Dogs share their lives with us, our homes and our hearts. Unfortunately, they also share 300 illnesses with us, including rheumatoid arthritis. This is not a contagious condition, but it is painful and greatly affects the quality of life for both human and canine. Fortunately, the management of rheumatoid arthritis tends to be easier on dogs than on humans. Perhaps they have more faith in the medical system than people do.

Dogs On Drugs

Management of rheumatoid arthritis in dogs needs a multi-faceted approach, including drugs. Some of these are variations of human medications, but please don’t give any drugs for people to dogs. People medicines are designed to be taken by a 200 pound person. Even one aspirin for people might be large enough of a dose to get your dog very sick.

Some medications include painkillers such as what humans take like aspirin and steroids like hydrocortisone. The families of these drugs are called NSAIDs, analgesics, cortisones and immunosuppressant drugs. The latter is a very severe kind of drug with harsh side effects. None of these alone will be an effective management of rheumatoid arthritis in dogs.

Dogs On Diets

Getting to and maintaining an ideal weight is a key part of management of rheumatoid arthritis in dogs. Less weight means less for the painful joints to haul around. Also, although the dog might not want to move, keeping still can cause the joints to get even more painful. Fortunately, most dogs are always up for some exercise and take to dieting without the remorse and tantrums that humans are susceptible to.

Part of doggy dieting is to keep away from people food. People food is high in fat, sugar and calories. It kind of makes you wonder why WE are eating this stuff. You need to talk to your vet about proper diets and treats for your dog. Some dogs will want to play with a toy as a reward instead of getting a fatty foodstuff. Most dogs need a good half hour of walking as briskly as they can per day (and so do you).

Part of weight maintenance is regular exercise. However, if your dog has extreme trouble with steps, then please try to get as many steps out of his life as possible. If his bed was upstairs, move it downstairs. Get a ramp or doggy steps to help him in and out of the car. If he's small enough, pick him up and don't let him try to jump into the car.

Swimming is one of the best ways an arthritic dog can get exercise without painfully impacting the joints. Other people stress gentle massage to help keep their dogs limber, which is important in the management of rheumatoid arthritis in dogs.