, less carbs to avoid inflammation and weight gain, proper exercise (low impact) and I think our dogs can stay happy and active for a long time. Cookie's physical therapist is very pleased with how mobile and active he is, and he is currently the most active dog among the patients she is currently treating, regardless of what he went through (trauma) and his genetic predisposition to calcification (hips, elbows, spine).
