Managing Your Dog's Arthritis During Winter: 5 Essential Tips

Winter brings unique challenges for dogs suffering from arthritis. Cold temperatures and icy conditions can intensify joint pain and stiffness, making staying active more difficult for your beloved pet and impacting their overall well-being.

With the right care, nutrition, and proactive measures, you can help ease your dog’s discomfort and ensure they remain comfortable and mobile throughout the season!

Summary

• Winter exacerbates arthritis in dogs, causing increased joint pain and stiffness due to cold temperatures, reduced activity, and slippery surfaces, necessitating adaptations in care and exercise routines.
• Managing canine arthritis during winter involves keeping dogs warm, maintaining low-impact exercise, providing joint supplements, and utilizing herbal remedies like turmeric and Boswellia for pain relief.
• Volhard Dog Nutrition offers online consultations with canine nutrition coaches to help dog owners understand the connection between healthy food and their pet's overall well-being, including joint health.

5 Winter Challenges for Arthritic Dogs

• Cold Temperatures: Cold weather can stiffen affected joints and muscles, increasing arthritis pain and reducing joint mobility. This makes it harder for your dog to stay active, requiring extra steps for pain relief.
• Slippery Surfaces: Icy and snowy surfaces can make walking challenging for arthritic dogs, increasing the risk of falls and further joint damage. Reduced stability can also impact joint health by making dogs more hesitant to move.
• Reduced Activity Levels: Shorter days and cold weather often lead to decreased physical activity. Lack of exercise can exacerbate stiffness and muscle weakness, worsening arthritis symptoms. Physical therapy and therapeutic exercise are crucial for keeping your dog active and maintaining joint health even during winter.
• Weight Gain: With reduced activity, your dog may gain weight, which puts additional stress on already painful joints. Weight management and physical rehabilitation are vital for joint health and reducing strain on the affected areas.
• Dry Air: Indoor heating can dry out your dog’s skin, causing additional discomfort. A humidifier or Omega-3 fatty acids like fish oil can help maintain your dog's skin health and overall well-being.

How Cold Weather Affects Dogs with Arthritis

Cold temperatures can reduce blood flow to affected joints, causing muscles to tense and increasing pain and stiffness. The cold can exacerbate stiffness, limiting your dog's ability to perform everyday activities. Due to increased discomfort and joint pain, dogs with arthritis may become less active, more irritable, or exhibit signs of depression.

1. Keep Your Dog Warm and Comfortable

Orthopedic bedding helps relieve arthritis pain by providing extra cushioning, reducing the pressure on painful joints, and offering comfort that promotes quality rest.

Heat therapy is effective for managing arthritis pain in dogs. Use a pet-safe heating pad or warm blankets, especially during rest periods or at night, to help keep your dog's joints limber. The warmth improves blood flow, which helps reduce inflammation and decreases joint pain.

Choose heating pads specifically designed for pets to prevent burns or overheating. Apply the heating pad for short durations, typically 20-30 minutes, to decrease inflammation without causing skin irritation.

Keep your dog warm during outdoor activities by dressing them in appropriate clothing, such as dog sweaters or jackets. Warm clothing is an additional layer of insulation, relieving pain by helping maintain your dog's body temperature.

2. Maintain Regular, Low-Impact Exercise

Exercise helps maintain joint mobility and supports muscle strength, which is vital for stabilizing affected joints. Remember to adapt your dog's routine to prevent arthritis symptoms from worsening due to the harsh conditions.

5 Low-Impact Activities to Keep Your Dog Moving

Incorporating low-impact activities into your dog's routine will help relieve arthritis pain without putting undue strain on the affected joints:

• Short Walks: Short, frequent walks are much better than long, strenuous ones for dogs with arthritis. They help maintain mobility and allow the dog to exercise without overexertion, which is particularly important for dogs experiencing chronic pain due to arthritis.
• Indoor Play: Simple indoor activities like gentle fetch, tug-of-war, or hide-and-seek can keep your dog active without exposure to the cold.
• Swimming: If you can access an indoor facility, swimming is a fantastic low-impact exercise. It helps strengthen muscles, improve blood flow, and maintain joint flexibility while being easy on the joints.
• Obedience Training: Keeping your dog mentally and physically engaged with basic commands and controlled exercises like "sit," "stay," and "heel" not only helps maintain discipline but also provides a form of low-impact physical activity.
• Gentle Stretching: Encouraging gentle stretches can help maintain flexibility in your dog's joints. To reduce stiffness and enhance comfort, assisted stretches can be done carefully, particularly after warm-up exercises.

