Ok, so rover has an injury – do you know what one of the top 10 pet insurance costs is?  A rupture/tear to the knee ligaments or cartilage! The average cost for a pet owner to have this injury treated is around $1,200 to $1,800.

You and I know it is expensive to have a vet treat an ongoing or chronic disease such as dog arthritis in your pet.

Are you really aware of how much this can cost nowadays? The reason for this article is to make you aware of the high cost of animal care today and for you to consider insuring your pet.

Ongoing treatment for arthritis that involves surgery, or any condition for that matter, can add up to many thousands of dollars.

As much as I don’t like to pay for insurance the alternative (funding my dogs treatment out of my pocket) is more painful to contemplate.

You may want to compare pet insurance offered by say aspca pet insurance or vpi insurance, two of the biggest companies that offer specialized pet liability insurance.

If you apply and establish your insurance before any major health problems present themselves, then you are covered.

Unfortunately a lot of pet owners find out their dog has a chronic (read expensive to treat) condition and then attempt to insure them.

According to vpi insurances around 14,000 claims were made in the year 2010, the average claim was over $1,000.

Below are the ten conditions which required the highest payouts; listed according to the number of claims filed.

As you can see from the chart on the top 10 pet insurance costs, (look at number 4) there are some very expensive medical conditions that could arise for pet owners.

Just how much glucosamine for dogs is required? Well that depends on your dogs weight and the quality of the supplement you buy.

Products such as Cosequin and Dasuquin are veterinarian prescribed and very effective, although they do come with a hefty price tag!

The following table shows the glucosamine for dogs dosage guideline and covers dogs up to 120 pounds – larger dogs will need to be assessed by a vet to ascertain the right dosage.

Guidelines – Glucosamine Dosage For Dogs

Weight in pounds                          Glucosamine Dosage

Under 10 lbs                                                 300 mg (Daily)

10 – 29 lbs                                                      600 mg (Daily)
30 – 59 lbs                                                      1200 mg (Daily)
60 – 120 lbs                                                   1800 mg (Daily)

Sometimes by trying to save money, pet owners cut the glucosamine dosage for dogs by half and then expect to get great results. Sorry, but this is false economy as all you are doing is delivering a dose that is not going to start working for a long time.

Initially you may have to give your dog the recommended (or a slightly higher) amount of glucosamine to get the optimal effective levels in the body.

After the glucosamine has started to show improvement in the dogs’ condition, you can perhaps ease off on the daily dosage or only give the dose every other day.

Glucosamine For Dogs Side Effects

Occasionally glucosamine can cause vomiting, loose bowel movements or drowsiness if given in high doses, however, if this occurs the symptoms tend to disappear after the dosage is reduced to normal amounts or, if the symptoms are severe, the supplement is discontinued.

Side effects can also be lessened or eliminated by  giving supplementation with meals rather than on an empty stomach.

The main material used to produce most glucosamine is shellfish. If your dog is allergic to shellfish then side effects can be more severe.

There are no known problems of giving Glucosamine and other prescription medications such as Metacam, Rimadyl or Previcox. Aspirin (OTC) is also safe to give in combination with glucosamine.

The best glucosamine dosage for dogs is as per the above table, if chondroitin or MSM are given then these require their own individual dosages.

Inflammatory conditions in your pet, such as dog arthritis, may be caused by your dogs immune system reacting to foreign proteins contained within the commercial grain based kibble fed to most dogs nowadays. This article addresses one of the more simple arthritis treatments for dogs.

Arthritis In Dogs Home Remedies

There is a groundswell of pet owners bucking the trend and going back to feeding their dogs a raw meaty bones based diet. And from all accounts they,  and their dogs, have never looked back! Here is an excerpt from an article I found on this great website http://www.rawfed.com/myths/. It is an article written by the site owner Carissa Kuehn, titled The Many Myths Of Raw Feeding .

“Millions of dogs eat kibble. And millions of dogs—at least 85% of all dogs—suffer from periodontal disease by age 3 as a result of eating these processed foods (Penman, S. and P. Emily. 1991. Scaling, Polishing and Dental Home Care. Waltham International Focus. 1(3): 2-8. In Lonsdale, T. 2001. Raw Meaty Bones. pg 110). This translates to teeth covered with plaque and teeming with bacteria. These bacteria get into the gums and provoke the body’s inflammatory response continually for the rest of the animal’s life. Dogs (and cats!) are doomed to have nasty teeth and rancid breath. “It’s normal,” people said. “Dogs are supposed to have bad dog breath.”

Feeding your dog a raw diet is a natural way for you to ensure they stay healthy, fit and free from disease. The following is a brief list of what you could feed your dog on if  you’ve identified arthritis in dogs symptoms. It is a suggested diet based on the experience of an Australian  veterinarian surgeon named Tom Lonsdale (check out www.rawmeatybones.com).

