The following letter came to us from a grateful dog owner who was faced with some hard choices for her young dog’s arthritis due to elbow dysplasia. Her veterinarian was willing to spend time learning and training a new procedure in order to provide the best treatment options for her patient. Below is the story directly from the owner, Judi P. Read the rest of this entry »

Stem cells have been and will continue to be a hot news topic.  They are praised, cursed, debated and researched.  So what do we know about how they actually work? 

First, these little cells we call “stem cells” can be found anywhere in the body.  You are alive right now because your own stem cells replace the hundreds of millions of cells you lose every day as a part of normal living.  They are your “spare parts” and are essential.  If your dog has arthritis, stem cells help replace the lost cartilage caused by the disease.  Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been eight months since I started blogging – more that 60 posts about arthritis in dogs and the causes, treatments, and prevention.  Topics like diet, exercise, and stem cell therapy.  We have also shared our pain and talked about how to tell if your pet has arthritis.

Great stories of dogs and their owners and veterinarians have been posted.  We have linked you to other experts and analysis of the latest research data and reports.  I hope you have gained a better understanding of arthritis and how to prevent or treat it in your own animals. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Blog by Dr. James Gaynor:

Is it hard to tell if your dog hurts?  Sometimes.  A limping dog or a dog not using the leg may be obvious.  Dogs do not bear full weight on a leg for 1 of 3 reasons:  1- it hurts; 2- it is unstable (maybe from a fracture); 3- it has neurologic problems (this may be more likely to be seen as dragging rather than limping).  The problem is that dogs may hurt in many more places than just their legs.  The key to recognizing pain is to realize that any CHANGE in your dog’s BEHAVIOR may indicate a painful condition like arthritis caused by hip or elbow dysplasia.
Read the rest of this entry »