A car hit my sweet Schnauzer several years ago. Fortunately, she survived but had her hip badly broken. Although she never seemed to return to her full use, she made it through the healing process and has done fairly well. Her quality of life has been drastically different, which is evident in how slowly she moves now compared to before the accident. It is difficult for her to climb up and down the two steps from the patio doors to the backyard and she seldom runs and plays. Animal Chiropractic

The other day when I was looking for her, I discovered her cowering under the bed. I had once been told that this was a sign that the pet is in pain, so, as you can imagine, I was very concerned about her.

To Find out what was wrong with Cherish, made a trip to the Animal Fitness Center. Dr. Ava Frick informed us that Cherish had been enduring pain from arthritis. The thought of my dog having arthritis had never entered my mind. Somehow, I thought it was something that only humans had to deal with.

Dr. Frick explained that arthritis is actually inflammation of a joint, and often painful. The wear and tear to joins through the natural aging process can be attributed to arthritis. She said that the arthritis was aggravated by being hit by the car years ago. , but when there has been an injury, it will almost certainly be worse.

She said that an injury will cause the joint to have irregular surfaces or cause problems on how two bones meet within in a joint oftentimes. I cannot imagine this caused more wear and tear. Without the smooth, flexible cartilage being present, bone-on-bone contact can cause additional pain.

NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are sometimes helpful for pets with arthritis and cortisone could also be used to reduce pain and inflammation, Dr. Frick explained.

Some non-medical alternatives have been proven to be successful in treating canine arthritis, including physical therapy, acupuncture, therapeutic laser, massage, and veterinary chiropractic. A veterinarian with expertise in these areas is quite difficult to find. If you live near Union, Missouri, I recommend making an appointment with Dr.Frick at Animal Fitness Center. She has worked wonders with drastically reducing Cherish’s arthritis pain and symptoms, giving my dog a much happier life. Pet Joint Pain