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Canine Arthritis And Joint
  • Home
  • ONLINE COURSE for COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL HEALTH AND HOMEMADE DIET FOR DOGS
    • Testimonial For Online Course
  • Complete Guide To Natural Health and Homemade Diet For Dogs
    • Testimonials for book
  • Book Website
  • CUSTOM Supplemental Plan For Your Dog
  • Cyplexinol for Bone and Tissue Repair and Restore
  • ​The Assisi Loop
  • PROTOCOL For Canine Arthritis and Joint
  • Safe Recommended Joint Supplements >
    • Boswellia Improves Symptoms of Arthritis
    • Anti- inflammatory Herbs For Arthritis
    • Cats Claw For Arthritis
    • Devils Claw
    • Cetyl Myristoleate For Osteoarthritis In Dogs
    • Ester C For Your Dog
    • GLUCOSAMINE AND MSM
    • Hydrangea Root For Bone Spurs And Kidney Stones
    • Rosehips For Pets
    • Sea Cucumber: A Natural Arthritis Treatment
  • Recommended Daily Diet Supplements for the Arthritic Dog
  • Inactive Ingredients To Avoid
  • Ingredients In Supplements
  • Sign Up For Our Canine Arthritis Newsletter
  • ACL Injuries In Dogs >
    • Canine Cruciate Ligament (or ACL) Surgery Questions
    • How To Heal A Torn ACL Without Surgery
    • What You Need to Know After Your Dog has ACL Surgery
    • Understanding TPLO
    • Canine ACL Surgery
    • Prolotherapy In Animals
    • The Dog Meniscus
  • Acupressure For Pets
  • Acupuncture for Animals
  • Adequan
  • Aging Gracefully
  • Arthritis in Dogs- Can Magnesium Help
  • Bone Disease In Growing Dogs
  • Canine Rehabilitation After Surgery
  • Carpal Hyperextension Injury
  • Cauda Equina Syndrome In Dogs
  • CBD Oil And Your Arthritic Dog
  • Chiropractic For Your Pet
  • Degenerative Myelopathy
  • Diskospondylitis (Spondylitis) in Dogs
  • Dont Forget Your Dogs Diet With Arthritis
  • Early Joint issues In Canines
  • Elbow Dysplasia
  • Fibrocartilaginous Embolism (FCE) in Dogs
  • Floating Kneecaps, or Luxating Patellas
  • Helping Your Dog Stay Healthy And Pain Free
  • Hip Dysplasia in Dogs >
    • Choices In Hip Dysplasia Treatments
    • Subluxation In Your Dogs Hips
    • What Is Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO)
    • Prolotherapy In Animals
  • How Canine Arthritis And Diet Are Connected
  • How to Give Your Dog Glucosamine Injections
  • How To Fix Slick Flooring
  • How To Install A Doggie Door And Buying The Correct Size >
  • How to Massage Your Dog
  • Hydrotherapy For Dogs
  • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy For Pets
  • Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy
  • Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis (IMPA)
  • Intervertebral Disc Disease
  • Kratom Use by Pet Parents
  • Laser Therapy for Dogs
  • Learning How To Feel and Read Your Dogs Spine
  • LTCI & DOGS
  • Lumbosacral Spondylosis In Dogs
  • Magnetic Therapy
  • Muscle Sprains and Strains In Dogs
  • MYELOMALACIA IN DOGS
  • Moist Heat And Cold Therapy For Canines
  • NSAIDs-The Risks Involved
  • Osteoarthritis In Dogs
  • Panosteitis In Young Dogs
  • Pet Arthritis
  • Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy For Pets
  • Prevention and Preservative Free
  • Prolotherapy In Animals
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis in Dogs
  • Sacroiliac Luxation
  • Sciatica in Dogs
  • Semitendinosus and Gracilis Myopathy
  • Setting Up A Pool For Therapy For Your Dog
  • Stem Cell Therapy In Pets
  • Steps To Take To Get Your Dog Moving
  • Tesla BioHealer™ for Pets 2.0
  • Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) For Canines
  • Transitioning To A Raw Diet >
  • Ultrasound Therapy
  • Vet Checks With Injuries And Arthritis
  • What Vets Dont Know Or Wont Tell You
  • Weather And Joint Issues
  • What To Do When Your Dog has Had Surgery Or Is Lame
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Canine Arthritis And Joint
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Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis (IMPA)

Dr. Becker

Probably the most confusing type of arthritis for pet owners to understand is the immune-mediated variety. In this type of arthritis, joint inflammation is caused by the immune system attacking the body -- in this case, a joint or multiple joints. “Poly” simply means that multiple joints are involved.
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When an animal has IMPA, white blood cells from the immune system, called neutrophils, invade the joints of her body. The normal job of neutrophils is to fight bacteria and other pathogens that invade the body by releasing large amounts of irritating substances in the surrounding tissue. In immune-mediated arthritis, the irritating substances from the neutrophils are released into the joint, causing swelling, pain, and a host of other symptoms.
Immune-mediated polyarthritis can be either erosive or non-erosive. In the non-erosive form, there is no destruction of bone or cartilage. In erosive IMPA, there is bone and cartilage destruction in one or more affected joints. The erosive type is very similar to rheumatoid arthritis in humans. Fortunately, erosive IMPA is rare in pets, accounting for less than one percent of all reported cases. The non-erosive form of the disease can occur in dogs regardless of breed, size, or gender. It is most common in dogs between 4 and 6 years of age, but is rare in cats.

