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Degenerative Joint Disease - DJD/Arthritis of Labrador retriever, pune, Pune (2025)

01/08/2025

A Love Note to All Senior Dogs with DJD (Degenerative Joint Disease)

As our dogs grow older, something changes.
The jumps become gentle steps.
The races to the gate turn into slow, wise walks.
And sometimes… they look at you as if saying,
"I want to do more… but my body is tired."

My girl is 10 now. A Labrador full of love, but her hips are getting stiff, especially on cold days. She has Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD); a common, yet heartbreaking condition in senior dogs. But this post isn’t just about her pain.
It’s about her courage.

🦴 DJD Doesn't Have to Mean "Decline"

It’s not a death sentence.
It’s not a reason to give up walks.
It’s a reminder that we must support our dogs, just like they’ve supported us all their lives.

And we can support them. Here’s how we do it:

✅ A gentle, anti-inflammatory diet
✅ Joint supplements (like glucosamine, MSM, hyaluronic acid)
✅ Natural warriors like turmeric, omega-3s, vit E
✅ Daily love-filled massages and slow walks
✅ Warm compresses on painful hips
✅ Cozy bedding, raised bowls, and non-slip mats
✅ And most importantly… unshakable emotional support

💡 What I’ve Learned:

Dogs don’t complain like humans. They endure.

But we must watch closely... a missed step, a slow rise, a quiet wince… it all matters.

We can’t reverse time, but we can slow the suffering.

With the right plan, dogs can stay mobile, pain-managed, and emotionally strong till the very end.

And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

💖 To Every Senior Dog Parent Reading This:
You’re not alone.
If your dog has arthritis, hip dysplasia, or stiffness, reach out. Share what works. Ask what doesn’t. Because when we help each other, our dogs live better, longer lives.

Tag a pet parent who might need to read this today.
Let’s be the voice of hope for our wise, grey-faced warriors.
They’ve earned every ounce of it. 🐾✨

18/04/2024

At home, things were falling apart. Kairee, my sweet Labrador with degenerative joint disease (DJD), was struggling. She was on a diet food called Satiety by Royal Canin, which cost a small fortune. But, truthfully, she barely liked it. I could see her disinterest every time I fed her, but since her vet recommended it for weight management, I stuck to the exact quantities they advised.

Then came the real trouble. She began refusing food altogether. At first, I blamed myself—I’d added her herbal medicine to the food, hoping to mask it. But maybe I’d made things worse; the already bland taste was now spoiled with a medicinal smell. The only thing she took was a bit of buttermilk, but then she refused that too. I suspect it was because of the frequent urination. The act of squatting was clearly painful for her. Soon, since she wasn’t eating solids, she wasn’t pooping either. Six days would go by, and still nothing. I could only imagine how excruciating it was for her to even attempt.

Her back legs were so weak that she would slip on her p*e, a heartbreaking sight. So, I started holding her from behind whenever she needed to go. My support seemed to give her the confidence she needed—I wouldn’t let her fall.

Her meals became simpler: a bowl of curd. Gradually, I introduced small portions of mashed boiled egg with rice, and, thankfully, she started eating. For the constipation, vets recommended laxatives, but Kairee seemed to resist them with sheer will. I could almost sense her determination, as if to say, “Nope, this isn’t working for me.”

That’s when I made a decision. No more allopathic medicines. I’d let her food become her medicine. It was the beginning of a new journey. I brought psyllium husk (isabgol) and mixed it with curd. Slowly, her digestion improved. She started pooping once every four days, a small victory in the face of her challenges.

It’s a journey, one we’re navigating together, day by day. Her spirit teaches me resilience every single day, and I’m learning to listen to what she truly needs, not just what’s prescribed. Her pain won’t go unnoticed, and neither will her triumphs.

15/03/2024

Some people going through the same situation asked me if this disease is curable. So the simple answer is No! There is no cure for arthritis, but there are ways to manage the pain. Treatment starts with nonsurgical strategies. Vet will likely recommend anti-inflammatory medicines, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and lifestyle changes, such as changing the activities of your dog and losing weight.

