Page 3 - Arthritis in Dogs - Comprehensive by Dr Erik Johnson

Buffered aspirin (the kind made for people) is actually “pretty good” for dogs because it doesn’t
tend to aggravate the stomach lining as much.

Dosing for buffered aspirin varies for different dogs. A general guideline based on what I
recommend for patients I know, is an adult, 325mg buffered aspirin per 50 pounds of dog, once
per day. This is a moderate to low dose.

I typically recommend that be given NO MORE THAN 4 days a week. Aspiring decreases the
quantity and quality of platelets in the blood stream. Giving three days off allows the body to
replenish and reinforce the platelets without badly compromising the anti-inflammatory benefits
of aspirin.
I really think you should ask you vet before embarking on a course of aspirin.

The Single Most Important Management of Arthritis in Dogs:

The single most important factor in the management of arthritis in dogs is their weight. There is
a disconnect between what the dog can carry effectively, and what they actually weigh. The
most common presentation of arthritis happens to be past-middle-age dogs that weigh 30-50%
more than they should, with only 60 to 80% of the ability to carry themselves effectively. If they
weighed only what they should weigh, they would have close to 100% ability to carry their lean
body mass.

Often recorded in a wobbly-patient’s note: “He’s at 60% capacity under 150% load.”

Weight loss in dogs may not be as easy as it sounds, limiting calories is the primary method,
assessing thyroid status is also important because that may be the greatest impediment to
weight loss. Some veterinarians will use thyroid replacement whether need it or not, to stimulate
the metabolism. I’ve seen that to be successful and I’ve done it in malignantly obese cases.
Exercise is difficult in morbidly obese pets because these animals are neither comfortable nor
agile.
Using food as bait just to get them to cross the floor or the yard is sometimes effective.

The impact of heat on arthritis in dogs

Heat will double the effectiveness of any medication you’re using for arthritis. In other words,
when you’re using Deramax by itself, and you ALSO get the dog to rest on a warmed bed - they
literally do twice as well.

The problem is, many dogs don’t appreciate being overly warm on the “down side” towards their
beds. I think part of the reason is that a lot of dogs are “arthritic” principally because they’re
overweight. Folks don’t believe it when the dog loses weight and it’s ‘obvious’ arthritis becomes
unnoticeable again.

Arthritic “Mobility” isn’t just “inflammation” in the joints.