Arthritis In Dogs

Arthritis is one of the most common causes of chronic pain affecting 80% of dogs over 8 years old and up to 35% of all dogs.
Arthritis simply means inflamation of a joint due to wear and tear or a previous injury. Any joint has the potential to become arthritic but your pet’s hips, stifles (knees), elbows and spine are most commonly affected. Healthy joints are normally covered by cartilage and contain fluid to allow for smooth movement of the bones.

With arthritis the cartilage becomes damaged and wears away and the soft tissues within and around the joint become inflamed, causing pain and stiffness. Please see our **Arthritis blog for more details. 

Arthritis causes chronic pain which is often experienced as non-localised, insidious, consistent and low-intensity pain, that may flare up intermittently. It can be extremely hard to identify chronic pain as it presents very differently to acute pain. This can lead to confusion for owners and vets. Chronic pain can cause subtle behavioural changes suggesting anxiety, fear and lack of tolerance which may precede a physical indicator such as change in gait or lameness. Often if we wait to see limping or yelping before acting , our fury friends could be in significant pain.

The signs of Arthritis in dogs to keep an eye out for may include:

  • Slowing down on walks/ reluctance to go for a walk
  • Hesitating to jump up/down or use stairs
  • Stiffness/lameness
  • Sleeping more
  • Licking joints 
  • Difficulty settling down or getting up
  • Difficulty toiletting/walking while toiletting/leaving nuggets of faeces around the house due to the inability to eliminate completely
  • Changes in body shape/posture eg hunched spine
  • Changes in temperament/becoming more reacticve to dogs or people
  • Noise sensitivity – new or existing sensitivity worsening 
  • Phobias – new or worsening of existing ones
  • Decreased tolerance to handling
  • Asymmetrical sitting
  • Restlessness
  • Changes in coat – directions of fur
  • Asymmetrical nail wear
  • Panting
  • Lower head carriage 
  • Loss of appetite

This is not an exhaustive list but gives you a glimpse of the potential presentations that may indicate arthritis and chronic pain. There may be other underlying causes of some of the symptoms as sadly older can suffer with multiple other conditions for example canine cognative dysfunction (CCD).

Chronic pain can cause anxiety as pain is associated with stress and fear. Anxiety can make diseases such as CCD worse. If you feel your dog is struggling with any symptoms of pain or you would just like us to check him/her over to rule out pain issues please do not hesitate to book an appointment. We will conduct a thorough examination and perform any required tests to make sure we give your dog all the help they require to be a happy hound!

Alternatively you can click on the following link to our arthritis checklist in dogs to help you assess your own dog.


Arthritis in Cats

Arthritis is one of the most common causes of chronic pain affecting 80% of Cats over 8 years old and up to 35% of all Cats.
Arthritis simply means inflamation of a joint due to wear and tear or a previous injury. Any joint has the potential to become arthritic but your pet’s hips, stifles (knees), elbows and spine are most commonly affected. Healthy joints are normally covered by cartilage and contain fluid to allow for smooth movement of the bones.

With arthritis the cartilage becomes damaged and wears away and the soft tissues within and around the joint become inflamed, causing pain and stiffness. Please see our **Arthritis blog for more details. 

Arthritis causes chronic pain which is often experienced as non-localised, insidious, consistent and low-intensity pain, that may flare up intermittently. It can be extremely hard to identify chronic pain as it presents very differently to acute pain. This can lead to confusion for owners and vets. Chronic pain can cause subtle behavioural changes suggesting anxiety, fear and lack of tolerance which may precede a physical indicator such as change in gait or lameness. Often if we wait to see limping or yeowling before acting , our fury friends could be in significant pain.

The signs of arthritis in cats to keep an eye out for may include:

  • Becoming less mobile
  • Reluctance, hesitance or refusal to jump up or down 
  • Jumping down less often
  • Struggling or being slow to go up or down stairs
  • Stiffness in the legs especially after sleeping or resting
  • Difficulty using the litter tray & accidents outside the tray
  • Difficulty going through the cat flap
  • Becoming less active 
  • More resting or sleeping
  • Not hunting or exploring outdoors as often
  • Sleeping in different, easy to access places
  • Less interaction and playing with people or other animals
  • Resting in different/ stiff positions rather than usual curled up relaxed way
  • Change in grooming'
  • Less time spent grooming
  • Matted and scruffy coat
  • Sometimes overgrooming in areas where joints are painful
  • Overgrown claws due to lack of activity and reduced sharpening (may curl into the pad and cause more pain (**link to nail clipping video blog and Manicure blog)
  • Change in temperament
  • More irritable or grumpy when handled or stroked 
  • More irratable or grumpy when in contact with other animals
  • Spending more time alone 
  • Avoiding interaction with people and / or animals 

This is not an exhaustive list list but gives you a glimpse of the potential presentations that may indicate arthritis and chronic pain. There may be other underlying causes of some of the symptoms as sadly older can suffer with multiple other conditions for example Feline cognative dysfunction (FCD).

Chronic pain can cause anxiety as pain is associated with stress and fear. Anxiety can make diseases such as FCD worse. If you feel your cat is struggling with any symptoms of pain or you would just like us to check him/her over to rule out pain issues please do not hesitate to book an appointment.  We will conduct a thorough examination and perform any required tests to make sure we give your cat all the help they require to be a happy hound!

Alternatively you can click on the following link to our arthritis checklist in cats to help you assess your own cat.