Osteoarthritis in dogs

Overview

Changes throughout the joint

Healthy cartilage provides a sliding surface between bone ends. In osteoarthritis, this covering gradually thins. Structural damage can also cause cracking. Bony spurs, or osteophytes, can form at joint margins. The surrounding capsule can thicken through increased connective tissue. Inflamed synovium and bone beneath cartilage can also generate pain.

Young dogs can also be affected

Estimated annual prevalence of limb osteoarthritis in UK primary care in 2013 was 2.5%. Median age at first diagnosis was 10.5 years. Another study examined 123 dogs aged eight months to four years attending health checks through one clinic. Of these young dogs, 39.8% had radiographic changes in at least one limb joint. Changes with at least mild pain in the same joint occurred in 23.6%.

Elbows and hips were the most common affected sites in these young dogs.

Using a stricter pain threshold, changes with at least moderate pain occurred in 16.3% in the same study.

Causes

Developmental disorders and injuries

Abnormal joint structure can start osteoarthritis development early. Hip dysplasia can cause hip osteoarthritis. Elbow dysplasia can alter loading enough for degeneration over time. Cranial cruciate ligament injury can cause osteoarthritis through instability. Injury involving a joint surface can initiate cartilage-damaging inflammation. Persistent bacterial arthritis can damage cartilage and leave degenerative changes.

Repeated patellar luxation can predispose to knee osteoarthritis. Damaged cartilage cells release cartilage-degrading enzymes. Synovial inflammation can sustain cartilage damage.

Risk factors

Diagnosis is more common in older dogs. Higher weight is associated with greater diagnosis likelihood even within breeds. Previous joint injury remains a risk factor despite apparently normal movement. Inherited susceptibility to structural abnormalities influences risk.

UK primary care records in 2013 identified osteoarthritis in 7.7% of Golden Retrievers. The Labrador Retriever proportion was 6.1%. Rottweilers had 5.4%.

Heavy work or sporting activity can increase joint injury risk. Extra risk associated with overweight can matter in some large breeds, though natural size also affects weight.

Scale weight alone cannot distinguish a large frame from excess fat.

Typical symptoms

Lameness can be mild despite substantial bilateral damage. Lameness and stiffness may worsen after rest and ease after movement.

• Your dog gets up from lying down more slowly than before.
• Your dog finds it harder to go up or down stairs.
• Your dog hesitates before jumping into the car.
• Your dog may show less desire to play.
• Your dog may lag behind more often than usual on walks.
• A dog in pain may move away when touched.

The area around a painful joint may look thicker than the corresponding area on the opposite limb. Stiffness can cause dogs to raise their front end before pushing up onto their hind legs.

Pain can worsen after unusually vigorous activity. Chronic pain can repeatedly interrupt rest. Dogs may participate less in family life as pain persists.

Complications and consequences

Persistent pain and mobility

Reduced use can cause muscle loss in a painful limb. Shifting weight away increases loading elsewhere. When pain persists, the pain system can become more sensitive, so that even a light touch feels painful to your dog. Synovial inflammation or capsule fibrosis can reduce range of movement. Pain can suppress voluntary activity enough to weaken muscles and further impair mobility.

UK records showed time living with diagnosed osteoarthritis averaged 11.4% of lifespan among 384 dogs with known diagnosis and death dates. Intermittent pain can become continuous and impair quality of life.

Elbow osteoarthritis can develop even after dysplasia surgery. It can severely limit movement because the forequarters carry around 60% of body weight. Severe impairment may make easier movement around the home the initial exercise goal.

Diagnosis at the vet

Movement assessment and X-rays

The vet watches your dog walk and assesses how weight is distributed between the limbs. Bending a joint can reveal a restriction in movement that is difficult to notice while your dog walks. During the appointment, the vet also assesses whether the muscles of the painful limb have become smaller.

X-rays can show marginal osteophytes. Subchondral bone may appear denser. Joint space narrowing can also be visible. X-rays can investigate underlying hip or elbow dysplasia. Treatment need depends on pain and function because radiographic severity can differ from symptoms.

