What is the number one medicine I prescribe for arthritic dogs?
Would it surprise you if I told you that at least 80% of dogs over 8 years old and up to 35% of all dogs of all ages have some degree of arthritis?
The most important medicine I will prescribe for your arthritic dog is actually movement, aka, exercise!! That doesn’t come in a bottle!
Exercise keeps muscles working, increases range of motion, keeps bones strong, helps keep weight down, helps their hearts stay strong, helps them “feel” better! Now if anyone wants to talk physiology with me, come pull up a chair and we can talk about what is actually happening at a cellular level that make exercise so important to health span and quality of life.
I challenge you to walk your dog daily, regardless of the arthritis present. If you walked your dog just 1.5 miles a day, that would be the equivalent to almost 21 marathons a year. That’s like walking from Athens➡️ New Orleans!
Make it happen and watch how happy your dog can be versus just laying around getting old, lazy, cranking, and stiff!
Jeff Bangle, DVM