| Murphy came to our family over fourteen years ago | | | | difficulty going up the stairs and getting into the car. |
| from Springer Rescue. It didn't take long for us to | | | | Murphy with canine arthritis suffers in silence. |
| understand why Springer Spaniels got their name. The | | | | Canine arthritis can be alleviated in some cases for the |
| dog run with the four foot high fence was no obstacle | | | | dog that suffers. The problem is similar to the same |
| for him and he enjoyed having the run of the yard. | | | | condition in human in some ways. Canine arthritis is an |
| However after his romps he often had a hitch in his | | | | inflammation of the joints of the dog. There are two |
| giddy-up. We discovered that Murphy had hip | | | | main types of arthritis found in dogs. These are |
| dysplasia, which we were to learn is not uncommon in | | | | degenerative and inflammatory. The degenerative |
| Springers. After consultation with our vet and a | | | | arthritis is also called osteoarthritis. This canine arthritis |
| veterinary orthopedist (who knew such a specialty | | | | comes when the cartilage that protects the joints |
| existed?), we decided on surgery and Murphy went | | | | breaks down. This condition happens because of the |
| through triple pelvic osteotomy or TPO on both hips. | | | | stress on the bones through the years. Dogs do not |
| After resting the hips for a few weeks Murphy was | | | | live as long as people and the canine arthritis appears |
| as good as new and back to his old self. One of the | | | | earlier in dogs than in human beings. |
| things we did do throughout his rehabilitation was | | | | For Murphy we have used a regimen of Rimadyl and |
| ensure that he had comfortable dog beds in every | | | | Glucosamine to try to alleviate the pain and try as best |
| room of the house. | | | | we can to support joint health. But, as the vet told us, |
| For the next ten years or so Murphy was his regular | | | | the pain threshold for dogs is incredibly high. As Murphy |
| active self, running and springing. We paid particular | | | | has gotten slower and more lame we have had |
| attention to his diet to ensure he maintained a good | | | | difficulty making decisions about his future. |
| weight to keep stress off of his hips. Every now and | | | | For a long time our measure of how Murphy was |
| then he would hop to accommodate lack of full range | | | | doing was to assess whether he was in pain. As his |
| of motion in his hips, but otherwise he had no problems. | | | | hips have weakened and his ability to maneuver is |
| As an eleven year old puppy (we still think of him as a | | | | further inhibited we now are trying to make a |
| puppy) Murphy began to limp more noticeably and | | | | judgment as to his quality of life. Are current challenge |
| have more apparent hip distress. The veterinarian | | | | is wrestling with the conflicting emotions of trying to |
| informed us of the onset of arthritis. | | | | hold onto him as long as we can, he's been a part of |
| Canine arthritis affects dogs with great pain. One of | | | | the family for over fourteen years now, and |
| our greatest frustrations was that Murphy could not tell | | | | respecting his right to a life worth living. |
| us about the pain, but could see the pain through his | | | | We continue to wrestle. |
| movements. He moves much more slowly, has | | | | |