Tom espouses the raw food approach to your dogs diet and keeping things really simple. A 3 page report detailing more on the raw food diet for dogs is available for download in PDF format – Click Here.

Raw Meaty Bones

Try the following for a a few weeks and see how your dog takes to the change. Be aware, it may take a week or two for your dog to become accustomed to his ancestral diet after having been raised on, predominantly, a grain based food regime.

•   Chicken and turkey carcasses, after the meat has been removed for human consumption, are suitable for dogs and cats.

•  Poultry by-products include: heads, feet, necks and wings.

•  Whole fish and fish heads.

•  Goat, sheep, calf, deer and kangaroo carcasses can be sawn into large pieces of meat and bone.

•  Other by-products include: pigs’ trotters, pigs’ heads, sheep heads, brisket, tail bones, rib bones.

Whole Carcasses

•   Rats, mice, rabbits, fish, chickens, quail, hens.

Offal

• Liver, lungs, trachea, hearts, omasums (stomach of ruminants), tripe.

It is also suggested that once a week you fast your dog – as this would be a natural occurrence in a dogs life, if he was living in the wild. If a raw meaty bones diet is adhered to you can expect that dental tartar and doggy breath will cease to exist.

This is just one approach to arthritis in dogs home remedies.

Something as serious as arthritis may be avoided by checking your dogs teeth regularly, so schedule that for your next vets visit or add it to your to do list! Viruses and fungal infections are also involved in infectious arthritis in dogs,however bacterial infiltration is the major cause.

The Bacteria That Can Cause Arthritis

•  L-Form bacterial arthritis – L-form bacteria are bacteria that have no cell walls. They are extremely difficult to treat because certain antibodies, such as penicillin, are not effective with this type of bacteria.

• Rickettsial arthritis – Rickettsial arthritis is caught through an infection with rickettsia or rickettsia-like organisms through tick bites. Common tick-borne diseases that produce rickettsial arthritis are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

• Spirochetal arthritis – Spirochetal arthritis  is caused by sphirochetes, a spiral-shaped class of bacteria. This type of bacteria causes both Lyme disease and Relapsing Fever.

Infectious Arthritis In Dogs Caused By Viruses

Occasionally  a post-viral infection can cause the body’s immune system to inadvertently attack the joints while attempting to kill off the virus organism. These types of arthritis (acute joint swelling and pain) may only  last a few weeks – sometimes longer depending on how nasty the organism was.

Fungal Arthritis

Fungal arthritis is a rare complication of a systemic fungal infection. Fungi that have been identified as causing this disease are:

• aspergillus terreus
• sporotrichum schenckii
• cryptococcus neoformans
• blastomyces dermatiditis
• coccidioidomycosis immitis

There are many types of fungal infections and this is why it is critical to have your dogs  blood tested  to ensure the correct treatment is delivered. Giving your dog supplements or pain killers is great – once the cause of the infectious arthritis in your dog is identified and an effective dog arthritis treatment regime is designed.

Infectious Arthritis Symptoms

While infectious arthritis can affect multiple limbs, it usually affects only a single joint. The symptoms of arthritis in dogs can include:

• swelling
• fever
• pain
• loss of appetite
• depression

Observe your pet for these signs:

• limping
• reluctance to leap or tackle stairs
• difficulty getting up from a prone position
• He cannot find a comfortable resting position
• crying or whimpering for no apparent reason

Below is a short video on Tick removal. It would pay to examine your dogs skin once every couple of weeks, especially if you go for walks in state parks and wooded areas where deer may be found. As ticks are a cause of infectious arthritis in dogs, preventing them from infecting your dog is important.

Of course if your dog is in severe pain you need to address that immediately and use,more than likely, a prescribed painkiller for dogs that reduces the discomfort quickly. Once the pain is controlled then more long term treatment can be commenced.

Well formulated vitamin and mineral supplements can support joint integrity through providing nutrients that may be missing in your dogs diet. It is challenging to feed your pet a balanced diet at home unless you  do a fair bit of research and are prepared to cook and blend the necessary components for an ideal doggy diet.

Whether it’s dog joint pain relief you are seeking or treating an acute trauma injury in your dog, there is always the pain component to resolve. With an acute injury there may only be a need to give a few days of pain relief and immobilization to get you dog on the path to recovery.

However, when it comes to arthritis in its many forms (degenerative, infectious etc) you are in for the long haul.  This is a situation where there are multiple facets to how you achieve joint pain relief for your dog. Supplements can be composed of various ingredients such as:

• Herbal and botanical preparations

• Vitamins and minerals

• Glucosamine and or Chondroitin (combined they are more effective)

• Unique extracts such as Bromelain (PawPaw), green lipped abalone

• Homeopathic solutions

In most cases these supplements in isolation can bring about good results. If they are incorporated as a part of a complete pain control/management approach, then the outcome is superior joint pain relief for dogs.So, pain medication, diet plans and exercise are the other components of a holistic program.

