When to euthanize a dog with osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common sources of pain in older dogs. However young dogs can suffer from this condition as well. With this condition, the cartilage in the joints is deteriorating and the fluid that acts as a lubricant for joint movement is becoming less effective. Therefore, this can be a very painful condition. Before deciding when to euthanize a dog with osteoarthritis you should ask yourself these important questions:
- Is your dog in severe pain?
- Is there anything else that can be done to help your dog with a painful condition?
- Is the pain managed well?
- Is there any way to treat this condition?
- Is the quality of my dog’s life acceptable?
The first step in understanding how to proceed with this issue is to assess the severity of the developed osteoarthritis. Therefore, you should get a professional view of your dog’s condition. Your veterinarian might look into your dog’s medical history, perform a physical exam, radiograph analysis (x-ray) or in some cases take joint fluid to best understand the severity of the disease.
Before making any big decisions you should try everything your veterinarian has suggested for managing this condition. This might include weight management, supplementation, drugs like NSAIDs and exercise regime. Those are the most common ways to manage osteoarthritis. Additionally, there are some new age therapies available that might help. Judging by the medical studies and practical results in the field – regenerative medicine is very promising in treating osteoarthritis. It applies to any medicine that can help with repairing, replacing or regenerating damaged tissue in the joint. In fact, one of the best results in regenerative medicine comes from Stem Cell Therapy. Stem Cells have the ability to divide into any of cartilage, bone, tendon and muscle tissue. It will help both with managing symptoms and targeting the main cause of pain. Hence this might be a better long-term solution. Talk to your veterinarian about this option to treat your dog.
If all of those attempts are ineffective and you have decided that the quality of your dog’s life isn’t acceptable – you should consider euthanizing your dog. The good news is that euthanasia is usually pain-free. The most pain that your dog might get will be from the injection. After the injection, the consciousness will be lost within seconds.