Greetings,
Welcome to this month's issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Please pass this along to your friends!

Table of Contents:

1. The Signs of Arthritis in Pets
2. Glucosamine for dogs and cats
3. Canine Hip Dysplasia
4. Rimadyl Warnings

The Signs of Arthritis in Pets

Types of Pet Arthritis

• Osteoarthritis (general term, also known as OA)
• Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)
• Hip Dysplasia
• Elbow (dysplasia)
• Knee (dysplasia)
• Knee (stifle joint)
• Osteochondrosis
• Hypertrophic arthritis
• Shoulder (degeneration)
• Wrist Arthritis (carpi)
• Kneecap (dislocation)

What's really going on to cause this pain in your pet?
The physiological changes that occur in pets are virtually identical to that of the human body. Essentially, it is the "breakdown" of the (protective) cartilage that covers or protects the ends of bones at the joint.

Primary Vs. Secondary Osteoarthritis
Since pets by their nature are very active, it follows that they are constantly subjecting themselves to trauma. Where trauma is the cause of the onset of one of many (osteoarthritis) conditions (as opposed to hereditary conditions), the course of the disease is extremely rapid. While a human may sustain a traumatic injury that does not develop into an arthritic condition for many years, quite the opposite is true with pets. Unlike humans, most of pet arthritis develops almost immediately after trauma to their bodies. The onset can and is often within weeks of even a minor injury as opposed to years for a human. This is referred to as secondary arthritis compared to the more usual primary arthritis in humans.

What are the signs of arthritis in pets?

• Reluctance to walk, climb stairs, jump, or play
• Limping
• Lagging behind on walks
• Difficulty rising from a resting position
• Yelping in pain when touched
• A personality change
• resisting touch

The Typical Veterinarian Response
If your pet is showing any of the above signs, it is always a good idea to take your pet to the vet. They will be able to tell you exactly which type of arthritis your pet has (listed above).

A typical response to these conditions (if diagnosed) by a veterinarian is to prescribe NSAIDS (Rimadyl, aspirin, aleve, motrin, etc.) for pain. In the more severe cases, steroids or even surgery may be suggested. The use of NSAIDS (and even veterinarians will agree, is not without some element of risk.) Just as in the case of humans, pets run the risk of side effects even though they do get some pain relief. It goes without saying that the use of steroids and/or surgery poses even greater risks.

Side effects of NSAIDS include stomach ulcers and liver damage. COX-II Inhibitors have been shown to increase chance of heart attacks and strokes. Furthermore, while these treatments do reduce the pain, they do nothing to treat the disease.

There is an alternative...
More progressive veterinarians who are knowledgeable about recent studies, clinical trials, and overwhelmingly positive patient response will know that glucosamine not only eases pain, but also assists in the rehabilitation of damaged cartilage. While of course, the comfort of your pet is paramount in your mind, glucosamine (in the right form and quality combined with other nutritional and synergistic ingredients) not only eases the pain quickly, but it goes to the root of the arthritis and slows its progression.

A quality glucosamine formula with a good mix of synergistic ingredients can begin to rehabilitate damaged cartilage and reduce pain within 7-14 days. It must be stressed that these kinds of results will only be seen if you are using an extremely high-grade liquid glucosamine formulation. The use of pills or capsules is not going to produce these kinds of results. The highest quality liquid glucosamine formula is recommended for maximum effectiveness, absorption, and minimum time to relief.

It is also important to understand that in order to maximize both the impact on pain relief and rehabilitation, other ingredients are essential. Those ingredients include: Bromelain, Boswellin, Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, and Manganese Ascorbate, among others. These and other ingredients play a major role in both easing pain and in the rebuilding process.

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Glucosamine for dogs and cats

Studies show that glucosamine is beneficial in alleviating arthritis pain and that it helps your joint cartilage fight against osteoarthritis. In these studies, glucosamine has been shown to assist in the rehabilitation of cartilage and reduce the progression of arthritis, significantly lessen pain from arthritis, and increase mobility in dogs and cats. However, one glucosamine product can be very different from another.

When your pet's pain relief and health is at stake, you need to know how to choose between competing products and see through the marketing hype. There are six factors that you need to take into your decision before purchasing any glucosamine product. These are:

• Amount of glucosamine per daily dose
• Type of Glucosamine
• Quality of Ingredients
• Delivery System
• Synergistic Ingredients
• Price Per Day

It is very important to compare price per day and not price per product, as many companies try to fool you by providing 60 capsules or 32 oz. and not telling you until after you purchased that you must use 6 capsules or 2 oz. per day. Be careful to always compare price per day.

Most pills and capsules contain various binders and fillers that can make it more difficult for the pills' or capsules' desirable active ingredients to be absorbed by your body. In some pills, as little as 10-20% of the active ingredients are absorbed. We are confident that the glucosamine in liquid glucosamine is absorbed much more effectively (80-90% absorption). In addition, liquid forms of nutritional supplements are absorbed more quickly by the body than are those in solid form and, thereby, go to work more quickly.

