My Dog Has Arthritis In His Hock. What Should I Do?

Your dog's hock is the major joint halfway down their back leg.

Arthritis or osteoarthritis can often affect your dog in their hock joint. It can cause your dog's hock joint to swell or make clicking noises. Over time, wear and tear on the hock joint can lead to arthritis. Arthritis is a degenerative condition characterised by the breakdown of cartilage and the development of bony growths on the joint. When your dog moves their hock joint during everyday activities, these bony growths make it uncomfortable, causing your dog to limp or appear stiff. 

Sadly, arthritis is a chronic condition and incurable. However, there are some things which you can do to manage the condition and ensure your dog has a good quality of life.

• Giving a joint supplement which includes glucosamine and chondroitin will help support joint health and reduce arthritic symptoms 
• Get a good quality orthopaedic dog bed to give your dog's joints the best support and comfort
• Ramps and mats - add these to your house so your dog doesn’t slip on their weak hock
• Use a sling to get your dog around 
• Hock braces to help your dog with their day-to-day activities and improve their comfort
• Dog boots with thick soles for comfort

Maintaining a healthy body weight is also very important to reduce stress on arthritic joints and minimise inflammation and damage. Elderly dogs tend to run around less and therefore burn less energy however, low impact exercise is ideal to maintain joint mobility and muscle strength. Activities such as swimming or hydrotherapy are excellent!

Read more about Hock Injury Causes, Prevention and How to Help https://zoomadog.co.uk/collections/dog-hock-injuries 

Find the Best Dog Hock Braces & Hock Supports

https://zoomadog.co.uk/collections/dog-hock-braces-for-your-dog 

For a good quality orthopaedic dog bed, look here:

https://zoomadog.co.uk/products/memory-foam-dog-bed-100-x-70cm-grey

Read more about Arthritis and How to Help your dog here: https://zoomadog.co.uk/collections/arthritis