The Medical Minute

The Medical Minute-  Arthritis

By Tim Walters, DVM

Arthritis is inflammation of a joint or multiple joints in the body, and is also known as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease (DJD).  Arthritis is usually the result of excessive wear and tear on a joint but can be from many other problems including: damage to a joint (such as a fracture, torn ligament or tendon, other soft tissue injury), infection of a joint (bacterial, fungal), autoimmune disease in a joint (when the body’s immune system attacks a joint), congenital lesion (dysplasia), or cancer in a joint.  Older, large breed dogs are the most common to be effected by arthritis, especially from excessive wear and tear, but arthritis can affect any breed of dog or cat, and has been diagnosed in several exotic species, including iguanas and tortoises.

Treatment for arthritis is dependant on the cause of the arthritis. Surgery or medical management is sometimes needed if the cause of arthritis is other then excessive wear and tear on a joint, i.e. surgery stabilization for fracture; antibiotics for an infected joint.  Medical management for the chronic pain associated with arthritis has many tiers.  Cartilage support medications, including glucosamine and polysulfated glycosaminoglycans (like chondroitin sulfate and drugs like Adequan) can help with arthritis, but are best served to support the health of existing cartilage.  Non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (known as NSAIDS) are a large group of drugs widely used to decrease inflammation, and therefore decrease pain. Examples are Rimadyl, Deramaxx, Metacam, Etodolac, Previcox, and Zubrin.  There also are many drugs for humans in this class, but they should not be used for your pets, because they can lead to severe liver problems and stomach ulcers.  TYLENOL especially is DEADLY in CATS and should never be used. Aspirin is sometimes used for pets, but should be used sparingly and ONLY under the supervision of a veterinarian.  Pain medication, such as Tramadol, is also used to manage the pain of arthritis, and can be used concurrently with an NSAID.  As a last resort, steroids can be used to decrease inflammation, but should be used sparingly due to potentially harmful side effects.