TYPES OF ARTHRITIS IN DOGS
Osteoarthritis
Arthritis, osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease (DJD) affects about one out of five dogs during their lifetime. Large-breed dogs are affected more often than smaller breeds, and the disease usually develops as a dog grows older. DJD is progressive, and the damage that it causes is irreversible.
DJD occurs because the joint cartilage is unable to either maintain a healthy state or repair itself after damage. This fault in joint cartilage may occur because of abnormal physical force exerted on a normal joint or because of normal force on an abnormal joint. It may also occur seemingly for no reason.
Immune mediated arthritis
Also known as rheumatoid arthritis, this autoimmune condition, while common in humans, is relatively rare in dogs. It occurs mainly in the foot (carpal and tarsal) joints in toy or small breeds from about one to eight years old. Many dog parents think that their dogs are rheumatic or have rheumatism when, in fact, what they have is degenerative joint disease (DJD).
Rheumatoid dogs are uncomfortable, may have a fever, and may be reluctant to eat. In the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis, there may be enlargement of the lymph nodes.
More common than rheumatoid arthritis in dogs is a form of non-deforming autoimmune arthritis, usually seen in purebreds. This condition causes intermittent cycles of fever, lethargy, and lameness involving more than one joint.
Septic arthritis
Infectious diseases can produce arthritis. Bacteria can enter the joint space through penetrating wounds or from local infections, but they can also enter from distant infections when bacteria are carried to one or more joints through the blood. Bacterial infections on the skin or those occurring in the mouth, the heart valves, the kidneys, or even the bladder can result in bacterial arthritis. Borrelia burgdoferi, the tick-borne organism that causes Lyme disease and other tick-borne disease organisms, such as Rickettsia and Ehrlichia, can also travel to joint cavities via the bloodstream, as can the sandfly-transmitted organism that causes leishmaniasis.
Fungal arthritis may occur as a rare complication of a systemic fungal infection.
Polyarthritis
This disorder involves inflammation affecting multiple joints at once. It is an increasingly diagnosed condition. It can be triggered by hypersensitivity to a variety of drugs, including the antibiotic trimethoprim sulfa. As well as joint inflammation, affected dogs may also have fever, skin rashes, and swollen lymph nodes. The disorder may spontaneously disappear when the drug is discontinued.
SYMPTOMS OF ARTHRITIS IN DOGS
The first sign of arthritis in dogs is often a change in gait. Joint pain is the dull, aching type, and even if the dog is experiencing severe pain, they often won’t vocalize or cry. However, some dogs will lick or bite the painful area. Generally, arthritic dogs show several signs, such as:
- Difficulty getting up and down
- Walking stiffly
- Lameness in one or more legs
- Crepitus (a creaking or grating sound) in the joint when in motion
- Reluctance to go up and down stairs
- Reluctance to jump (onto or off furniture or into or out of a vehicle)
- Stiff, swollen, or sore joints
- Reluctance to be touched on some parts of the body
- Loss of stamina
- Unexpected aggression towards other dogs or humans
- Decreased appetite
- Loss of muscle mass in the affected limbs