With this winter becoming harsher, dogs with arthritis take the worst hit. Cold and damp winter weather can leave them vulnerable to severe pain in joints and inflammation, especially the older pets.
One in five dogs over the age of 7 has arthritis. Over millions of dogs and cats, in the U.S. alone, are suffering from this joint degenerative disease. Arthritis in dogs and cats is one of the most common problems in older pets.
Symptoms of arthritis become more noticeable as your pet ages and especially when the weather is cold. Reluctance in getting up, sleeping more, decrease in appetite, trouble in walking, running and climbing stairs and, limping, are some of the most prevalent symptoms seen in pets.
If you find any of these symptoms in your pet, it is time to get involved in taking more care of your pet.
Proper Care
During winter, especially when the temperatures fall too low, it is important to take proper care of your pet, which is suffering from arthritis. Taking care of these small things will help you provide warmth and comfort to the aching joints of your dog and cat.
- Provide adequate warmth to your pet.
- Feed them nutritional food that provides good energy.
- Make sure to keep them near the hearth so that your pet gets a proper amount of heat, but be careful that it is not too near to the fire.
- Provide strong and warm bedding to snuggle at night.
- You can also cover them up with warm clothes that are specially made for pets.
- Keep them indoors as this will keep them warm and comfortable.
- If keeping indoors is not possible, provide proper cover so that your pet is safe and warm in the harsh cold weather.
Modify Your Home
With an arthritic pet at home, it becomes essential to make little changes in your house to make it easier for them to get around.
- For easy movement of your pet suffering with pain, remove all unwanted things from the passage, where your dog usually moves.
- Moving upstairs and downstairs is painful for pets, especially when the temperature outside is below normal. Provide a portable pet ramp to move upstairs and downstairs.
- You can even buy special pet stairs that help your pet in moving around different stories of your house.
- You can also prepare special ramps for getting them on furniture easily.
- Locate a warm place in your house, which is free from direct drafts. If any unwanted furniture or old thing is currently placed there, remove it and provide this area to your pet for sleeping at night.
- Arthritic cats and dogs feel uncomfortable sleeping on hard, cold surfaces. You can provide an orthopedic bed to your pet, which is available for elderly and afflicted canines and felines.
Special Recommendations
Apart from considering the above things, here are some recommendations that can help you to reduce pain in your pet suffering with arthritis.
- You can ease the arthritic pain in your pet by keeping his weight in check. Take care that they are not overweight.
- Provide regular exercise that can ease pain.
- See that you are not forcing them to do any strenuous exercise, which can worsen the situation.
- Take them for regular walks, as it is beneficial and helpful in maintaining flexibility and mobility.
- Regular massaging during the cold months can provide huge relief and comfort to their aging and aching joints.
- An occasional visit to a vet helps your pets stay healthy and fight arthritis.
As a pet owner, you have to take proper care of your pets especially when they have painful joints and inflammation. More importantly during cold weather, it becomes crucial that you provide more care and affection, which will help provide your dog relief from the painful arthritis.
Author Bio:
Nelly is a content manager at Budgetpetcare which is one of the trusted names to buy dog and cat supplies at affordable rates online. She is an owner of 2 pets and she mostly shares all pet health related tips and all the fun with her pets on Budgetpetcare blog. To know more about Nelly’s bond with pets visit, http://www.budgetpetcare.com/blog/
