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Elanco, the makers of Onsior – the NSAID which gets to work in just 30 minutes – has launched a campaign to help ‘Inspire more movement’ in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA). It has partnered with experts in the field to create a suite of tools that help vets and practices communicate to dog owners so they can relieve the discomfort of canine OA.
OA is a condition which is estimated to affect one in four dogs[1] but it is often labelled by owners as ‘just old age’. This may lead to missed diagnosis and dogs not receiving the care they need.
To combat this, Elanco has created online and in-practice tools designed to better educate owners about OA, offering tips on how to spot the signs and help to ease the pain of OA. Elanco has also created assets to support vet clinics when communicating with owners about the condition.
Together, Elanco and Onsior have partnered with experts in OA – founder of Canine Arthritis Management, Hannah Capon, and veterinary communications consultant, Zoe Belshaw – to create the materials.
The first is a worksheet for vets to use in consultations. It’s designed to help clearly explain to owners whose dogs have been diagnosed with the disease, how the condition impacts their pet both in and outside the home.
It gives vets and owners a template, where together they can create a tailored management plan which fits the lifestyles of both dog and owner. And it provides a guide to home adaptations owners can make to help improve their dog’s quality of life.
Alongside the worksheet, a visual infographic fact sheet has been created to enable owners to spot the subtle signs of OA in their dog. It’s designed so vets and nurses can use it as part of their regular interactions with owners, so the condition can be diagnosed as early as possible.
In addition, Elanco has designed a downloadable toolkit of digital assets for vet practices to use on their websites and social media feeds to increase awareness of the condition among their online communities.
Hannah Capon said: “Arthritis affects every dog differently – a dog may be full of life but lame, quiet, unenthused and slow to move, or somewhere in-between.
“Home management needs to be tailored to each dog’s needs and adapted in the same way it would be for a person, to prolong life and minimise pain and further injury.”
The in-practice assets are supported by a film Elanco and Onsior recently launched featuring Zoe Belshaw. Zoe gives advice about the language and strategies vets can use to help improve communication with dog owners about OA.
Zoe Belshaw said: “My research identified that many owners do recognise their arthritic dog has a problem before it’s diagnosed. Many will have seen that their dog is stiff, or ‘slowing down’ but they may not associate this with lameness, or pain.
“That’s why vets, nurses and practices play a critical role in raising awareness of how the condition impacts dogs every day.”
To access the suite of assets visit: www.myelanco.co.uk
You can watch the film here.
[1] Lascelles, D. 2016. “Fact Sheet No. 9: Joint pain in pet dogs and cats.” https://s3.amazonaws.com/
rdcms-iasp/files/production/public/Content/ContentFolders/GlobalYearAgainstPain2/2016/
FactSheets/English/9. Joint Pain in Pet Dogs and Cats.pdf [Accessed 4 Jan 2018]