● After the dog wakes up, its body activity is stiff, and it will return to normal after more than 1 hour.

● Paw joints become fat, swollen and painful when touching.

● Accompanied by licking a part of the body, may be due to excessive licking and local hair.

● Dogs have trouble standing up or squatting any movement, even eating with a slight tremor.

● Dogs hesitate when jumping, running, and climbing stairs.

● Bad temperament, the dog becomes inexplicable irritability and refuses to approach, even attacking people because of pain.

Because the symptoms of arthritis are similar to those of normal aging, it is a good idea to take your dog to a veterinary clinic if any of these symptoms persist for more than two weeks.

You can diagnose arthritis in a dog based on x-rays or clinical symptoms.

● X-ray examination:

1) Early X-ray showed thickening of synovial membrane and joint capsule and widening of joint cavity. As the illness aggravates, appear joint damage, the organization around joint is sparse, joint surface is irregular, some show fibrous sex or bone sex joint is strong.
2) Synovial fluid degeneration and leukocytosis were observed in joint puncture, most of which were neutrophils.
3) Bacterial culture can be performed to determine the type of bacterial infection, but it is difficult to detect the results of bacterial culture after antibiotic treatment.

● Clinical symptoms:

1) Suffer from joint swelling, heat pain, the accumulation of a large amount of serous, fibrous or purulent exudate in the joint cavity, joint capsule expansion, press there is a sense of fluctuation.
2) Claudication, often accompanied by elevated body temperature; After prolonged treatment, articular cartilage was destroyed, subchondral bone was eroded, bone hyperplasia and synovial membrane were thickened. Later, fibrous or bony joint healing, joint stiffness or dead joints can be developed.

One question that is repeatedly asked is if you can walk a dog with arthritis. Fortunately, the answer is yes. Short, consistent walks are beneficial. It can help them maintain muscle mass, avoid becoming overweight, and improve their range of motion. However, there are a few things to keep in mind.

● Warm up:

Warm up before going for a walk. Hot towels, health care stones, or a more convenient heating band can be applied directly to your dog's legs. This will make his joints more relaxed, improve muscle flexibility, and reduce pain.

● Keep the pace:

Keep the pace of dog and human. Walk slowly and avoid a range of activities that are at risk of stretching, such as running or jumping. Tie them down so you can control the pace.

● Choose a comfortable leash:

P-chains or neck restraints are generally not recommended for arthritic dogs as they can reduce pressure on the neck. Try to choose the back of the chest for your dog. Large dogs should pay attention to its sternum when choosing, do not choose too fine, so that its sternum tired out.

● Choose aerobic exercise:

In addition, you can also choose some aerobic exercise instead of dog walking. Swimming can have a healing effect on its joints. Wearing a heating brace for physical therapy massage is also very beneficial.