Signs of Autoimmune Ailments

A dog's immune system is made up primarily of spleen, bone marrow, white blood cells and antibodies. Their job is to attack foreign cells that enter the body. In autoimmune disease, the dog's immune system doesn't recognize its own cells or tissues, so it attacks and tries to destroy them. There are several different autoimmune diseases of dogs that affect different body systems. Some signs of pain in dogs are common among several types, some are fairly system specific. Many symptoms can mimic other diseases.

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IMT) are two types of autoimmune blood diseases of dogs. In AIHA, the red blood cells become defective and the immune system destroys them, causing anemia. Symptoms can include weakness, lethargy, changes in heart rate, heart murmurs, decreased appetite and pale mucous membranes. In severe cases the dog can appear jaundiced and collapse. In IMT, the thrombocytes (the clotting cells in the blood) are destroyed. These dogs will bruise easily, bleed excessively, and might have blood in their urine or their stool.

When autoimmune disease attacks the dog's nerves and muscles, you can see weakness, stiffness, and paralysis of the muscles in the face, the eyelids or in the dog's limbs (causing him to knuckle under or drag one or more of his feet). Some dogs will have severe muscle wasting and difficulty eating and/or swallowing. These dogs often can't tolerate exercise.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune joint disease. Symptoms can include shifting leg lameness, swollen joints, crepitus (a crackling noise in the joints when they're manipulated), a restricted range of motion, joint pain in dogs and often fever. In some cases, the dog's lymph nodes might be swollen.

Various organs can be affected by autoimmune disease, for example the eyes, the thyroid gland, the adrenal gland and the intestines. In the eyes, signs can include dry eye, infections in the eyelid glands, ulcerations and fatty deposits in the eye. Autoimmune thyroiditis is the most common form of canine thyroid disease. Symptoms can include lethargy, exercise intolerance, weight gain, chronic infections, reproductive problems, poor hair coat and sometimes neurologic signs, like seizures. Addison's disease is an autoimmune disease of the adrenal gland, which can produce loss of appetite, depression, abdominal pain, increased water consumption and urination. In severe cases it can result in kidney failure and collapse. Inflammatory bowel disease involves the intestines and signs might include constipation or diarrhea, and vomiting.

Systemic lupus erythematosus, or simply "lupus," affects multiple organ systems. Signs can either be acute or they can be chronic, and they can appear in cycles. Some common symptoms would be a fluctuating fever that doesn't respond to antibiotics, a stiff gait with shifting leg lameness, joint swelling and dog joint pain, muscle inflammation or muscle wasting, attitude changes, anemia and thrombocytopenia, low white count, and skin lesions, especially symmetrical dermatitis across the dog's nose ("butterfly pattern").

Pet and Shake

Petting your dog and seeing that hind leg start to shake is bound to get a giggle or two out of yourself or other family members. But why does a dog do that crazy leg thing when you pet him?

The Saddle Region
An area on the dog's body called the “saddle region” is extremely sensitive consisting of the back, sides and flanks. This area varies slightly from dog to dog.

Prevention
Unfortunately if this is bothersome to you there is no cure for the shaking leg other than for you to not pet her in that particular area.

Misconceptions
Dogs also do what is called “itch kick” where the arthritis in dogs hind legs waves if the dog has an itch. It is meant to get rid of insects and irritants that are causing him to itch. If you tickle his side you are sure to get this involuntary movement that is caused by reactors in the spinal cord.

Fun Fact
The small spot where your dog’s tail ends and the pelvis begins is another spot that will make the leg shake unexpectedly. This is another known sensitive and erogenous zone.

Warning
If your dog's leg shakes uncontrollably or excessively when petted, touched or just sitting alone it is best to have a vet check for hip or elbow dysplasia in dogs or arthritis dog. There could be a muscle wasting in the hind legs which is causing the leg to involuntary shake.

Is your Senior Dog Sleeping too Much?

As your dog enters her golden years, it’s entirely normal for her to sleep more than she used to; this is a natural part of the aging process. However, sudden or extreme changes in her sleep cycle may be cause for a veterinary examination. In many cases, a simple diet alteration can be the answer. The important thing is to rule out any medical issues early.

