Treating Your Pet Right After diagnosing your pet's arthritis and determining the severity of the disease, your veterinarian will decide which treatment will be most effective in treating her. In recent years, many new medications have made the treatment of arthritis much more promising. Your veterinarian might prescribe steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs to decrease the swelling in joints and make movement easier. Some veterinarians also recommend dietary supplements, which fortify the cartilage in damaged joints. It is very important that you not try to medicate your pet's arthritis on your own, however, as human anti-inflammatories and supplements can be dangerous for animals. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is toxic to cats, for example, and cats metabolize aspirin extremely slowly and are easy to overdose. Surgery is also an option for some animals with arthritis, particularly younger animals. Veterinary surgeons can try to reconstruct joints to give them more stability, or they may perform an arthroscopy to remove chips of damaged bone. In some large and medium breed dogs, veterinarians will chose to replace the entire hip joint. In cats and smaller breeds, they may recommend removing the top of the femoral (upper leg) bone—the leg muscles are able to compensate for the loss. In some extreme cases, where joints are very painful, unstable, and immobile, a veterinarian may perform arthrodesis—"fusing" the joint together. Your veterinarian will be able to tell you how viable surgery is for your animal—depending on your pet's age and general health and the progression of the arthritis, surgery may or may not be an option. Many pet owners and veterinarians are turning to complementary or holistic therapies to reduce arthritis symptoms. Acupuncture is becoming increasingly popular as a treatment for chronic pain, for example. Some practitioners support the use of herbal supplements and antioxidant vitamins. Massage is also gaining support, as it benefits animals both physically and emotionally. Because arthritic animals have such sore joints and muscles, however, massages can be painful for them if performed by an untrained person. Ask your veterinarian how to massage your pet without hurting her tender joints, or take her to a trained animal massage therapist.