If you’re finding it a bit harder to get out of bed on these colder mornings, spare a thought for your pet. Arthritis loves to rear its ugly head around this time of the year and the reason your pet might be sleeping in more than usual could be due to pain.

Arthritis is characterised by the wearing down of the cartilage that covers the bones at the end of a joint. This cartilage usually helps joints move freely but as it wears down, the ends of the bones become exposed and rub together. This can be very painful and can really affect your pet’s quality of life.

Arthritis does seem to be worse in the colder months but it can certainly affect your pet all year round.

It is very important to understand that your pet won’t necessarily limp or yelp if they are in pain so we recommend you watch out for these signs in your dog:

• Hesitant to jump into the car, up onto furniture or use stairs
• Lowers their body slowly when going to lie down then falls in a heap
• Is a bit slow to get going after getting up and may slip on floorboards
• Is slowing down on walks or is reluctant to walk as far as they used to
• Exhibits behavioural changes such as being a bit grumpier than usual

Try not to put any of the above changes down to your pet “just getting old”. Even if your pet is a senior animal, they shouldn’t be uncomfortable!

The best news is that there are plenty of ways to manage arthritis. At Pet Doctors we work towards a multi-targeted approach where we use different drugs to reduce the overall dose rate and side effects of any one treatment.

Now is the perfect time for an arthritis check with Dr Peter or Dr Dylan, phone now on 5576 0400 to make an appointment.