Have you seen your cat limping? Have you noticed that your pet dog is rather dragging its feet in a painful manner? Check it out - your pets might be suffering from infectious arthritis.

What Is Infectious Arthritis?

This is a type of arthritis that can affect both humans and animals. It is caused by specific bacteria that enter the blood and directly attack joints. As a result, the joints become stiff, swollen and extremely painful. When it comes to animals, this disease can even result dislocation of joints, particularly that of the hip. This condition is known as hip dysplasia and it affects both big and small dogs and cats. It is more common with larger dogs than smaller dogs, though.

The main outward symptoms that can help you diagnosing whether your pet suffers or not from infectious arthritis are fever, sudden mood swings, snapping (in dogs), hissing and scratching (in cats) when you touch them around the affected joints (or the hip), lack of appetite, total disinterest to move from the place that they are sitting, and so on.

If you have any doubts that your pet is suffering from infectious arthritis, then you should immediately consult a veterinarian doctor, who would be able to prescribe the right treatment to curb the pain and prevent further damage of bone and/or cartilage. There are many types of drugs that work very well in controlling this disease. Some examples of the drugs used for treating infectious arthritis, are the Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) combined with a number of immunosuppressive drugs and cortisone (as a last-resort remedy).

You can also help reducing the pain by providing your pet with healthy food, vitamin supplements and a lot of love. Some pets also tend to suffer from depression during this time, and hence, you would do well if you can pet them a lot and talk with them. Keep the animals around you - pets seldom like solitude and ensure that they eat sufficient for their body mass.

It is important to explain to the children, if you have any, that the animals need rest so they would not bother them during the treatment. The infectious arthritis is slow to heal and any sudden movement and jerks can cause a great deal of pain - which with a little care and understanding can be avoided.

Since this type of arthritis is infectious, you should take care that healthy pets are not exposed directly to the ones who are sick, lest they will get the disease transmitted onto them.

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