What exactly are STIFF JOINTS and how we can manage them

By Andrew Little, BVetMed

Stiff joints are a common and progressive condition that is thought to affect up to 80% of older dogs. The older your dog gets, the more likely it is to be affected, though it can unfortunately affect younger dogs too. They are caused by degeneration of the normal joint structure, which causes aches and pains that become worse as they get older. This is something that we have all seen or experienced as humans, as it is also the most common form of chronic pain for us. Those of us with creaky knees in the morning, or the day after a long walk, will truly understand! Stiff joints in your dog will usually decrease the amount of movement they want to do, which can mean their muscles weaken, so they move less, and a negative cycle can begin. As stated above, it is important to understand that there is no cure for this. However, it is a condition that we can help manage, if we know what we are looking out for.

Dogs are all different, and you know your dog the best. Which means you are best placed to look out for the signs. Initially, dogs can cope with the onset of stiff joints very well and you will often only see subtle and occasional signs that are easily missed. As the condition progresses, the signs of long-term discomfort will become more obvious, and more frequent. Different dogs will show these signs in different ways. Changes can include how they move and behave, and range from the subtle to more obvious.

Movement changes. Your dog may: l be ‘slowing down’ l start limping l not run as often, or as far, or as quickly l tire more quickly l not want to get into or out of cars, even for a walk l be quite slow and stiff the day after a long walk l trip up or slip more often l not want to use steps or stairs

Behavioural changes. Your dog may: l seem quieter than usual l become snappy or anxious with you or other dogs l not come and greet you as quickly or as often

If you see any of the above changes and you have an older dog, your dog is quite likely to suffer from stiff joints. Remember, it is thought that roughly 80% of older dogs have this condition to some degree. The most important point is recognising there is a problem to deal with, as then we can make a plan to help our four legged friends continue to live an active life.

As we mentioned above, this is a condition that gets worse as your dog gets older, and there is no ‘cure’. Fortunately though, there are some simple things we can do to help manage it and improve their quality of life, though there is no substitute for taking your dog to the vets and getting them checked over properly. Your vet may prescribe medication if the problem is severe, but there are also other options you can use as part of managing the condition.

1) Feeding: most dogs love feeding time! But it is important that we feed our dogs the right amount, so that they don’t become overweight. If your dog is in discomfort and moves less, their muscles become weaker, and it becomes harder to haul themselves around – so they move less, and the cycle continues. Feed the right food, at the right amount, so your dog is not overweight.

Tip: weigh your dog so you can monitor how it changes, and ask your local pet shop or vets for advice on weight management.

2) Changing Exercise Routines: walking your dog is good for them and for you, both physically and mentally. However, as the condition progresses, we must learn to change our routines - overdoing exercise can cause problems. As such, it is usually better to walk your dog for less time, but more often, than go for those really long walks that your dog may struggle with either towards the end, or the next day. Learn to moderate your dogs exercise so they don’t become too tired or stiff the next day. This will help them to keep enjoying walks for longer.

Tip: if your dog is struggling at the end of a walk, cut the walk time in half, but do twice as many if you can. You can then increase the length of those walks slowly till you find the right exercise level (which will change as the condition progresses).

3) Hydrotherapy/physiotherapy: it is best to talk to your vet about using therapists and get a referral to a suitably qualified one who is part of a professional association. Complementary therapies such as these can be an important part of tackling stiff joints, providing many benefits such as helping to improve muscle strength, movement or even burn calories.

4) Joint Supplements: natural joint supplements can be an important way of helping you manage stiff joints in your dog, but are not as effective in the long-term if you don’t manage weight and exercise at the same time. They are not a silver bullet!

There are a lot of joint supplements available and it can be difficult to choose a supplement that works well for your dog, especially as the condition progresses.

My simple approach to this is there are only two things you can do with a supplement: soothe the stiff joints themselves, and provide the necessary structural ingredients that a joint requires to function as well as it can.

If you can successfully achieve both, you are on the right track. Only achieving one or the other, is a sub-optimal and unnecessary situation.