For information on arthritis in pets visit our site at http://www.arthritis-cats-dogs.com

For information on glucosamine and the leading products read A Guide to Glucosamine Products. Or you can learn more about glucosamine formula Syn-flex®.

Canine Hip Dysplasia

What is hip dysplasia?
Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is a genetic, painful, crippling disease that causes a dog's hip to weaken, deteriorate, and become arthritic. It is a congenital condition and is the leading cause of lameness occurring in the rear legs of dogs. CHD is common in dogs, particularly in certain large and giant breeds, although smaller dogs and cats can suffer from the condition as well. Hip dysplasia is usually and genetically a transferred inherited trait. However, it can occur in dogs whose parents do not have Canine hip dysplasia.

The Signs of Canine Hip Dysplasia

• Difficulty getting up from a lying or sitting position or in climbing stairs
• Moving both rear legs together while walking
• A painful reaction to extension of the rear legs
• Dropping of pelvis after pushing on rump
• A stilted gait or pelvic swing while walking
• An aversion to touch
• A change in behavior
• Whining
• Reluctance to walk, climb stairs, jump, or play
• Lameness after strenuous exercise
• Hunching of back to avoid extending the hips when standing

Literally, hip dysplasia means "badly formed hip". In order to understand this complex problem it is first necessary to understand the anatomy of the canine hip. This ball and socket joint consists of two basic parts - the acetabulum and the femur. The femur, or thigh bone, consists of the head (the ball) and the neck (the part of the femur that joins the long shaft of the bone to the head). The acetabulum forms the socket part of the joint and it is into this socket that the head of the femur rests.

In unaffected dogs there is a good fit between ball and socket. However, if ligaments fail to hold the round knob at the head of the thighbone in place in the hip socket the result is a loose, unstable joint, in which the ball of the femur slides free of the hip socket. Swelling, fraying and rupture of the round ligament follows. This laxity causes excessive wear on the cartilage in the hip joint, eventually resulting in arthritis.

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Rimadyl Warnings

A Review of Signs of a Potentially Life-threatening Reaction to Rimadyl

• loss of appetite
• refusal to drink
• unusual pattern of urination, blood in the urine, sweet-smelling urine, an overabundance of urine, urine accidents in the house
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• black, tarry stools or flecks of blood in the vomit
• lethargy, drowsiness, hyperactivity, restlessness, aggressiveness
• staggering, stumbling, weakness or partial paralysis, full paralysis, seizures, dizziness, loss of balance
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin, mucus membranes and whites of the eyes)

From Wall Street Journal:
March 13, 2000

Most Arthritic Dogs Do Very Well On This Pill, Except Ones That Die
By CHRIS ADAMS Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

You might call it a made-for-TV drug. Approved for human use in the U.S. but not marketed that way, an arthritis medicine called Rimadyl languished for nearly 10 years in developmental limbo, then emerged in a surprising new form: Instead of a human drug, it was now a drug for arthritic dogs. And it became a hit.

With the aid of slick commercials featuring once-lame dogs bounding happily about, Rimadyl changed the way veterinarians treated dogs. "Clients would walk in and say, 'What about this Rimadyl?' " says George Siemering, who practices in Springfield, VA.

Today, those TV spots are gone. The reason has to do with dogs like Montana.
A six-year-old Siberian husky with stiff back legs, Montana hobbled out of a vet's office in Brooklyn, N.Y., six months ago accompanied by his human, Angela Giglio, and a supply of Rimadyl pills. At first, the drug appeared to work. But then Montana lost his appetite. He went limp, wobbling instead of walking. Finally he didn't walk at all. He ate leaves, vomited, had seizures and, eventually, was put to sleep. An autopsy showed the sort of liver damage associated with a bad drug reaction.

Pet drugs are big business -- an estimated $3 billion world-wide -- and Rimadyl is one of the bestsellers. It has been given to more than four million dogs in the U.S. and more abroad, brought Pfizer Inc. tens of millions of dollars in sales, and pleased many veterinarians and dog owners. But the drug has also stirred a controversy with other pet owners complaining that nobody warned them of its risks.

Montana's owner, Ms. Giglio, is among them. After she informed Pfizer and the Food and Drug Administration of her relatively youthful dog's death, Pfizer offered her $440 "as a gesture of good will" and to cover part of the medical costs. Insulted by the offer and a stipulation that she agree to tell no one about the payment except her tax preparer, she refused to sign and didn't take the money. "There's just no way in my conscience or heart I can release them from blame," she says.

After reports of bad reactions and deaths started streaming in to the FDA, the agency suggested that Pfizer mention "death" as a possible side effect in a warning letter to vets, on labels and in TV ads. Pfizer eventually did use the word with vets and on labels, but when given an ultimatum about the commercials -- mention "death" in the audio or end the ads -- Pfizer chose to drop them.

This concludes the February Issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Look for the next issue in your inbox on March 15th, 2002!

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Have a great February from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center and The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. See you next month!