Good supplements are in a form that is easy to give to your pet (that is, it’s easy for them to accept!). They are also manufactured by reputable companies that guarantee quality and purity.

Supplements used for joint pain relief for dogs should not be that expensive that you are having to sell your car to pay for them! They additionally should be effective – either clinical trial have been conducted or the weight of anecdotal evidence is overwhelmingly in the positive.

In some cases, if you act soon enough, giving supplements and a dog friendly medication can provide a large part of the answer to joint pain relief for dogs.

A lot of pet owners procrastinate about consulting a vet when it comes to arthritis in dogs. They tend to wait and see whether the symptoms will go away on their own. This is fine for a few days or a week, but to take longer than this is subjecting your dog to unnecessary discomfort and perhaps suffering.

Five Step Arthritis  Treatments For Dogs

Don’t get me wrong, I know vets can be expensive. However, they are a crucial part of a complete program of  arthritis treatments for dogs. The main components to an effective treatment program for dogs with arthritis are:

1. Have The Condition Diagnosed
2. Address Pain Relief
3. Review Exercise & Activity
4. Review Your Dogs Diet
5. Evaluate Supplements

Have The Condition Diagnosed

You may be very experienced with dogs and their health issues. Still, getting a qualified vet to examine and confirm not only that your dog has arthritis, but also identify the form of arthritis is critical when choosing the best arthritis treatments for dogs. As there are several forms of arthritis you need to know which type your dogs has – as each has its own peculiarities.

It may be infectious arthritis which has been caused by a tick infecting your dog with a virus that has created inflammation within the joints. This condition will be treated slightly differently than say, degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis).

Address Pain Relief

After confirming that your dog has arthritis the next step is to, in conjunction with your vet, select an appropriate pain control medication to deliver immediate relief to your dog. This may require a combination of  NSAIDs  and steroidal pharmaceuticals, initially, to bring the condition under control.

Review Your Dogs Diet

Two prongs of strategy for selecting your arthritis treatments for dogs are required here.

One is review and adjust the diet to exclude any foods that may be contributing to an inflammatory condition in your dog.

The other is to assess your dogs weight and perhaps modify his diet to allow for weight reduction.

It is not effective to give pain medication to your dog if 50% of his pain comes from the additional 10 pounds of fat his joints have to cope with.

Better to help your dog lose the weight as there are multiple benefits gained – “Fido” gets to move more easily and reduce the level of pain he experiences which means you can cut down the amount of dog pain medication he needs to take.

Not only does this save you money, it saves your dogs kidneys and is sometimes forgotten in arthritis treatments for dogs!

Review Exercise & Activity

This component of the program reviews the current activity levels of your dog as well as the intensity of each activity.

By this I mean, is your pet being walked regularly and does he perform any high impact play, such as catching a Frisbee or leaping off raised areas, such as steps or landings?

Amazingly some dogs, even when in pain, will force themselves to leap or vigorously chase after their favorite ball!

Regular exercise is required when controlling and managing pet arthritis. Unfortunately some of your dogs (and your) favorite play activities might be doing damage to his joints.

So, reduce leaping and high impact activities which includes fast sprints. Focus on brisk walks and swimming to keep your dogs muscles toned and supple.

Evaluate Supplements

I recommend you augment and support your efforts by researching and selecting a good dog joint supplement. Glucosamine , vitamin supplements and many other products can, over the long term,improve your dogs condition.

One such superior liquid glucosamine and chondroitin product is Flexicose. This supplement is designed for human and animal specific applications.

Successful arthritis treatments for dogs tend to be holistic and address multiple factors – that’s why they are effective!

Human glucosamine is manufactured with around a 99% strength glucosamine hydrochloride and dog specific formulas use approximately 90% strength.The benefit of human glucosamine for dogs is that it is usually way more affordable than the majority of dog glucosamine supplements found at pet stores and veterinarians.

Is Human Glucosamine For Dogs Safe?

Glucosamine has been tested and found to be safe for humans and dogs. All you need to be aware of is the correct dosage to ensure it is effective in addressing dog joint pain and doesn’t upset your dogs stomach. Stared dog off with around 500mg a day for a medium sized dog and the dosage can be increased to 1,000mg a day or until symptoms are reduced.

Now be aware that glucosamine, whether “human” or for dogs will take up to eight weeks to show significant results. So don’t think it isn’t working after a few weeks and discontinue the treatment.

What Is The Best Type Of Human Glucosamine For Dogs?

It has been found that glucosamine hydrochloride is superior in absorption  to glucosamine sulphate. It’s all about how quickly the glucosamine is taken up by the body and how much is actually retained for use. With some formulas a significant amount of what you pay for ends up in your dogs stools! Not good value….

