Dog Owners With Arthritis: Ease Your
Pain With These 7 Dog-Care Tips

By Teri Champigny

Dog owners who have severe cases of arthritis and/or carpal tunnel syndrome can have quite a hard time with even the most simplest of tasks when it comes to taking care of their dogs. Just opening up a small can of dog food can prove to be excruciating.

There are many ways that you can relieve your pain and not irritate your condition when it comes to dog care. Below are a few tips that can help:

1. Purchase an electric can opener. Electric can openers are very inexpensive and can be found in just about any household goods store.

2. If you do not want to deal with any can openers at all, then you can purchase dog food that comes in easy-to-open tin cans. They are called flip-top cans and have a small handle that you just peel up. However, they are not always as easy to open as advertised and you may need a small lever which will help twist the top.

3. Another trick to keep your arthritis pain from kicking in when you are opening up dog food is to open up the cans at a higher level. For example, just by stacking one can of dog food on top of another makes it less painful to open up that top can. This is because your arms are elevated and the discomfort associated with your medical condition is less likely to strike.

4. Try to utilize kitchen tools and household items that have larger-than-normal sized handles. This will make gripping much easier and reduce your arthritic pain.

5. If you feed your dog dry dog food from boxes then be sure to find them with handles that are built in. Many brands offer this little feature so that you simply push in a corner of the box and a small opening will be created, thereby making gripping much easier To handle.

6. When it comes to grooming your dog, try to utilize a local grooming service. There are many small outfits that will pick up your dog, take him back for a bath and a brushing, and then drop the dog off.

7. If utilizing a local grooming service is not within your budget or if no such service exists in your area, then you may want to invest into certain dog brushes that have a universal cuff or a wrist cuff. These features are specifically designed for men and women that have limited arm and hand strength when it comes to holding utensils, brushes, and other items. You simply slide your hand through the cuff and move the brush over your dog's coat.