Arthritis and Elbows...

Here's a little re-cap of the Instagram post: 

* Elbows are the most under-diagnosed joints with arthritis (in pets, not people)
* Pets are living longer!
* Their aging process is accelerated (i.e., 1 human year = 7 dog years)
* They WILL experience arthritis (degenerative joint disease) as a process of...LIVING
* Most pets (dogs AND cats) are overweight
* They put most of their bodyweight unto their front limbs (i.e., they are front wheel drive, or front loaded)

Therefore if you go back and look at this picture above, it makes sense! 

We "animals" have VERY similar MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEMS. 
These are TWO areas in which we differ: 1) Rate of aging and 2) They walk on their "Hands", hence all the elbow issues. 

The elbow is a hinge joint and made to bend and flex with a little bit of rotating happening at the forearm bones below. Think of your door hinge. Or your knee. 
So, like that!

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Knowing these #facts posted above, you may find it interesting to know that in a recent study (Dempsey et al, 2019) there was no long-term difference in success between arthroscopic surgery and conservative management. 

Here's the key: MANAGEMENT

Lifelong management. 

Your pet will have degenerative wear and tear of their joints if they're lucky to live a nice long life. 
But WE can make the difference in their health and quality of life by doing a few simple things to "manage" them. 

It's entirely up to us- not them. 

What are YOU doing to help your pet's health?
I would love to hear what you have found to be helpful or even not helpful. 

And of course, you know where to find me if you're not sure and maybe want to learn a few things to incorporate in their program.