The provision of structural ingredients is a more simple topic, and will be looked at shortly, but soothing joints and working with the bodies own natural anti-inflammatory system is a more complex area.

One of the most studied and effective methods of achieving soothing joints is by using marine sourced omega 3 oils. These are a type of essential fatty acid – EFA (that has to be eaten as it can’t be made by the body – hence ‘essential’), which have been shown to moderate the bodies inflammatory response, so helping aching joints. These are hard to provide at high levels in dog food due to rancidity problems when incorporated into the food.

Even though only a few EFAs such as EPA or DHA are ever discussed, there are dozens of them that contribute to the overall effect in different ways. So the quality and balance of those is critical in achieving the results we want. Some fish oils and mussel powders are of poor quality for what we are trying to achieve with a joint supplement. And this is where the big issue lies for choosing products – it is hard to know which is which.

Those who are most sure of their product will have conducted a clinical trial and published it, so owners and vets can scrutinise the methodology and results. And you should be looking for high levels of cold water marine sourced Omega 3’s – enough to carry the regulated claim “for the support of the metabolism of joints in the case of osteoarthritis in dogs”. This ensures the concentration of Omega 3’s is at least high, even though it won’t specifically tell you the quality and make up of them.

The second part of the equation is providing the structural elements the joint requires, which is crucial as this is a longterm condition, so only soothing joints is just half the solution. Depending on the food that you feed your dog, these elements will be supplied in higher or lower quantities, but rarely to the levels that are provided by a quality supplement.

You should be looking for ingredients that will help the production of the cartilage and joint fluid such as glucosamine, N-Acetyl glucosamine (a special type of glucosamine that is utilised more readily by the body) and hyaluronic acid, that will all help the joint function to the best of its ability.

Additionally, we can help remove free radicals, which speed up the degradation of the joint. High levels of antioxidants such as vitamin E and C are what to look for here.

If you are using a joint supplement currently, remember the condition progresses. This means what worked previously won’t necessarily work in the future, and stiffness can ‘creep’ back into your dogs life.

This means you will likely need to change to a more concentrated alternative in order to help your dog as before. Alternatively, if you start with the most concentrated one your dog will get the best benefits from the start – their body does not become ‘acclimatised’ to these products over time so you will just give them extra support from an earlier stage of the condition. So try to feed the best supplement you are able to from as soon as you think it is required.

With this in mind, if you feel the supplement you are currently using may not be giving the best response, or just want to start with the better alternatives out there, consider trialling one that contains the ingredients mentioned previously.

And finally, there is also the cost element of the supplement –both financially and environmentally. Generally speaking buying one from your local veterinary practice will be more expensive than elsewhere, though you will most likely be able to get extra advice at the same time and access to weight clinics. However, the most value usual comes from using a trusted supplier with a clinical study, the regulatory claim on the pack, and one who is also able to give advice.

And from an environmental perspective, nowadays you don’t need to settle for using blister packs that aren’t recycled or even plastic pots anymore, when there are technically advanced plastic free/compostable packaging materials available. No-one want s to use more plastic than we need to, and with around 12 million dogs in the UK now, we all need to do our bit to help protect the environment we love to get out into with our dogs.

Feeding a joint supplement can be a really useful way to help your aging dog stay mobile and comfortable, but shouldn’t ever be thought of as a silver bullet for stiff joints. Keeping track of their weight and modifying exercise appropriately MUST be used in conjunction for the best outcome.

Note about the author: n Please visit the website www.jointly365.com to find out more about their mission to support the mobility and wellbeing of all dogs in a natural and sustainable manner.

Andrew Little BVetMed worked in veterinary practice for several years before gaining 20 years of product development experience in major animal health companies, including with market leading joint care products in the UK and abroad. On leaving the profession, he has combined these experiences to focus on producing Jointly365, a natural, sustainable, plastic free product, tailored to provide the very best joint care for your dog - that is less expensive and more concentrated than market leaders, to ensure as many owners as possible can access quality care for their dogs.