Monitor Her Sleep

It’s normal for an older dog to sleep more and for her sleep patterns to change as she ages. You may notice that your dog is sleeping at different times of day and for longer periods. But if your dog has gone from sleeping for half the morning to sleeping the entire morning, this may be signs of pain in dogs or signal a health issue. To make a solid assessment on the extremity of the changes to her sleep, keep a doggy sleep diary. Note down the times she sleeps and for how long. Small and medium breeds typically reach their twilight years once they pass the age of 7, larger breeds around the age of 6 and giant breeds around the age of 5. It’s around these ages that you can expect to see a slow increase in the amount of sleep your dog needs.

Look for Other Health Issues
Monitor your dog’s appetite, her toilet habits, her activity levels and the general condition of her body. A dog sleeping more than normal who also shows a decline in appearance and appetite may, for example, be suffering from age-related illness such as kidney failure. A dog who sleeps more than normal and also displays mobility issues may be suffering from arthritis for dogs.

Examine Environmental Factors
Keep track of any environmental factors that could be influencing your dog’s sleep patterns. For example, a recent move may be causing your dog to experience interrupted sleep, which could lead to tiredness during the day. Too much exercise, not enough food, climate and temperature can cause a dog to require more sleep.

Make Lifestyle Adjustments
You can make life easier for an older dog with a few simple adjustments. If she’s lethargic or overly sleepy, move her bed nearer to the door, so it’s less effort for her to go outside. Splitting her meals up into four smaller servings, instead of two large meals, can provide some digestive relief as well. Also adding best dog supplements in her diet may help.

Consult a Veterinarian
If your dog’s sleeping patterns are causing you concern, or if the changes are extreme or unpredictable, consult your veterinarian immediately. In many cases, the cause for her tiredness or lethargy may be treatable with minor lifestyle adjustments or medication, but it’s always smart to get a professional opinion.

Dog Paw Biting

It can be distressing for an owner to see his dog chewing on his paws. This kind of behavior is common but it can be self-destructive and cause injury if it isn't caught early. Although dogs will chew and lick objects around them, continuous chewing on their paws is one of the signs of pain in dogs that something is wrong. The reasons could be health-related or behavioral but it is important to seek advice from a vet.

This kind of behavior will be very noticeable in your dog. She will continuously chew on her paws and you might also see her licking the area vigorously. Even if you haven't noticed this behavior regularly, if your dog's paws are red, flaky or are losing fur, it is important to visit your vet to determine the cause. You might also notice that the fur around the paws becomes stained with your dog's saliva.

Although it can be common in dogs, this kind of behavior usually indicates a medical or behavioral problem. Either way, this will need canine arthritis treatment, or the dog is at risk of injuring himself. If he continues chewing and irritating the area, it could lead to skin infections and difficulty walking. A vet's diagnosis will help prevent this kind of behavior in the future.

As Professor's House explains, if a dog is continuously chewing or licking her paws, this could indicate a skin problem, parasite, existing injury or some kind of internal health problem such as dog with arthritis. If no medical cause is apparent, obsessive compulsive disorder could be behind this activity. Veterinarian Dr. Matthew Cooper says that irritated paws might also be caused by allergies to food or the dog's environment.

Once your vet has confirmed the source of the problem, you can take the appropriate action to prevent this kind of behavior recurring in the future. Your vet might give you certain ointments that have a smell or taste that deters the dog from chewing the area. If the cause is behavioral, your dog might need professional training. You can also help by ensuring that she has enough stimulation, exercise and play time.

Although it will be easy for you to intervene with this kind of behavior when you are around, it can also be caused by boredom, so it is important to ensure your dog has enough toys to play with when you leave him alone. If his chewing is severe, your vet might also recommend a restraint collar so your dog can't reach his paws, allowing any infections to heal.

Signs of Wobblers

Wobbler syndrome is a neurological disorder that affects dogs and is caused by neck bones compressing the spinal cord. The pressure on the spine results in nerve damage that results in wobbler symptoms. Knowing what signs of pain in dogs to look for can identify this syndrome quickly so that appropriate care or surgery can be provided.

Hind Legs
One of the first signs of wobbler syndrome is a weak, wobbly gait arthritis in dogs back legs. The hips sway from side to side when it's walking due to the nerve damage causing decreased control over the hind leg muscles. The hind legs sometimes begin to extend outward and become stiff as if the dog was stretching, according to the Textbook of Small Animal Orthopaedics. This leads to the dog walking with a pendulum-type motion, swinging its hind legs forward one at a time.

