Arthritis is an inflammatory process in the joints that usually causes lameness in animals that suffer from it. There are different types of arthritis in dogs, but regardless of the type, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment will be important to control the disease and prevent irreversible damage to the joint.
What is arthritis in dogs?
Arthritis is defined as an inflammation of the joints, specifically of the articular cartilage and membrane synovial.
Damage to these joint elements can be caused by an infectious agent, inflammatory mediators, or proteolytic enzymes released by inflammatory cells and cells of the articular cartilage and synovial membrane.
Types of arthritis in dogs
Arthritis in dogs can be classified according to several criteria:
- The aetiology: infectious or non-infectious. In turn, the non-infectious are classified as erosive and non-erosive.
- The type of exudate: serous, fibrinous, suppurative or lymphoplasmacytic.
- The duration or chronicity: acute, subacute or chronic.
- Degree of inflammation or severity: mild, moderate or severe.
When several joints are affected simultaneously we speak of polyarthritis.
Causes of arthritis in dogs
Regardless of whether it is an infectious or non-infectious arthritis, they can in turn be classified according to the chronicity and severity of the process.
It should be noted that when the inflammatory process becomes chronic, irreversible damage is produced in the joint that progresses to joint degeneration, called osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease.
Infectious or septic arthritis
The infectious agents involved are usually bacteria or mycoplasmas, although viruses and fungi may also be involved. Normally pathogens reach the joint via the blood. Less frequently, they are produced by direct inoculation of the causal agent. For example, due to a joint puncture without respecting the conditions of sterility or due to the spread of an infectious process in the tissue surrounding the joint.
Non-infectious arthritis
They are characterized by being sterile inflammatory processes, that is, there is no infectious agent involved. In turn, they are classified into two types:
- Erosive: As the name suggests, these are arthritis in which erosion of the joint cartilage occurs. In the dog, the erosive arthritis par excellence is rheumatoid arthritis, which usually affects the carpal, tarsal and interphalangeal joints. In this pathology, immune complexes are formed (antigen-antibody bonds) that are deposited in the joint, favoring the appearance of an inflammatory response and generating injuries to the joint structures.
- Non-erosive: in this case, the articular cartilage is not affected. They also occur with the formation and deposit of immune complexes in the joint. They have been associated with immune-mediated diseases (such as systemic lupus erythematosus), chronic inflammation (otitis, pyometra), leishmaniasis, and neoplasms.
Clinical signs of arthritis in dogs
In dogs suffering from arthritis we can observe different clinical signs:
- Lameness or claudication: this is due to the fact that the inflammatory process at the joint level causes pain and dysfunction. Normally, lameness starts out mild and intermittent but becomes progressively more severe and frequent. It should be taken into account that lameness can be exacerbated by exercise, after prolonged periods at rest and by changes in the weather (mainly cold).
- Abnormal gait: Some dogs, instead of showing an obvious limp, show a stiff and restricted gait.
- Modification of sitting posture: fundamentally in arthritis that affects the knee or ankle joint.
- Thickening of affected joints.
- On palpation, you can detect swelling, warmth and crepitus(clicking noises when mobilizing the joint). There may even be a painful response to handling.
- The joint range of motion (either flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, or rotation) may bedecreased due to development of fibrosis.
Arthritis treatment in dogs
The treatment will be different depending on the particular type of arthritis. In general, infectious arthritis will be treated with antibiotics and joint lavages, while non-infectious arthritis, being immune-mediated processes, will be treated withimmunosuppressive drugs In addition, if the primary cause of immune-mediated arthritis is known (leishmaniasis, neoplasms, etc.), a specific treatment for said pathology must be established.
Specific therapy with antibiotics or immunosuppressants may be supplemented with adjuvant treatments (analgesics, chondroprotectors, nutraceuticals or physiotherapy).
Medicines to treat arthritis in dogs
- Antibiotics: administered both systemically and locally (intra-articular). It will be necessary to take a sample of synovial fluid, perform a microbial culture and an antibiogram to select an effective antibiotic against the microorganism responsible for arthritis. Systemic route will be administered antibiotics with good perfusion at the level of the joints (penicillins, oxytetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, chloramphenicol, etc.) and intraarticular route will be used antibiotics that do not induce chemical synovitis (penicillin, gentamicin, doxycycline, lincomycin, etc.).).
- Immunosuppressive drugs: prednisone, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, or leflunomide. The objective is to administer the drug at the minimum effective dose to reduce as far as possible the adverse effects of treatment (gastrointestinal disorders, anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity).
- Anti-inflammatories: Mainly Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as carprofen, meloxicam or firocoxib.
- Pain relievers: such as tramadol or gabapentin.
How to help a dog with arthritis?
Beyond the medical treatment prescribed by your veterinarian, you can take into account a number of factors that will help minimize joint pain in your dog:
- Weight control: Being overweight puts extra pressure on your joints which can aggravate the condition. Therefore, keeping your dog at his ideal weight will help minimize joint damage.
- Physical Exercise: Light to moderate exercise will help maintain range of motion and joint flexibility. Swimming is a low-impact activity that helps improve muscle mass without overloading the joints, so it can be a great complement during arthritis treatment.
- Nutraceuticals: are substances that are part of food and that provide he alth benefits. Some like chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride, omega 3 fatty acids or vitamin C help limit joint damage and reduce signs of arthritis in dogs.
- Chondroprotectors: they have a slow anti-inflammatory action and provide nutrients to reduce joint degeneration.
- Physiotherapy: massage, stretching, or exercises to maintain range of motion.
Life expectancy of a dog with arthritis
The prognosis of an individual with arthritis can vary depending on several factors:
- Age
- The affected joint
- The number of affected joints
- The isolated microorganism, in the case of infectious arthritis
- The presence of other concomitant diseases
- How quickly treatment is instituted
We must keep in mind that arthritis, in itself, is not a fatal disease. However, it may appear associated with other serious pathologies that may worsen the animal's prognosis. In any case, making an early diagnosis and establishing the appropriate treatment will be decisive in controlling the disease and prolonging the life expectancy of a dog with arthritis.