17/02/2024

Love has power to heal!

17/02/2024

When Kairee was diagnosed with degenerative joint disease (DJD), it felt like a punch to the heart. Seeing the x-rays, especially the damage to her hip joint, was a reality I wasn’t prepared for. Suddenly, all those moments when she seemed reluctant to go on walks made sense—it wasn’t just her typical Labrador “laziness”; it was real, intense pain. We’d been treating it as a possible muscle sprain, but deep down, I felt something more was wrong. Following my instincts, I insisted on an x-ray, even when it didn’t seem urgent to the vets. Trusting my gut led us to the truth, and I’m grateful for that, but I also realized how crucial it is to listen to our instincts when it comes to our beloved pets.

With the diagnosis in hand, we faced some big decisions. Our vet presented two main paths forward: the conservative route and an aggressive surgical approach. The conservative plan would focus on managing the disease with pain relief, diet adjustments, supplements, and supportive therapies like physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and laser treatments. The more aggressive option involved a procedure called femoral head osteotomy (FHO), a surgery to remove the damaged part of the hip joint.

Given Kairee’s age—she’s not quite 8 yet, and she still has a long, beautiful life ahead—the vets leaned towards the FHO surgery. I felt a wave of hope and fear all at once as we were referred to a specialist in osteo-surgery.

We’re only at the beginning of this journey, but I want to share it with you in the hope that it brings comfort, strength, or insight if you’re facing something similar with your own fur baby.

More updates to come! I’m so grateful you’re here with us.

26/01/2024

It was last September when Kairee’s symptoms took a turn for the worse. Watching her struggle to walk was heartbreaking, especially after noticing her limp for over a year. I’d taken her to multiple vets, but each time, the answer was the same: “Labradors are just lazy.” So, I tried to believe that, even though my heart knew there was more to it.

Then, life took its turns. We got Kairee spayed, and with that, she gained a little weight. Then came the lockdowns, and suddenly our daily walks came to a halt. Before I knew it, she had gone from 26 kg to a peak of 31.5 kg. It was a lot for her, and I could see her discomfort. The vets now believed her weight was the cause, so I put her on a strict weight-loss diet. Being a vegetarian myself, I couldn’t bring myself to cook non-veg food, so I went with the best dry food they recommended—Royal Canin Satiety Weight Management. After five months, she lost almost 4 kg, but it came at a cost; she had even lost interest in her food.

With her weight down, she could still walk, but barely. Our walks had shrunk to just 20 minutes, mostly just slow sniffing along the way. I could see how much she struggled, so we’d often turn back early. One of the vets had mentioned that Labradors are prone to hip dysplasia, so I had already stopped her from climbing stairs. Even then, at just 5 years old, everyone assumed it was just a weight issue.

But now I know that if we’d caught it sooner, things might be different. Still, here we are, and I’m doing everything I can to make her journey more comfortable. This video captures her just before we finally got the diagnosis of DJD, arthritis, and hip dysplasia—a moment of realization, of sadness, and, ultimately, a call to do better for her.

26/01/2024

Welcome to this page, created straight from the heart for those who love their furry friends and want to give them the best in life. Here, I’ll be sharing my journey with Kairee, my dog, as we navigate the challenges of degenerative joint disease (DJD) together. I’m not a veterinarian, and I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I’m here with a genuine intention: to offer what I’ve learned through my research and experiences. This isn’t about promoting products or giving professional advice; it’s simply a heartfelt attempt to help others who are seeking natural ways to make their pets feel comfortable and happy.

If you have a beloved pet dealing with arthritis, and you’re looking for gentle, natural care methods, I hope you’ll find a little comfort and support here. This page is a tribute to every pet parent’s love and dedication, and it’s my hope that, in some way, it helps you and your furry friend along the way.

Degenerative Joint Disease - DJD/Arthritis of Labrador retriever

01/08/2025

18/04/2024

15/03/2024

17/02/2024

17/02/2024

26/01/2024

26/01/2024

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