Front Legs
Another major symptom is weakness or arthritis in dogs front leg, which result in the dog having trouble getting up from a lying down position. This is because the bulk of a dog's weight is centered over the shoulders and requires the most strength to lift. According to Ronaldo C. da Costa, DMV, the front legs can become so weak with wobbler syndrome that a dog's feet may buckle and fall over face forward. The dog will avoid slippery surfaces that require strength in the front legs because of this weakness and lack of coordination.

Feet
Dogs with wobbler syndrome often scrape the top of their feet and toenails on the ground when walking, causing the top of the nails to become short or worn-looking, according to the Textbook of Small Animal Orthopaedics. This is due to the dog's inability to keep its feet upright and lifted off the ground while walking.

Neck
The neck is another region affected by wobbler syndrome. The most common symptom is general weakness in the neck, leading the dog to lie down frequently and walking with the head held low. If the dog is just beginning to develop wobbler syndrome, it may seem "lazy" or tired. The dog may turn its entire body instead of its head to see something due to limited coordination and strength in the neck muscles. Manually moving a dog around slightly may cause pain due to muscle stiffness and pinched nerves.

Paper Training a Dog

Senior dogs can experience bowel and bladder incontinence as they age. Training them to go on paper or in an indoor bathroom can create convenience for them as well as ease of cleanup for you.

Get a Vet Checkup
Elderly and senior dogs need to have regular veterinary checkups to ensure dog joint health problems are caught and addressed early. For example, you may find your older dog urinating in inappropriate spots and think his bladder has given out, when in fact, he may just be suffering from an easily treatable bladder infection. Monitor what's going on with your older dog's health so you and your vet can create a plan of action for making that your pet’s golden years pleasant ones. Some older dogs who start having accidents in the house are suffering from arthritis dogs, which makes it difficult to get around.
                   
Introduce Papers Outside
If your dog is mobile and primarily is going to the bathroom outside, start to introduce papers in his usual elimination spot. When you take your dog out to go to the bathroom, lead him to the papers and give your usual command, such as, “outside,” or, “potty.” When he uses the paper, reward him with a treat and praise. If possible, leave the paper in place for day or two so he can return to the same place and recognize his scent, as well as start to associate elimination with the paper.

Start Moving the Paper
Gradually move the training papers closer to the door so your dog becomes accustomed to finding and using them. Eventually move them inside to a spot where you want them to remain. Choose the spot carefully, ideally in an out-of-the-way area such as a laundry room or a space with a tile or linoleum floor. Once the indoor bathroom is established, take your dog to this place each time he needs to eliminate just as you would have taken him outside to do his business. Continue to reward successful indoor bathroom habits with treats until behavior is established.

Elderly Dog Considerations
Keep in mind that one of the reasons elderly dogs sometimes have a problem eliminating outside is because they have mobility issues that make this travel painful. Take that into consideration when establishing your inside bathroom spot. If your dog has to travel to the far reaches of your house or go up and down stairs, he may continue to have accidents, so keep the papers in a relatively centralized area that your pup can easily access.

Feline Pain Remedies

It's not always easy to know when your cat is in pain. You may notice behavioral changes such as irritability or withdrawal or more obvious signs such as favoring a limb. Physical signs may include dilated pupils or a change in heart rate. Cat pain management requires careful attention because as a species, they do not easily metabolize the available drugs.

Pain in Cats
Acute pain in cats can be caused by accident or injury. Acute pain usually improves within three to four days. Chronic pain in a joint medical term is associated with progressive diseases such as arthritis. Other types of pain include cancer pain and neuropathic pain, which results from damage to nerves.

Veterinarians use a pain scale to rate an animal's pain. It is a questionnaire that analyzes age, gender, cause of pain, body region and pain intensity. Although somewhat subjective, pain scales are a helpful tool in assessing pain.

Treating Pain in Cats
Cats do not produce sufficient liver enzymes to metabolize many non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (aspirin and ketoprofen, for example), so the drugs linger much longer in the bloodstream. These drugs should only be used under strict veterinary supervision.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is particularly dangerous to cats and must not used as a pain treatment.