Monitoring pain and function

COAST stages osteoarthritis from zero to four. Stage one indicates risk factors without observable symptoms. Stages two to four indicate mild, moderate and severe signs.

Owner questionnaires can measure how pain restricts everyday activities across days. The 11-item HCPI questionnaire helps monitor chronic osteoarthritis pain. One study from northern Europe assessed its local-language version using responses from owners of 61 affected dogs.

HCPI totals range from zero to 44 according to observed daily changes.

A goniometer can measure joint flexion and extension angles. Repeated measurements track mobility during rehabilitation.

Treatment

Weight management and rehabilitation

Overweight dogs can move more easily before reaching target weight. An open-label weight-loss study followed overweight dogs with osteoarthritis for 16 weeks. Initial weights were 20–34% above ideal. Trotting lameness decreased after mean weight loss of 6.10%. Walking lameness decreased after mean loss of 8.85%. Forelimb loading became more even in dogs with elbow osteoarthritis after mean loss of 8.85%.

Rehabilitation starts at a load tolerated without clear pain increases. Duration can increase gradually as function improves. Underwater treadmill walking allows controlled weight-bearing on a moving surface. Swimming moves joints with little limb loading.

A diet containing the fatty acid EPA may make movement easier for a dog with osteoarthritis alongside other treatment. There is no convincing evidence that glucosamine and chondroitin relieve the pain caused by osteoarthritis.

Pain medication and surgery

A vet-selected NSAID can reduce pain and inflammation. Kidney or digestive disease can influence suitability. If the first NSAID does not help, another may be assessed. Response can be reassessed around one month after starting.

Bedinvetmab is an antibody binding nerve growth factor involved in pain signalling. An adverse effect, unsteady movement or ataxia, may occur in around one to 10 per 10,000 treated dogs. Total hip replacement may be an option for severe hip osteoarthritis insufficiently helped by other care.

Prevention

Keep dogs appropriately lean from growth onwards: maintaining normal weight helps slow development. Puppy food should suit age and size because excessive energy for growth rate predisposes to joint problems. Regular, age- and fitness-appropriate exercise strengthens supporting muscles. Avoid sudden heavy loading, particularly without conditioning. Some hip screening reports record visible osteoarthritis and its severity.

Elbow dysplasia can cause signs at an average of four to seven months, warranting examination of lame puppies.

Breeding programmes against hip dysplasia use parental X-ray results for selection. Breeding indices use examined relatives' results alongside the dog's own information.

Important for dog owners

Cover slippery routes with non-slip mats where your dog often rises or turns. Ramps can replace jumping over height changes. Provide soft, easily accessible bedding. Short videos of normal home movement show the vet how familiar tasks are managed.

Record a changing activity, such as climbing a step or lagging behind on usual walks. Several short walks can replace longer outings that increase lameness.

Increase exercise gradually over a few weeks if pain treatment improves walking capacity.

Frequently asked questions

Can young dogs have osteoarthritis?

It can start early when joints develop abnormally. Elbow dysplasia can cause symptoms at four to seven months. Sometimes lameness is noticed only in adulthood after secondary osteoarthritis has developed.

Can affected dogs still go for walks?

Regular movement helps when tailored to function and pain. Several brief, gentle daily walks are suitable if they do not worsen pain. Loading increases gradually with rehabilitation progress.

Does a severe X-ray always mean severe pain?

Structural findings do not always match everyday symptoms. Lameness can be slight despite advanced bilateral disease. Assessment therefore also uses owners' observations of movement and daily activities.

How can I tell treatment helps?

Easier rising or renewed interest in play can indicate relief. Compare the same task before and during treatment. Pain questionnaires track changing ability over time.

Can osteoarthritis be cured?

No medicine restores the damaged joint to its original state. Weight management can support mobility in overweight dogs. Severe hip osteoarthritis can sometimes be treated by replacing the joint surgically.