Vet&Co Referrals

A little treat to brighten up the start of this gloomy New Year!

Pop us a message to get booked in!

🎅🏻CHRISTMAS OFFER 🎅🏻

Book your pet in for December and receive 50% off your next treatment!

*T&Cs apply

Let’s talk about the dreaded osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative joint condition that affects over 80% of dogs over the age of 8 and about 30% of dogs of all ages. If left untreated, it can be considered to impact welfare needs. Common joint affected are hips, elbows, stifles, hocks and neck joints.

What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of synovial joints that also remodel over time. This degenerative causes impaired mechanical function of the joint, pain and movement compensations.

Causes of Osteoarthritis?
Generally, osteoarthritis occurs due to joint injury or overuse over time. However, other factors can pre-dispose the joint to the disease.
These factors are:
* Age
* S*x
* Breed
* Obesity

Signs your pet could have osteoarthritis
Unfortunately, the only definitive way to get a diagnosis is for your pet to be seen by a veterinarian and have diagnostic imaging performed. However, catching it early can help slow down degeneration of the joint.
Signs of osteoarthritis include:
* Stiffness or lameness
* Reluctant to play, walk or jump
* Changes in behaviour
* Loss of muscle over joint areas

How can physio help?
Physiotherapy can be a useful addition to your pets current treatment plan created by the vet. Studies have shown that regular physiotherapy can reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis but also slow the progression of joint degeneration.
Here at Vet&Co Referrals, our physiotherapy treatments are tailor made to your pets condition. For osteoarthritis, a combination of manual therapies, joint mobilisations, and a variety of electro-therapies to help improve your pets quality of life.