How to Treat Dog Arthritis
Our best friends bring us years of unconditional love. When they're hurting, we want to do everything we can for them. Like us, dogs can get arthritis as they age, but it doesn't have to make them miserable. Learn how to relieve your dog's arthritis pain with aspirin, heat therapy and massage.
Instructions
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Give your dog a buffered aspirin. Put the aspirin in peanut butter and watch to make sure your dog eats it. For a large dog, put one buffered aspirin tablet in a spoonful of peanut butter. For a small dog, put a 1/2 tablet of buffered aspirin in the peanut butter.
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Use a heating pad or electric blanket to help ease your dog's arthritis. Turn the heating pad or electric blanket on low, and place your dog on the pad or blanket. Observe your pet to ensure the temperature is correct.
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Massage the dog's neck with your fingers with pressure similar to what you would use to relieve a stiff neck in yourself. Using your fingers, travel down the length of each foreleg, massaging the muscles in the upper half of each leg with the same type of pressure described above. Pay the most attention to the dog's hip area and forelegs. Watch your dog's reactions carefully to ensure the amount of pressure used is appropriate.
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Tips & Warnings
Aspirin should only be given once each day, or when your dog seems stiff or in pain. Special pet heating pads can be purchased that work with thermal heat, so you don't have to worry about turning them on and off. Never give your dog any human pain reliever other than buffered aspirin. Never give aspirin to a cat. Never leave the animal unattended with an electric heating device turned on.
References
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Comments
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We are doing what we can to help our beloved pet Xena get through the crazy weather while she's fighting arthritis. I have it myself and know how devastatingly painful it can be. I can only imagine that it must be worse for a dog who must rely on her back hips for just about everything.
