What to Know
Arthritis in bulldogs is due to swelling in one or more joints. Bulldogs experience a lot of pain in their swollen joints. Arthritis in bulldogs is also known as Osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease (DJD).
Arthritic pain or arthritis in bulldogs, French bulldogs, English bulldogs, and American bulldogs is very similar to that of humans. It is a disease that grows gradually with time and worsens the condition of your bulldog.
Arthritis in bulldogs mostly affects the smooth and articular cartilages present in the joints. It is the primary cartilage that covers and protects the bone in the joint, helps your bulldog move, and allows bending without pain.
When this cartilage of the joint becomes damaged or experiences a lot of wear and tear, the bone no longer has protection. So, when the bulldog moves, the unprotected articular bone parts begin to rub against each other, resulting in a lot of pain and inflammation.
Gradually the pain will increase, and your bulldog’s ability to move and exercise will become less. A lot of patience is required while dealing with arthritis in bulldogs.
Primary Factors for Arthritis in Bulldogs
Bulldogs are supposed to have many health issues in their entire lifetime. At some point, their appearance is also a factor causing problems.
Bulldogs must be brought up from puppy to adulthood with utmost care. Similarly, arthritis in bulldogs is a preeminent issue.
Several factors cause arthritis in bulldogs. They are:
- Obesity
- Joint infection
- Elbow dysplasia
- Traumatic injury (resulting from car accidents or any other physical trauma)
- Medial patella luxation
- Hip dysplasia
- Cranial cruciate ligament rupture
Maintenance of Arthritis In Bulldogs
The most essential thing to do to maintain and ease the arthritis pain is controlling your bulldog’s weight. I suggest you make your bulldog do low-impact exercises such as walking and swimming to maintain their strength.
You can also give your bulldog joint and bone supplements to heal the wear and tear. I recommend VETRISCIENCE Laboratories – Glycoflex 3 Hip & Joint Support for Dogs to make their joints stronger.
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If you start using the supplements at an earlier stage, the degenerative process can become slow. The supplements repair the damaged joint cartilage and ease the pain also with their anti-inflammatory properties.
Symptoms of Arthritis in Bulldogs
The bulldogs suffering from arthritic pain or arthritis may show some noticeable signs. It would be helpful if you did not ignore the small changes in their routine that they are starting to have.
The symptoms are as follows:
- Swollen joints of your bulldog
- Lameness or not being able to walk properly
- Muscle disuse atrophy
- Sometimes there can be a noticeable cracking sound while the affected joint is in motion.
- Reluctance to run, jump, or play
- Unusual posture while urinating or defecating, or having accidents in the house
- Sleeping more than routine
These are some noticeable changes that you may observe in their routine life if they have arthritis. Earlier the arthritis in bulldogs is treated; the greater are the chances for their full recovery of motion in their joints.
Treatment for Arthritis in Bulldogs
Arthritis in bulldogs can cause a lot of pain and inflammation. When you see your pets in pain, you start feeling sad and helpless.
You can give them their prescribed medicines, but they are very heavy for your bulldog’s liver. These medicines have steroids that have many side-effects on your bulldog.
However, there are some natural remedies too to keep your bulldog pain-free. Here I give you ten medicines-less ways to give your bulldog pain-free life.
Do not forget to consult your pet’s vet before making any changes in your bulldog’s diet, medication, and exercise routine. Take your vet’s advice and act accordingly.
10 Ways to Relieve Your Bulldog’s Pain
- Maintain a proper weight
- Be active
- Add anti-inflammatory foods to your dog’s meal
- Canine acupuncture
- Physical therapy
- Laser therapy
- Massage therapy
- Do not let your bulldog slip
- Provide an orthopedic dog bed
- Supplements
Maintain a Proper Weight
Bulldogs have to maintain their weight in all conditions. Bulldogs are sluggish creatures, and they do not like to exercise.
The extra weight can be strainful for your bulldog’s joints. Especially when your bulldog has arthritis, you cannot allow them to be overweight.
If your dog has become obese due to arthritis, consider giving them a limited diet and doing some light exercise. Otherwise, your bulldog’s condition can deteriorate in the near future.
