How to Help Your Dogs Joint Pain Naturally

In this article we talk about how to help your dog joint pain. We talk about the symptoms, signs and how you can help your dogs joint health. what to do about it and how CBD can help.

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Though more commonly seen in dogs in their senior years, joint pain is can affect dogs of all ages. But unlike us humans dogs tend to hide their pain really well. But just because they aren’t yelping and wincing it doesn’t mean that they aren’t suffering. So how do you know when your dog is in pain?

Signs and Symptoms of Joint Pain in Dogs

As your dogs ages just like us humans they tend to slow down. But besides being less energetic canine show other signs of joint pain. Below are a few signs of dogs suffering with joint pain.

Your Dog is Slowing Down and/or Limping

One of the most common indicators of a dog’s joint pain is when a recently active dog suddenly slows down. Signs of slowing is natural but there may deeper issues such as dog joint pain. Often dogs may move limp or favor a limb when they are walking or struggling to get up. Another is they tend to favor one limb over another such as lifting their paw or leg.

Struggling to Get Up

Much like the overall slowing down, it may time time for your dog to get up. It takes and extra effort for them to get up as the dog knows that pain is likely to be part of the process..

Often pain in the back legs is one of the first signs as it can affect the dogs back legs and their hips. Pain and discomfort slow their movement when getting up to eat, play, climbing up stairs or around or even when they need to go to the bathroom.

Sleeping More and Generally Lethargic

Lethargy or sleeping more during the day should not be mistaken as a natural part of a dog’s aging process. Instead, behavioral changes, like lethargy, are a sign that they may be experiencing pain and do not have the capacity to move around and be as active as they once were.

Lack of Enthusiasm

Another sign of dog joint pain is when your dog is reluctant to go for a walk or greet you when you come home. They may also avoid taking bathrooms breaks. Certain changes in their physical movement or abilities are common indicators they may be suffering, or have discomfort die to painful joints.

Change in Your Dog’s Appetite 

Dogs understand that if they eat or drink that it will result in the need to go to the bathroom. So in order to avoid causing extra discomfort your dog may avoid eating or drinking (loss of appetite). If this is out of character behavior, such as a decrease in their appetite, then it is a sign of a dogs pain.

Canine Joint Pain Can Cause Depression and Irritability

Not all signs of joint pain are physical. If your dog seems more irritable or appears to be depressed, it could be an indicator of experiencing joint pain.

Excessive Licking, Biting and Chew at Their Affected Areas

When a dog’s joints are bothering them, especially joint pain in their back legs, they could lick, bite, or chew the affected area. This behavior could signal their discomfort and act as a way to self-soothe.

Avoiding Things They Enjoy

If your dog is avoiding things they once enjoy like taking car rides, or climbing in the sofa it is a sign of discomfort. Avoiding or having difficulty with these physical tasks is a sign that a canine is suffering with joint pain and discomfort. Any type of pain will cause a dog to hide away in an effort to protect themselves. This is a means of self preservation and something they inherently learn from their ancestors for self preservation.

Signs of Your Dogs Joint Pain

A dog’s joint pain is an extremely common condition that can occur in dogs at any stage of their life. Educating yourself on the identification of the common signs of joint issues is one of the best steps to handling the condition for an improved quality of life in your dog. If you notice any physical or behavioral signs of joint pain in your dog’s back legs or other areas, make sure that you check in with your dog’s veterinarian for a diagnosis and to discuss possible treatment options.

Helping Your Dog With Joint Pain Relief

Treatments to relieve your dog’s joint pain vary depending on your dog’s level of pain and the root cause of the joint pain. However, no dog has to deal with pain and discomfort in their joints. We’ve summarized some easy changes that you can make to your dog’s at-home and on-the-go routines to help ease joint pain and discomfort.

Weight Management for Dogs

If your dog is suffering from joint pain, one of the first things to do is ensure that they’re at a healthy weight. Obesity is a common problem in dogs and puts excessive pressure on a dog’s joints.

A healthy weight can significantly reduce the symptoms of dog joint pain. A good weight has many benefits for canines, and it can slow down or alleviate wear and tear in a dog’s back legs.  Check in with your veterinarian to determine if your dog needs to lose weight or if their weight is impacting joint pain. We adore our dogs and its natural to want to spoil them. But instead of giving them unhealthy treats consider providing them chew toys or foraging mats to keep them busy.

Manage Your Dog’s Diet

Proper nutrition is necessary for preventing and reducing joint issues. Overconsumption of heavily processed foods can adversely impact your dog’s joints. Dietary changes, such as including omega-3 fatty acids and limiting grains in their food, can help provide joint support for your dog. In addition consider adding supplements to help ease your dog’s joint pain. Talk to your vet about the safest, most beneficial supplements and dietary changes for your dog.

CBD For Canine Pain Relief

There are a myriad of pain relief options and medications for joint pain. However, you may want to take a natural approach. CBD for pets is a more natural, holistic alternative to different medications on the market for dog joint pain. A high-quality CBD product introduced alone or via intake of food can be included as part of a relief plan for mobility issues.

Help Dog Joint Pain With Ramps and Stairs

If your dog has been experiencing mobility issues due to joint pain, getting dog stairs or a ramp could make movement easier. Using a ramp or stairs (if stairs are manageable for your dog) can prevent them from struggling to get into bed or onto the couch. Having a form of assistance for your furry friend will prevent their need to jump and climb, which puts excess stress on their joints.

Use Pee Pads

If your dogs is struggling to get up and go to the bathroom consider potty training pee pads for their difficult days. This will help take some pressure off your dog while keeping y0o0ur indoor space clean.

Concluding How to Help Dog Joint Pain

With all of this said it dogs do a pretty good job of hiding their pain. So it’s up to us as a dog parent to notice and help your dog  joint pain. So you can take measures to help care for them and alleviate their discomfort. There are lots of ways to help your dog from heating and cooling pads, to stairs and ramps, supplements and quality CBD for dogs.