Symptoms can include a stiff gait, lameness, trouble standing on a joint or joints, and spinal pain. There can also be signs of illness that include loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, lethargy, and enlarged lymph nodes.
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About 25 percent of dogs with the disease have systemic signs with little or no obvious joint-related symptoms. About 20 percent of dogs with fever of unknown origin are ultimately diagnosed with immune-mediated polyarthritis. It should always be considered as a possible factor in dogs with fever unrelated to another illness. Most cases of immune-mediated polyarthritis in dogs are considered idiopathic in origin – meaning we can’t determine an underlying reason for the condition.
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Non-Erosive Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis

Non-erosive idiopathic IMPA is separated into four subtypes depending on whether there are other concurrent diseases. Treatment actually depends on the subtype that’s identified.
 
IMPA is frequently diagnosed in dogs suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE. Treatment of SLE polyarthritis is similar to the treatment of idiopathic forms, which in traditional veterinary practice means administering immunosuppressive and immunomodulating drugs. If other organs are involved, treatment must also address those clinical signs.
 
There is another form of non-erosive IMPA called polyarthritis-meningitis syndrome in which steroid-responsive meningitis occurs with polyarthritis in young, male, medium-to large-sized dogs. Treatment of the two conditions is similar, but the syndrome is important to recognize since recurrence or neurologic damage can occur without proper treatment.

There is also a condition known as polyarthritis-polymyositis syndrome, which occurs most commonly in young to middle-aged spaniel breeds. Traditional treatment is similar to that of idiopathic IMPA, but the presence of concurrent muscle involvement makes the situation potentially more complicated.

Other causes of IMPA are drug-induced polyarthritis and vaccine-associated polyarthritis.

Administration of certain medications, especially sulfonamides, antibiotics – lincomycin, erythromycin, cephalosporins, phenobarbital, and penicillins – as well as the anti-seizure drug phenobarbital, have been implicated in the development of immune-mediated polyarthritis in Dobermans and other large-breed dogs. Treatment involves discontinuing the drug, with improvement generally noted within 24 hours, and a complete recovery within 2 to 5 days of drug withdrawal.
Vaccines have been implicated in the development of IMPA, and when this occurs, typically we begin noticing symptoms within 30 days of vaccination. But that’s not always the case. 

Canine distemper antigens have been found in immune complexes from the joints of dogs with the erosive form of IMPA. According to the literature, most vaccine-associated IMPA cases are self-limiting and may require a short course of immunosuppressive treatment. In my opinion, animals that have had adverse vaccine reactions, including vaccine-induced IMPA, should receive no further vaccinations of any kind.
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There is yet another form of non-erosive IMPA called breed-specific polyarthritis that has been reported in adolescent Akitas that may also have concurrent meningitis or other organ involvement. Chinese Shar-Peis can develop “Shar-Pei fever” or “swollen hock syndrome.” In both these types of immune-mediated polyarthritis, the prognosis is often poor due to the presence of other concurrent conditions or diseases.

Erosive Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis

The two main types of erosive IMPA are idiopathic and a form of the disease that affects Greyhounds exclusively.
Idiopathic erosive IMPA is seen more commonly is smaller breeds of both sexes, with an average age of 2 to 6 years. Symptoms include stiffness, intermittent lameness, swelling of a single or multiple joints, fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, and lymph node enlargement. Erosive polyarthritis is a progressive disease that results in connective tissue degeneration and increasing joint instability.
​
Traditional treatment involves the use of immunosuppressive, disease-modifying, or anti-inflammatory drugs. Therapy must be administered for the life of the animal. Long-term prognosis for these cases is unfortunately poor.
Erosive polyarthritis in Greyhounds is a sporadic disease that affects young dogs between 3 and 30 months of both genders. This form of IMPA progresses more slowly than idiopathic erosive polyarthritis and doesn’t do as much damage. Traditional treatment is similar to idiopathic erosive polyarthritis.
Walkin’ Lift Combo Harness – Rear

Diagnosis and Treatment of Erosive IMPA

The definitive test for IMPA is a joint tap and analysis of the fluid sample. The joint tap may require that your pet be sedated, especially because multiple joints will probably be tapped. Since immune-mediated polyarthritis often occurs secondary to other diseases or conditions, additional diagnostic tests should be performed. A minimum test set will include a urinalysis, urine culture, and X-rays to identify whether the disease is erosive or non-erosive. Sometimes an ultrasound can be helpful as well.
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As you can see, it’s very important to get a correct diagnosis of the type of arthritis that’s occurring in your pet.
Immune-mediated disease is an overreaction of your pet’s immune system, and using any type of natural immune support or immune stimulant would be extremely detrimental and could actually exacerbate your pet’s condition. Working with a holistic veterinarian and a rehab therapist will afford you the best opportunity to select the correct protocol for your pet’s specific type of arthritis.
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In all cases of arthritis, it’s important to feed an anti-inflammatory diet, as your pet is suffering from inflammatory pain. The food you feed will either exacerbate the pain or help ameliorate it. Foods either heal or harm. Feeding a grain-free, low-carb diet is important, as well as incorporating an abundance of antioxidant-rich veggies and fruits. I recommend avoiding feeding vegetables in the nightshade family – that means no potatoes, tomatoes, or peppers – as these foods are pro-inflammatory. Ideally, a balanced, species-appropriate fresh food diet is best for arthritis patients.
I also recommend reducing unnecessary vaccines and insecticide applications for animals fighting chronic inflammation. Talk to your holistic veterinarian about vaccine titers and alternatives to the ingestion or topical application of pesticides and insecticides.

Sourced by: Dr. Becker
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**Canine Arthritis And Joint is intended for informational, educational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Do not attempt to self-diagnose or treat any health condition. You should always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect your pet might have a health problem. The opinions expressed by Canine Arthritis And Joint are not to be replaced for medical care. This website and the information contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information and opinions on Canine Arthritis And Joint are not intended and cannot be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This applies to people and pets!
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