It’s a fact that dogs need exercise. NO EXERCISE can cause “fracture disease” which is stiffness of a rather severe nature, caused NORMALLY by immobilization of a joint in a cast. In this dog’s case, it had NO exercise and the bones and joints featured a stiffness and arthritis serious enough to be called disabling. And all they had to do was encourage it to exercise.A study found that exercise was as good as an anti-inflammatory for arthritis – but then, they also found that exercise AND an anti-inflammatory was twice as good as either alone.“Use it or Lose It” applies.
The good news is that the solution in this case was relatively simple: by encouraging the dog to engage in regular exercise, its condition improved. This aligns with scientific findings which show the positive effects of exercise on arthritis. In fact, a study demonstrated that exercise alone could provide benefits comparable to those of anti-inflammatory medication for managing arthritis symptoms. Even more interestingly, the study found that combining regular exercise with an anti-inflammatory treatment was twice as effective as either approach used independently.
This evidence reinforces the importance of the principle “Use it or Lose it,” a saying that perfectly applies to joint health and mobility in dogs. By maintaining an active lifestyle, dogs can prevent or alleviate the debilitating effects of arthritis and stiffness, ultimately ensuring a better quality of life.
