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Treating Osteochondritis (OCD) in Your Dog With Cosequin

also see Osteochondritis or OCD

Osteochondritis dessicans can be a debilitating condition, but with cosequin dogs have responded well to treatment. A combined course of treatments, including certain types of exercise and medications, is usually prescribed for dogs with osteochondritis dessicans and many dogs with the condition can still lead normal lives.

What is OCD?

Osteochondritis dessicans (OCD) is a condition that affects the cartilage between two pieces of bone, usually in the knee or elbow joints of a dog. Fragments of cartilage can crack and may tear off altogether. It usually affects larger breeds of dog but has been known to occur in smaller types too. Although it usually occurs in the limbs, it can sometimes affect the vertebrae or the hip.

Symptoms of OCD

Some dogs don't show any symptoms if they have osteochondritis dessicans. However, the following symptoms may be a sign they are suffering from the condition:

What Are the Causes of OCD?

Although vets are unsure of the exact causes, they have found the following factors to be associated with the condition:

How Can OCD be Treated?

There are a number of different treatments available for OCD. Your vet might prescribe a certain exercise regime for your dog or might even advise that he has surgery to remove the affected portions of cartilage. With either of these treatments, your vet will usually prescribe medication to help reduce the inflammation in the joint.

What is Cosequin?

Cosequin is a mixture of different medicines. It contains glucosamine, manganese and chondroitin. Studies have shown that it is effective as dog medicine and can reduce inflammation in joints. Cosequin is made by Nurtramax Laboratories and comes in a capsule, so you can feed it directly to your dog. There are no side-effects associated with the drug so it is safe to try, even if it doesn't have that much effect on your dog's joints.

How Can Cosequin Help Your Dog's OCD?

The ingredients of Cosequin are all medicines that help reduce inflammation. Many dogs that suffer from osteochondritis dessicans go on to develop arthritis. Cosequin has been shown to reduce the chance of dog arthritis in the long term. Although it won't cure your dog's OCD on its own, combined with other treatments, Cosequin has been shown to be a very useful drug for dogs with the condition.

Life After OCD

The quality of life your dog can lead after he has been diagnosed with OCD will depend on how early the condition was diagnosed and how well he responds to treatment. Cosequin is an effective way of improving your dog's quality of life and some dogs have responded well to treatment without needing any kind of surgery or further treatment.

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