Is Your Pet Stiff or Just Getting Older?

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of long-term pain in dogs and cats, and one of the most often missed. Animals rarely cry out from a sore joint. They adapt instead, quietly changing how they get up, how far they walk and where they choose to sleep, and owners tend to read those changes as ordinary ageing. In cats the gap is striking: studies using X-rays have found signs of joint disease in a large majority of older cats, most of which had never been diagnosed.

Arthritis is the gradual breakdown of the cartilage that cushions a joint, with inflammation, pain and stiffness that worsen over time. It is most common in older animals, but it can start young after an injury, or in dogs with hip or elbow dysplasia. Large breeds and overweight pets of any breed are at higher risk.

A week of watching

Because the signs are gradual, a simple way to check is to watch deliberately for a week and jot down what you notice. Compare it with how your pet moved a year or two ago, using old videos if you have them.

In dogs, look for:

• Slowness getting up after a rest, especially in the morning or after a long walk
• Hesitating at stairs or before jumping into the car
• Falling behind on walks, or turning for home sooner than before
• Stiffness or a limp that eases after a few minutes of moving
• Sitting or lying down awkwardly, or shifting weight off one leg
• Licking a particular joint, or grumbling when a leg or the back is touched

In cats, look for:

• Jumping less, or no longer using favorite high spots
• Using a chair as a step on the way to a counter or bed
• Landing heavily, or pausing before a jump
• A scruffy or matted coat over the back and hips, where grooming now hurts
• Accidents just outside the litter box, often because the side is too high to step over comfortably
• Irritability when picked up or stroked along the spine

Any two or three of these together are worth raising with your vet. A cat that has stopped jumping onto the bed is not just being lazy.

At the vet

Diagnosis usually starts with your description, a look at how your pet walks and moves, and a hands-on exam of each joint for pain, swelling, grinding or reduced range of movement. X-rays show bone changes and help rule out other causes, though the amount of change on an X-ray doesn't always match how much pain an animal is in. Some clinics use short questionnaires for owners to fill in at home, which help track whether treatment is working. Your videos from home are useful here, since many pets move differently in a clinic.

What the evidence supports

Weight control comes first. In a well-known lifetime study of Labrador retrievers, dogs kept lean lived longer and developed osteoarthritis later than their littermates fed more. For an overweight pet with arthritis, losing even a modest amount of weight often reduces lameness noticeably.

Anti-inflammatory pain relief made for animals, known as NSAIDs, is the mainstay of treatment for dogs and, with more caution, for cats. Your vet will usually recommend blood tests before and during long-term use to check the kidneys and liver. Never give human painkillers. Ibuprofen and naproxen can cause serious harm to dogs, and acetaminophen is toxic to cats.

A newer class of drug, monthly injections of antibodies that block a pain-signaling protein called nerve growth factor, is now available: bedinvetmab for dogs and frunevetmab for cats. They are an option for animals that can't take NSAIDs or need more relief. As with any medication, ask your vet about reported side effects and what to watch for.

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, particularly EPA and DHA, have reasonable evidence for reducing pain in dogs with osteoarthritis, and several prescription joint diets are enriched with them. Controlled exercise, meaning regular, moderate walks rather than a weekend sprint, helps keep joints moving and muscles strong. Physical rehabilitation, including underwater treadmills and guided exercises, can help too, especially after surgery.

Where the evidence is weaker

Glucosamine and chondroitin are widely sold and generally safe, but well-designed studies have found little or no benefit on their own. Green-lipped mussel extract has some encouraging results in dogs. Acupuncture, laser therapy and injections of platelet-rich plasma or stem cells are offered by some clinics, and the research on them is still limited, so ask what results to expect and how they will be measured.

Small changes at home

Rugs or runners on slippery floors give stiff legs better grip. A ramp or step helps a dog into the car or onto the sofa, and lower perches spare a cat's joints. A litter box with one low side is easier to climb into. An orthopedic bed in a warm spot away from drafts eases morning stiffness. Raised food and water bowls help some large dogs, and keeping nails trimmed improves grip on hard floors.

Arthritis can't be cured, but most pets can be made much more comfortable. The sooner the changes are noticed, the more there is to work with.