Osteoarthritis and Digestion In Dogs

Much like humans the digestive system regarding arthritis in dogs is extremely important to maintaining health where arthritis is concerned.

Much like humans, the digestive system regarding arthritis in dogs is extremely important to maintaining health where arthritis is concerned. Particularly in older dogs, the digestive system begins to function in less efficient way where it can become a major issue.

Dog Diet and the Digestive System

As your dogs ages, their muscles weaken and become more inefficient. This makes it much more difficult for food to pass through their bodies. At the same time, it is critical that a dog has a nutritious diet particularly when they suffer from osteoarthritis. That issue becomes even more important when your dog is taking supplements to alleviate their arthritis problems.

One way to view the problem is to consider that if your dog is not digesting food as well as they used to, neither are they digesting their supplements as well. Of course, that becomes self-defeating when trying to address osteoarthritis. That is one of the primary reasons that so much focus is placed on providing your dogs with the best possible diet.

Antioxidants and Your Dogs Diet

Antioxidants have historically been used to protect the liver from free radicals. Most use Milk Thistle (an herb you can buy in any health food store). Losing free radicals is equally important for dogs as it is for humans if the digestive system is going to function at its highest efficiency.

If your dog weighs fifty (50) pounds, give them a daily dose of about 50 mg. of Milk Thistle. This will assist in maintaining a healthy liver in your dog. And, as a general guideline for doses, use the 50-50 rule just mentioned. For example, if your dog weights 25 pounds, use 25mg. of Milk Thistle.

Aiding Your Dogs Respiratory System Along the Way

Your dogs respiratory system also suffers with aging. As they age, they lose cilia (a small, hair like part that helps clear the mucus and other obstructions from the airways.) Their overall ability to breathe is reduced due to outside sources such as pollution and cigarette smoke.

Since oxygen becomes scarce for the dog, their blood-cleansing ability decreases; brain cells suffer; and, their cardiovascular system has to work double time. By adding moderate exercise and using antioxidants to their diet, you have increased the oxygen available to them and helped them to fight off the effects of pollution and other toxins that invade their bodies.

Other antioxidant enzymes such as Catalase and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) are also excellent additions to your aging dogs diet. (Generally, these are available through your veterinarian.)

Take these simple added precautions and you will see a much healthier, happier dog that is winning their battle with arthritis.

This information is supplied by The Pet Arthritis Resource Centre to help provide a better understanding of arthritis in dogs. If you suspect your dog is suffering from arthritis consult your local veterinarian.