Alex Trelinski
VETS at Benidorm’s Terra Natura park are treating three of their animals for osteoarthritis- a condition that is certainly not exclusive to humans.
A peccary(a pig-like animal), a rhea bird and a goat are all suffering from the rheumatic disease in their limbs.
In the case of the peccary and rhea, the treatment has involved giving them anti-inflammatory drugs, while the goat has received corticosteroids.
The treatments will last initially for 10 days before the animals will be checked again to see how they are doing.
Keepers spotted a few days ago that some of their residents had a slight limp and due to their advanced age, the vets determined they had osteoarthritis.
In older animals, it is relatively common for problems related to the degeneration of certain tissues, such as joint tissue, to happen.
The animals are between 15 and 20 years old, which is equivalent to about 75 or 80 years in humans.
If osteoarthritis is not treated properly, the animals stop walking and interacting with their environment.
That can lead them in some cases to stop eating, with the consequent danger that their state of well-being is in danger.
