Improving Canine Healthspan: Mobility
A dog’s ability to stand, walk, play, or jump into bed with its owner is often the primary concern of a quality-of-life conversation. Especially for large and giant breed dogs, difficulty walking outside to go to the bathroom can be a death sentence. Veterinary medicine is only now learning how early arthritis and joint pain start in some of these dogs. Recent studies have found degenerative joint disease in roughly 20% of all dogs over the age of 1 year old! That means for some dogs, degenerative joint changes are happening as early as 2-3 years old. This is no longer a senior dog problem, and we are learning that we can no longer treat it as such.
The pain associated with joint disease often goes undetected for years because the symptoms are so subtle. Quite frequently, dogs will still run, jump, play, or chase a squirrel quite readily. They may initially just sit with one leg cocked out to the side, or hesitate ever so slightly to jump on the couch. As joint disease progresses and becomes increasingly painful, dogs will find ways to avoid using the affected limbs. That’s when we start to see muscle loss and loss of function. They start slipping on slick surfaces, and they sometimes limp after playing too hard. Even at this stage, most owners think that they are just “slowing down” and don’t recognize that they are in pain. Often, by the time the owner or veterinarian recognizes that an animal is in pain, they have already lost significant muscle and mobility, which is difficult to regain.
So, what can we do about this? Early detection, early treatment, and weight management are the pillars of arthritis management.
Screening Radiographs: If you have a large or giant breed dog, especially one known to be at risk for hip or elbow dysplasia, screening radiographs are an excellent way to catch these conditions early. Ask your vet about taking them when your dog is getting spayed, neutered, or having a dental procedure. Taking radiographs while your dog is already sedated is easier and less stressful, and early detection can help you and your veterinarian plan for your dog’s needs as it ages.
Exercise and Strength training: How many minutes per day does your dog exercise? For my average client, the answer is 20-30 minutes per day! I recommend that all my patients work up to 60 minutes of exercise per day to help build and maintain healthy muscle mass. For dogs prone to hip and knee problems, I recommend daily sit/stand repetitions (basically doggy squats) to strengthen the back legs.
Weight management: Overweight dogs are at significantly higher risk of joint disease, so maintaining a healthy body condition is the most important factor in preventing and treating joint disease. Both diet and exercise play a key role in weight management, and your veterinarian can help you create a diet and exercise plan to keep your dog lean and muscular.
Early and consistent treatment of arthritis: Inflammation in a dog’s joints creates a cascading effect that causes more inflammation and more joint damage. More joint damage leads to more pain and more dysfunction. If we tackle inflammation early, we can interrupt that cycle and slow the disease's progression.
If we start intervening earlier, especially in our large breed dogs, we can dramatically improve both their healthspan and their lifespan! Most importantly, we can help them be able to play fetch with the kids, jump in the bed for morning snuggles, and maintain that social bond with the family that is so important to them and to us! More on that bond and social dynamics in the next article!