1. Visit your vet as soon as you suspect arthritis.  This will firstly eliminate any other cause of the problem, and secondly allow for an educated third party to monitor the progress of the condition.
2. Now any excess weight should be dealt with.  Being overweight is not just bad for general health and organ function, it of course will put additional pressure on the joints.  Shedding those excess pounds is a simple way to relieve some of that pressure and improve mobility.  This should be done sensibly.  Most vets will be able to offer a diet plan sensitive to the needs of your dog.  There are special “diet foods” available but more often than not simply cutting out extra treats will have the desired effect.
3. Regular gentle exercise must be given to maintain mobility.  You need to try to minimise the chances of your pet damaging themselves by frantic races with other dogs or jumping over hedges of course, but activity is essential to maintain your dog’s health and quality of life.
4. Supplements containing chondroitin and glucosamine are worth discussing with your vet.  Though they do not help all animals they certainly slow down the progress of the disease in others.  Choose a product made by a reputable brand to ensure you get the volume and quality of active ingredients needed to offer some relief.  Dasuquin for Dogs is a good example.
5. Keeping your pet relaxed and happy will also help.  Regular fusses and quiet time with you is the order of the day particularly as they age.  A warm and comfortable place to sleep will also help reduce morning stiffness.

You might not be able to cure canine arthritis but you can certainly help alleviate its symptoms.

Many dog grooming kits come with complete instructions for head-to-tail spruce ups. Once you’ve got some practice, you will be able to make your puppy look great, save money, time, and hassle. Your pet will look fantastic every day, not just during the week after a trip to the groomer.

Rather than having your best friend sit in a wire dog pen most of the day awaiting a turn on the groomer’s table, you can bathe, dry and clip it all in the course of one morning. You won’t have to worry about the other animals spreading germs or infection, because your pooch never has to leave home.

Owning a good quality, well maintained pair of fur shears is the centerpiece of your pet care kit. You should also gather some toiletries such as dog shampoo, conditioner, a hair dryer (never set on high), combs and brushes.

When shopping for a clipping tool, look for a model with a powerful motor, especially if your dog has a dense coat. A good one-speed pair will probably meet your needs, but two-speed versions are available, too. Be sure the electric pet shears you choose do not get hot next to your dog’s skin, and offer a choice of blade sizes to handle the different grooming areas. The higher the number designation on the blade, the closer it will cut. Your grooming tools will soon pay for themselves, and both you and your pet will be happier!

Revolution for Dogs deals are now available online from a few good retailers so we can buy for low prices. This is by far one of the best ways to ensure our pets stay free from adult heartworms as well as from fleas, and is why it is gaining in popularity so much.

We will find that if we use it during the summer months we greatly cut down on the chance of them ever developing heartworms. But for many it is the added flea protection that makes them use this product. But if we are not going to have a problem with fleas for the whole year then we do not really need to use Revolution. We could switch to something like Heartgard Plus for the months that no fleas are present and this will ensure that they are still protected from the dangers of heartworms, which is important, but for a lower price.

Of course in warm areas fleas are a problem for the main part of the year and in this case we would do well to simply use Revolution for Dogs each and every month. We should then find that there is absolutely no risk of them becoming infected and we are also then able to skip the yearly test at the vets for heartworms. It actually often works out cheaper for us to keep treating once a month than to pay for the test that needs to be carried out on dogs which are off a heartworm treatment for more than a few months. Just ensure that if you switch to Heartgard that you wait a month as you normally would between doses of Revolution.