There have been many more clinical trials and studies conducted on glucosamine hydrochloride than on the sulphate form, so I suggest sticking with what has the most evidence of effectiveness. So, look for human glucosamine for dogs that has the hydrochloride form of glucosamine as its main ingredient. Look for a product that has Omega-3, anti inflammatory herbs, antioxidants in the form of vitamins A,C,E and minerals added.

What Is The Best Form Of Glucosamine?

The answer to this question is, it depends. It will be influenced by how easy it is for you to feed your individual pet different types of human glucosamine for dogs. The product comes in tablets,capsules, powder and liquid form. All are effective, although dosages may vary and prices will differ based on the form.

Tablets and capsules can be wrapped in a treat or hidden in a dob of peanut butter, whereas the powder and liquid forms of human glucosamine for dogs are easily mixed in with the dogs meals.

Dysplasia Hip Problems In Dogs

Dysplasia for the most part is a genetic trait passed on through each generation. Larger breeds of dog tend to be more prone to this condition. If you are in the market looking for a puppy and you are dealing directly with a breeder, then one of the first things you need to confirm is that the parents and grand parents of your new pet are certified as free of this condition.

If they are not certified as having normal hip conformation (structure) then there is a very high likelihood of your dog developing this hip problem and being affected. Symptoms of hip dysplasia are an ungainly walk and hyper mobility of the hips when manipulated through a range of movements.

The dog may sit in a strange way which is called “frog legged sitting”. There may be a distinct clicking sound heard when the joints are moved.

Xrays and MRIs are testing protocols used to arrive at a firm diagnosis, along with several rigorous physical examinations. The following brief video shows a rottweiler that has hip dysplasia. Notice the bunny hopping.

Other Hip Problems In Dogs

Arthritis, whether degenerative, immune mediated or infectious is one of the most common causes of hip problems seen in dogs. The symptoms of arthritis as opposed to dysplasia are as follows:

• Lameness/limping

• Stiffness on sitting or rising

• Inability or reluctance to climb stairs or jump

• Pain and yelping if the hips are manipulated

• Loss of flexibility in joints

• Muscle atrophy (wasting)

Spinal injury can also affect the hips and lead to similar symptoms observed in a dog with arthritis. If there is a traumatic injury or spinal compression it can lead to muscle wasting in the hind legs. Ship problems in dogs.ome of the symptoms of a spinal condition are:

• Dragging of the feet

• Normal foot reflex absent

• Instability and swaying of the hind quarters

• Spontaneous dropping into a sitting position

The following video has a few examples of dogs with spinal conditions. Just a warning that some of the images may distress some viewers. My aim is not to shock – only to inform.There is no audio with this video.

Like any condition that may present itself, the faster you recognize that there is a problem and consult your vet, the better. Your dog may live a long life free of these conditions. Even so, being able to identify the various hip problems in dogs will allow you to address these issues, if any, as soon as they arise.

Arthritis supplements for dogs include of course glucosamine and chondroitin. They also can include herbal and vitamin based preparations to assist and support in treating your dogs arthritis.

Commercial dog food tends to have these supplements added as part of the manufacturing process. However, if you feed your dog a home made diet  which includes raw meat and bones then adding magnesium and vitamin D in the form of fish oils is recommended.

If you don’t give your dog bones then you need to supplement with calcium at around 1,000 mg for every pound of food. You can grind eggshells and produce 1,000 mg of calcium per half teaspoon, or buy one of the many available brands at your local pet store – certainly more expensive.

Other Arthritis Supplements For Dogs

• Boswellia – A research study conducted in 2004 found this herb to be very effective in treating arthritis in dogs.

• Quercetin – A bioflavonoid that could be more effective if given in combination with Bromelain, an enzyme derived from paw paw. Make sure that the Bromelain is not given with meals as it is absorbed better on an empty stomach.

• Curcumin – A herbal also known as Turmeric. Dosages vary depending on whether your dog is small, medium or large. A quarter teaspoon daily for small, half teaspoon for medium and a level teaspoon for large breeds.

• Always test these arthritis supplements for dogs by introducing them in small amounts to rule out any reactions that your dog may have. If your dog is already on aspirin or Rimadyl consult your vet before giving Turmeric as it can interract with other drugs as well as irritate existing stomach ulcers.

• SAM-e (S-adenosylmethionine)  Give this supplement along with a vitamin B complex supplement for real effectiveness. Not to be given with meals, rather a few hours either side of a feed.

The above suggestions are just a few of many natural and inexpensive ways to manage your dogs arthritic condition. If your pets arthritis is in the early stages then they may only need these supplements to bring about a real improvement in their mobility and pain levels.

On the other hand if your dog has been severely affected by arthritis then you need to speak with your vet and perhaps have a prescription for NSAIDs to augment your natural arthritis supplements for dogs.