It can be heartbreaking seeing your beloved pet struggle with mobility and pain as they get older. While arthritis is debilitating for your dog, as well as stressful for you, there are fortunately several ways you can help deal with one of the most common health related issues that strike older dogs. Check out the following tips for dealing with dog arthritis.
Don’t push your dog to do too much
While it can be sad realizing your dog can no longer do the things it used to, it's important to respect this change and not to push your dog too much when it comes to physical activity. Overdoing any physical activity when your dog has arthritis can lead to grumpiness, which can lead to possible emotional outbursts, so make sure to ‘baby’ your dog, even if it feels a little bit strange compared to how you use to treat it in its previous life. And while you make sure you don't exert too much activity on your dog, also look into remedies for dog arthritis, as there are several out there and many have been known to help.
Make them comfortable
Since it is unfortunately impossible to cure your dog’s arthritis, your next option is to make your dog as comfortable as possible. Make sure to keep their food and water dishes at a comfortable height. Also make sure to give them a padded surface to sleep on and put non-skid runners on any slippery floors in the house. And since arthritic dogs tend to have a hard time with stairs, install ramps where you can. You can also make a homemade sling to support a large dog's weight as he moves around.
While dog arthritis is one of the ugliest things about canine aging, coping with this condition is possible.