How to Adapt Exercise Routines for Winter Conditions

Winter conditions can be demanding on your dog’s paws, particularly with ice, salt, and other harsh surfaces. Dog booties can protect their paws from injury and provide extra warmth, which will help prevent unnecessary joint pain.

Just like in human exercise, warming up before and cooling down after activity is essential. Gentle warm-up exercises help prepare your dog's joints and muscles for movement, while cool-down stretches help prevent stiffness and discomfort after activity.

Always keep an eye on your dog's behavior during exercise. Signs of discomfort or fatigue, such as limping, slowing down, or reluctance to continue, indicate that it’s time to rest.

3. Provide Joint Supplements and a Balanced Diet

Adding joint chews and bone broth to your dog's diet can provide vital nutrients that target joint pain, support joint function, and alleviate arthritis symptoms:

• Glucosamine and Chondroitin: These are essential building blocks that help rebuild joint cartilage and enhance overall joint function. Glucosamine and chondroitin support healthy cartilage, reducing the pain and stiffness associated with degenerative joint disease.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish or krill oil, are well-known for their anti-inflammatory properties. These fatty acids help reduce inflammation, manage arthritis pain, and improve joint function, making them an essential part of a joint health regimen.
• MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane): MSM helps alleviate joint pain and improves joint flexibility. It is especially effective when combined with glucosamine and chondroitin, promoting better joint mobility and decreasing arthritis symptoms.
• UC-II (Undenatured Type II Collagen): UC-II is a specialized form of collagen that can help reduce joint pain and improve mobility by modulating the immune response that leads to inflammation and cartilage damage. Our Jope Hip & Joint Chews are particularly effective for promoting joint comfort and flexibility!

4. Herbal Remedies for Arthritis Relief

Herbal remedies help reduce inflammation and swelling in the joints. They provide a gentler form of pain relief compared to some medications, helping to manage arthritis pain without the risk of severe side effects often associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Turmeric: A Powerful Anti-Inflammatory Herb

Turmeric is a well-known herb celebrated for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, making it an excellent option for managing dog arthritis.

The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which is responsible for its potent health benefits, including reducing inflammation and joint pain.

You can add a small amount of turmeric powder to your dog's meals; however, always follow your veterinarian's recommendations for dosage.

Boswellia: Natural Support for Joint Health

Boswellia, also known as Indian frankincense, is another herb known for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties. It alleviates joint inflammation, reducing the pain commonly associated with arthritis in dogs. It also helps protect joint cartilage, promote joint integrity, and prevent further degeneration.

Boswellia is available in various forms, such as powders, capsules, and chews, specifically for dogs.

5. Schedule Regular Veterinary Check-Ups

Regular veterinary care is essential for managing arthritis in dogs, especially during the winter months when symptoms can worsen.

Regular check-ups allow veterinarians to assess arthritis severity and the effectiveness of current treatments. Based on your dog's evolving needs, veterinarians can modify medications, supplements, or therapies.

Keep Your Arthritic Dog Comfortable All Winter Long!

Managing your dog's arthritis during winter requires a combination of warmth, appropriate exercise, proper nutrition, natural remedies, and regular veterinary care.

For more advice on dog nutrition, health, and training, contact us and check out our blog!

Volhard Dog Nutrition and its expert canine nutrition coaches are now offering online consultations to help more dog parents discover why and how to feed their dogs the healthiest foods!

Speaking to a Volhard canine nutrition coach will help you understand the inseparable relationship between healthy food, a healthy body, and a healthy mind.

If you want to contact one of our Volhard canine nutrition coaches, don't hesitate to access our consultation page!

References

1. Ajmal, M., and A. H. Hayward. "Arthritis and osteo‐arthritis in dogs." Journal of Small Animal Practice, vol. 11, no. 3, Mar. 1970, pp. 197–206, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.1970.tb06149.x. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.
2. "Arthritis in Dogs and Cats May Get Worse in Winter." Oakridge Animal Clinic, 11 Sept. 2022, oakridgeanimalclinic.com/2021/01/26/arthritis-in-dogs-and-cats-may-get-worse-in-winter/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.
3. "How to Protect Dogs & Cats with Arthritis during Winter - Vetster." Vetster Online Vets, vetster.com/en/wellness/how-to-protect-pets-with-arthritis-in-winter. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.