The Dog Days of San Francisco

The dog days of San Francisco are upon us! I challenge anyone walking down the street to count how many dogs they see and not find at least five species within one city block. I was supposed to write about coats in San Francisco as a follow-up to my piece last year on boots – but frankly, the weather is too good to wear coats – so I have had to adapt. I was touched to see 10 beautiful guide dog puppies with their trainers walking up Pier 41 today. Hard not to stop and say "awww" to the adorable chubby padded feet of these lovely creatures and marvel at the good they provide to those they serve.

This led me to think about all the ailments that can befall our furry friends. For example, hip and elbow dysplasia are common ailments in larger dogs with secondary osteoarthritis. My colleague has a giant schnauzer at home with discoid lupus on his nose – how ironic considering his human parents include a rheumatologist and nephrologist (did I mention a previous dog of theirs had renal failure?). My own mother's late miniature pinscher had cervical spondylosis with temporary neuroforaminal impingement leading to temporary triplegia – but with the miracles of glucosamine (seriously!) – she recovered and lived another five years.

In the end, we love our pets and would do anyting for them. Given that they are prone to arthritis as well, helping our furry friends may shed light on the mechanisms of arthritis which may help their best friend – man.

More reports from ACR 2015