Your dog used to launch off the porch steps without a second thought. Now there's a little pause first. Staff at a pet hospital Virginia beach owners already trust hear this exact story constantly, and it's usually chalked up to just getting older. Sometimes that's true. Sometimes it's arthritis, starting quietly, the way it almost always does.
A dog hesitating before jumping into the car, or onto the couch, is one of the earliest tells. Morning stiffness that loosens up once they've moved around a bit is another. Watch for licking or chewing at one particular joint more than seems normal, subtle muscle loss around the hind legs, or a dog seeming a bit more withdrawn than usual. Shorter walks, or slower ones, without any obvious reason, round out the list.
Any single one of these could mean nothing at all. Two or three coming together warrants a discussion with a vet more than sitting around waiting for it to improve.
One in five adult dogs suffers from some type of arthritis. This statistic comes as a surprise to many people. It's not just an old dog problem either, larger breeds can start showing signs by middle age, sometimes even younger than owners expect. An Animal hospital Virginia Beach VA pet owners rely on can catch subtle changes during a routine exam that are genuinely hard to notice at home unless you already know exactly what you're looking for.
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