Prescription pain medications are best supplement for joint pain to treat cat pain. Butorphanol is effective but may cause sedation in cats. It is available as an injection or tablet.

Corticosteroids are sometimes used to treat inflammation and pain, but newer drugs with fewer side effects are now supplanting their use.

As an adjunct to traditional veterinary care, acupuncture is gaining favor as a method of pain treatment. According to Acupuncture.com, there are more than150,000 veterinary acupuncturists practicing today.

Home Care
Keep your cat as comfortable as possible. Be sure food and water bowls are easy to reach. If your home is more than one level, provide a litter box on each floor to reduce stair climbing. Consider a new litter box with lower sides.

A heated pet bed and joint supplements for cats may help to ease arthritis pain. Indulge your cat's desire for quiet and isolation by providing a "cat cave," a quiet, sheltered area for rest and recuperation.

Stress can exacerbate pain symptoms; keep her environment as secure as possible. Quietly interact with and massage your cat daily. His ability to groom may be reduced as a result of his pain, so gently brush or comb him regularly as well.

Supplements in Raw Dog Food?

There is little agreement about whether nutritional supplements for dogs are necessary with a raw dog food diet. Purists point out that everything a dog needs for optimum nutrition as nature intended is provided by meat, bones and organs. Others hold that supplements are critical for addressing particular health concerns, whether one feeds raw or kibble. Most people take a conservative approach and feed a few common supplements.

Types
There is no universal raw food diet model. Many people feed ground commercial raw products. Some of these also contain raw ground vegetables and supplements like kelp, flax seeds and fish oil. Others prefer to feed "whole prey" or a close approximation of such: poultry, rabbit, pork, beef, goat, fish and other meats, given to the dog in meal-sized pieces of meat and bone. It is also not uncommon for people to feed both some ground product alternating with whole meat and bone meals.

Theories/Speculation
Broadly speaking, people who feed a raw food diet to their dogs fall into one of two camps--with perhaps the majority of people straddling both philosophies.

Tom Lonsdale, DVM, author of "Raw Meaty Bones," espouses a whole, natural diet, without ground raw, supplements or vegetables. Ian Billinghurst, DVM, author of "Give Your Dog a Bone," advocates a broader approach to feeding. He coined the phrase BARF (Bones and Raw Food) and recommends vegetables, fruits, table scraps and supplements in a meat-based diet.

Lonsdale maintains that "supplementary, synthetic vitamins" can do harm, and that the vitamins and minerals in raw, fresh food are all a dog needs. On the other hand, Billinghurst recommends supplementing with several vitamins, such as antioxidants like Vitamin C and Vitamin E, B-complex vitamins, liquid dog vitamins and other micro-nutrients like kelp and omega-3 fatty acids.

Legions of other veterinarians and experts in canine nutrition have weighed in on this debate, but there is little agreement on whether supplements are needed in a raw food diet, and if so, which supplements and what dosage.

Common Supplements
Many people--whether they feed a raw food diet, a cooked diet or kibble--supplement with omega-3 fatty acids. Meat is already high in omega-6 fatty acids and some believe omega-3 is lacking. These are typically available in supplement form as either fish oil capsules or flaxseed supplements. Fish oil is the better choice: it is more bio-available to dogs. Research strongly suggests that omega-3 fatty acids are important for skin and coat health, joint function and even as "brain food" to grow intelligent puppies.

Some studies indicate that raw diets may be lacking in iodine. Adding kelp to the diet provides iodine, which is important in maintaining proper thyroid functioning. Iodine in the form of salt is added to most dry dog foods

Antioxidants and B-complex vitamins are supplied with alfalfa supplements or individual pills.

We also recommend OmNutra Pet Essentials Advanced Pet Joint Care to his diet. Its advanced formula with glucosemine dogs, Chondroitin, MSM, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C & E will help rebuild the worn out cartilage causing the difficulty in mobility.

Supplementing for Specific Conditions
From arthritis to allergies, a huge range of supplements and nutraceuticals may be helpful (see link in Resources). Glucosamine and chondroitin are often recommended by veterinarians for arthritis and joint pain. Fish oil can be useful for soothing itchy skin and atopic allergies.

For specific conditions, do some on-line research and consider consulting with a veterinarian who practices complementary medicine or has training in canine nutrition.