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Nothing is made to last forever and unfortunately dogs' bodies, just like our own, are the same. As they age, eyesight fails, hearts struggle and, of course, joints get achy and arthritic. Although we may associate arthritis in dogs with ageing, it is a disease that all ages of dogs can suffer from.
In fact, arthritis may be seen in up to 37% of dogs older than 1 year1, even more as they age. So how do you know that your dog has arthritis? Here are all the symptoms of dog arthritis to look out for.
First, a recap. Osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, describes the chronic progressive and painful degeneration of a joint over time (long term damage, pain and swelling that just gets worse). It generally starts with inflammation within the joint, then progresses to erosion of the cartilage covering the ends of bones and then damage to the bone itself. This leads to chronic pain, behavioural changes, and further damage. Arthritis is more common the older a dog gets but is also known to affect some puppies and young dogs.
If identified early and with the right management strategy in place, you and your vet will give your dog a longer time with improved mobility and a better quality of life.
To maximise this time and give dogs the best quality of life, identifying arthritis early is important and as a pet parent, you are key here. By making you aware of common symptoms of dog arthritis, you and your vet may be able to identify arthritis sooner. Remember, that because we cannot cure arthritis, your dog will likely need some form of treatment for the rest of their life.
The array of symptoms that come with dog arthritis means that not every dog will show the same ones. To make it simple we can divide them into physical and behavioural symptoms, though they are often closely linked.
Physical symptoms are more likely to be identified by your vet when they feel your dog’s joints during an examination. If you are attentive, however, you can notice some for yourself.
One of the most obvious signs of arthritis is lameness or limping, particularly after exercising or after laying down. Subtle lameness may be as simple as a change in a dog’s gait – the way they hold their head, swing their hips or how high they raise their paws.
While there can be mechanical lameness caused by joint stiffening, there is usually pain alongside it.
Arthritic pain is caused by inflammation in the joints and bones rubbing together as the protective cartilage erodes. Of course, lameness can be caused by other diseases as well, but it should always be a reason to visit your vet. Due to the inflammation inside, arthritic joints can sometimes become swollen, hot to the touch, painful or feel fluid-like. You may be able to feel these symptoms after running your hand over your dog’s leg. Try comparing the difference between the joint on your dog’s other leg, especially if they only limp on one of them.
Just like with humans, if a dog is not using a muscle, it will start to waste away. Dogs that are arthritic are inclined to do less exercise due to the pain and discomfort that comes with moving, resulting in their muscles shrinking. This presents itself as your dog’s legs looking skinnier, feeling bonier and becoming more sensitive to touch. Your dog may also wobble or collapse. Unfortunately, muscle weakness and collapse are two common reasons for dogs with advanced arthritis being put to sleep.
As well as causing muscle wastage, inactivity can lead to weight gain. This is because obesity puts more strain on the joints, both physically because of the extra pressure, and physiologically because of more inflammatory agents within the body. The result is a vicious cycle where an obese dog develops arthritis, stops exercising and becomes more arthritic over time. Combined with muscle wastage it creates a recipe for disaster.
This means your dog may walk stiffly and not bend their joints properly, and you can even sometimes hear crepitus (a crunching sound) as they move. These movements will be very painful and should be addressed before more damage is done.
Behavioural symptoms are the subtle changes you may notice at home, often developing over long periods of time. Vets will find these harder to identify in the clinic, because your dog isn’t in their normal environment and acting their usual self. Keeping diaries, checklists3,4 and videos that show your dog exhibiting the symptoms of arthritis can therefore prove to be hugely beneficial to vets when making a diagnosis.
Behavioural symptoms of arthritis in dogs can include slowing down when exercising, not being able to go as far or perform to the same intensity, a reluctance to exercise and less energy, and more obvious signs of lameness directly after exercise.
These changes are all related to discomfort and pain – no one wants to walk on a sore leg, and your dog is no different. Unfortunately, as we have already discussed, reduced exercise can result in muscle wastage, obesity, and further arthritis.
Examples include struggling to stand up or sit down, sitting in strange positions, preferring to sit on certain surfaces (often softer surfaces), and difficulties going up or down stairs and jumping including in or out of the car. Again, these are because of the pain arthritis causes, as well as the related muscle weakness.
This can include dogs starting to have accidents round the house if they can’t stand or walk to the garden in time to toilet.
You may see this as wanting to play and exercise less, less bounce or excitement, being quieter, hiding more or wanting to be left alone, nervousness and anxiety, and unfortunately even aggression.
Aggression can be noticed if you touch your dog’s joints or pick them up the wrong way and accidentally hurt them. It can be traumatic when a once lovely dog snaps at you, but consider if there is an underlying cause such as arthritis.
Although all of these signs are classic symptoms of pain, they can be caused by other diseases or issues as well.
Diagnosing arthritis in dogs can often be done based on their history and on examination. Occasionally the diagnosis is not clear, or they may want to check for other problems. In this case they will generally recommend that x-rays are carried out. Other specialist tests, such as sampling the joint fluid, putting a camera inside the joint, CT and MRI can also give a lot of information.
These vary from pain relief tablets or liquid, prescription diets, joint supplements, laser therapy, cutting-edge monoclonal antibody injections, injections of stem cells into the joints and even surgery5.
On top of this, you may need to alter your dog’s exercise routine, reduce their weight, consider physiotherapy or hydrotherapy, and keep an arthritis diary. In many cases dogs will still decline and may need to eventually be put to sleep. But remember, the earlier arthritis is identified, and intervention started, the better the long-term outcome. So, if you are suspicious your dog is getting a little grumpy, stiff or slow, please speak to your vet to keep them walking well for years to come.