Be Active
Arthritis in bulldogs makes it very hard to keep them active. The dog owners have to compulsorily make changes in their bulldog’s diet and exercise routine.
But being active is very important for their joints and body. It would help if you took them for shorter walks than before.
You can reduce playtime duration than the usual playtime and must be on a soft carpet.
Add Anti-Inflammatory Foods in Your Dog’s Meal
Certain foods have natural anti-inflammatory properties. Take advice from your vet whether you can feed your bulldog with such food and then add them to their meals.
You can add papaya, celery, alfalfa, or ginger to your bulldog’s meal. You can even add turmeric that has become very famous nowadays for its anti-inflammatory properties.
Canine Acupuncture
It can be strange for you to know that acupuncture can work for dogs too. It can be a difficult task for your bulldog to tolerate the needles piercing into them.
But this acupuncture trend has become very famous nowadays, especially in the animal world. This therapy has shown promising results in various canine ailments as well as joints pain.
You can give this a shot and cure your little one.
Physical Therapy
Arthritis in bulldogs has become a prevalent problem. There are many hospitals and specialty centers that provide advanced services for dogs.
If your dog has injuries, or has arthritis, or has mobility issues, then you can take your dog there for better treatment. These centers have very highly trained staff and provide many therapies to get a speedy recovery.
They also give hydrotherapy. And more than that, the trainers also teach the owners to provide the therapy at home.
Laser Therapy
With increasing health problems, the recoveries are also rising with better technology. Laser technology is the newest innovation that reduces the inflammation and pain of your bulldog.
Arthritis in bulldogs can be treated very quickly by this therapy; it is painless and easy. Your vet will create a schedule of the laser sessions.
Massage Therapy
The massage therapy that helps you and me relieve our stiff muscles is used for dogs too. Giving massage to the joints of the bulldog can reduce Arthritic pain and arthritis in bulldogs.
Some human therapists work on pets too. Some holistic vets give massage services to their clients.
Do Not Let Your Bulldog Slip
Arthritic pain and arthritis in bulldogs make it hard for them to walk on a wooden and tile floor. If your bulldog has arthritis, then lay soft rugs on the floor so that they can walk easily around the house.
Trim their toenails and consider wearing friction socks so that they can move around without slipping.
Provide an Orthopedic Dog Bed
An ordinary bed can be a nightmare for arthritic bulldogs. They won’t feel comfortable in their bed, and they can have sore joints.
You can get a specially designed orthopedic bed for your bulldog suffering from arthritis. You can go for Barkbox Memory Foam Platform Dog Bed for your bulldog’s ultimate comfort.
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Supplements
There are many different supplements available in the dog market. It would be best to choose a joint health supplement that gives the right dosage depending on your bulldog’s needs.
Best quality ingredients must be present in the supplements. Also, look for the ingredients as bulldogs may be allergic to some; it is better to check.
Do not get health supplements processed with heat, as heat can destroy all the useful nutrients. So choose wisely for the betterment of your bulldog.
Glucosamine and chondroitin are the most common supplements used for dogs as well as humans.
Tips about Some Other Treatments of Arthritis in Bulldogs
Do not let your bulldog get obese. The chances of arthritis can rise in such situations.
Give your bulldog a nutritional diet that helps in weight loss. Make your bulldog do light exercises for a healthy body.
Obesity causes arthritis in bulldogs and causes many other health issues that can be life-threatening.
There are new therapies emerged which do not cause any paid or side effects. Cold Laser Therapy, Pulse Electromagnetic Field (PEMF), and Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy are such procedures that are highly effective.
These procedures are low-cost, non-invasive, painless, and don’t have any side effects too.
One another treatment called Stem Cell Therapy regenerates the affected cells with your dog’s own natural cells. These cells can also be stored if needed in the future.
Final Words
Arthritis in bulldogs is excruciating, but if treated well, your bulldog can get over it. Make sure to follow the preventive measures thoroughly to reduce the risk of arthritis in bulldogs.
I hope these ten natural medicine-less ways were beneficial for your bulldog. Have a happy recovery!