Age-related joint pain or ‘osteoarthritis’ in cats and dogs

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Pain Assessment

Understanding Joint Pain in Dogs & Cats

What Is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive, irreversible joint disease caused by the breakdown of cartilage and the underlying bone, leading to inflammation, pain, and reduced mobility. The condition can range from mild, occasional discomfort to severe, chronic pain that significantly affects a pet’s quality of life if left untreated.

Common causes include age-related wear and tear, injury, and congenital joint abnormalities. Risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and joint instability can increase the likelihood of developing osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD).

How we diagnose osteoarthritis

With your help we can almost always diagnose osteoarthritis without the need for x-ray, CT, MRI or ultrasound examination.

Please take a short video of your cat or dog moving around at home and either email it to us or bring it with you when you visit. For tips on capturing good footage, watch this short guide.
We will watch your dog’s movement while walking and trotting at the clinic.
We will ask you specifically about your pet’s behaviour: upon arising, after exercise, using steps or stairs, getting on furniture, toileting, on slippery floors.
We will ask you to complete the Helsinki Chronic Pain Index to ‘score’ the level of your pet’s discomfort. This internationally recognised questionnaire helps assess discomfort in dogs and cats, and we will continue using it to monitor progress throughout treatment.

Treatment Options

Pain Scoring

We will ask you to continue using the chronic pain index on this website so that we can both monitor progress. We will also routinely complete a score to compare how we think we are progressing with how you think treatment is progressing. We will provide an individual treatment plan that is targeted for your companion.

Oral Medication

We usually start by trying a ‘non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Loxicom, Previcox or Rimadyl. Loxicom is the generally preferred NSAID. When possible we will do a urine check for protein. If NSAIDs are effective and will be used routinely we will do a blood test to check kidney and liver function. If there’s a breed predisposition to NSAID side effects we will also dispense omeprazole to protect the stomach lining. We may add gabapentin or paracetamol tablets as they work on different pain pathways.

Injectable Medication

When NSAIDs are effective we often suggest continuing treatment. If there is concern about possible side effects we often suggest moving to monthly injections with LIBRELA for dogs or SOLENSIA for cats. These are highly sophisticated ‘monoclonal antibody’ medicines. A trial is for 2-3 months and stopped if scores don’t show continuing improvement.

Oral Supplements

Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that dogs and cats cannot produce themselves. They may help reduce inflammation, with some evidence of benefit in inflammatory joint disease, although evidence for osteoarthritis is limited. Fish oil supplements are generally safe and may be helpful. Chondroitin and glucosamine are natural components of cartilage and are commonly included in joint supplements to support joint health. While evidence is variable, products such as Nutramed Joint Care are widely used, safe, and may offer supportive benefits for mobility.

Physiotherapy & Hydrotherapy

Physiotherapy exercises improve joint mobility, build muscle and improve core strength. (Think Pilates for dogs.) Our in house physiotherapist Sarah Beale can help. With hydrotherapy the buoyancy of water reduces the load on painful joints and allows dogs to stand and comfortably exercise in ways they otherwise can’t. Underwater treadmill therapy may sound scary for pets that dislike water but usually isn’t and can be therapeutic building up muscle and improving mobility

Home Adaptions

Home adaptations include switching to memory foam beds, using raised food and water bowls, covering slippery floor surfaces with rubber-backed mats, using ramps to get on furniture or into cars and other modifications that make moving easier and that reduce risk of more damage. Adaptations vary for each dog or cat. We will discuss these in detail with you.

Diet & Weight Loss

Maintaining a healthy weight is essential in managing osteoarthritis, as it reduces pressure on painful joints and improves mobility. If your pet is fed a fresh food diet such as Butternut Box or Marro, we can advise on adjusting portion sizes to support gradual weight loss. For other diets, we may recommend lower-calorie options with joint supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin. In some cases, veterinary diets such as Virbac Joint & Mobility for dogs or Virbac Kidney & Joint Support for cats may be appropriate to support weight control and joint health.

Accupuncture

Acupuncture is a complementary therapy that uses fine needles placed at specific points on the body to stimulate natural pain relief and reduce inflammation. Studies suggest it can provide additional pain relief for pets with chronic osteoarthritis when used alongside conventional treatment. Most dogs and cats tolerate acupuncture very well, with many remaining calm or even falling asleep during the procedure. As the effectiveness of treatment depends on accurate needle placement, it should always be performed by a suitably trained and experienced veterinary professional.

Exercise

Controlled, regular exercise is important for dogs with osteoarthritis as it helps maintain muscle strength, joint flexibility, and a healthy body weight. Low-impact activities such as daily short walks are ideal, and swimming can also be beneficial as it reduces pressure on the joints. Exercise should continue but be adapted to avoid sudden, high-impact movements such as ball throwing or jumping. Gentle use of stairs can be encouraged if comfortable and not causing pain or stiffness.

Other Potential Treatments

CBD Oil has been reported to be an effective supplement for reducing osteoarthritis pain but in the UK at present there are no CBD oil products licenced for veterinary use. We are monitoring this and when a product becomes available we will tell you through our monthly newsletter.

Stem Cell Therapy uses a dog’s own stem cells (usually collected from fat) that are then lab-grown and injected into the joint, to relieve pain, regenerate and repair. The Royal Veterinary College has an ongoing study into possible benefits but the results are at best inconclusive. We will continue to monitor their research.

Laser Therapy is a non-invasive treatment using light energy to reduce both inflammation and pain. We have been impressed by the statistics shown to us by Laser Therapy manufacturers on how profitable it is to offer this simple treatment at York Street. Unfortunately we can’t find any respected scientific articles confirming that laser therapy actually reduces pain and inflammation, either in people dogs or cats. So we don’t offer low level laser therapy but if you would like to try this for your companion we will refer you to a facility that does.

Please feel free to make an appointment to discuss any of these treatment options for your animal.