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Articles > ArthritisIs Your Pal Going To Suffer From Arthritis As An Old Dog? One in every five dogs suffers from arthritis. This illness can attack your pal no matter its age or breed, but there are several factors that increase its risk of getting it at one point or another. According to the vets at the Novartis Animal Health, these are the 5 factors that make your young or old dog more susceptible to arthritis: 1. Genetic predisposition Some specific breeds like Labrador retrievers, Golden retrievers, and German shepherds are normally attacked by arthritis. Up to 70% of these dogs will become arthritic at some point in their lives. 2. Overweight Obesity is a serious problem not only for humans but for dogs too. It has been confirmed that overweight dogs are more likely to get osteoarthritis three years ahead of thin dogs. 3. Joint abnormalities If your dog suffers from hip dysplasia, which is the number 1 cause of lameness in dogs, it will probably be at higher risk of getting osteoarthritis since this condition exerts extreme stress on the joints. 4. Joint stress and trauma Some injuries, like the ones suffered when a dog gets hit by a car, can seriously damage ligaments, tissues, and bones, and can really increase the risk of your senior pal developing osteoarthritis. In the same way, dogs that are highly active or that work in demanding activities normally put a lot of stress over their joints, leading to chronic injuries that make them more vulnerable to osteoarthritis. 5. Infection Bacterial, viral, or fungal infections can affect the joints and open the doors to arthritis. Some conditions that fall under this category are: Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can be transmitted by ticks.
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