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You know your dog best, and recognising the signs of arthritis is a vital step in maintaining their quality of life. Often, the signs you notice are linked to the pain your dog is experiencing and their response to it. However, it’s easy to mistake these signs for general ageing, which can delay an early diagnosis - crucial for keeping your dog happy, healthy, and pain-free. Watch our animated videos below to explore the signs of arthritis in more detail, helping you understand what to look out for.
No longer seeing their excitement on walkies?
As arthritis causes the internal structures of their joints to wear away, every step can become painful for your dog, so they start to take things a bit slower on walks, trying to reduce the joint pain they're feeling, which might mean they struggle to keep up.
Worried about how stiff they seem?
Arthritis causes the internal structures that cushion the joints to wear away. This leads to stiffness, which restricts smooth movement and can be painful. Your dog may avoid certain movements in anticipation of this pain, making them appear even stiffer.
Missing out on regular sofa cuddles or started having to heave them into the car?
Joint pain and stiffness make jumping increasingly difficult. Arthritis reduces shock absorption, making the impact of landing more painful for your dog. Because your dog anticipates this pain, they begin to hesitate when jumping, leaving you to do more lifting.
Noticed them limping after exercise?
Your dog's joints may be inflamed and painful due to arthritis and this can be aggravated by exercise, and in advanced cases of arthritis, there is decreased muscle mass to stabilise joints. But advanced or not, this can result in your dog struggling to put weight on their leg, causing distress for both them and you.
Are they looking a bit slow when getting up after lying down for a while?
As arthritis causes the fluids in their joints to become less viscous, your dog will start to feel stiff and sore. This happens especially after resting for a long time making it difficult and painful for them to rise. So they slow right down to try to reduce that pain.
Are they not so keen to chase you upstairs anymore?
Climbing stairs puts additional stress on their joints and when those joints are affected by arthritis, that extra stress can be painful, causing your dog to hesitate or be reluctant when faced with stairs. It's not that they don't want to go upstairs with you, they just want to avoid the pain they will experience by doing so.
Are you missing out on playtime together?
As arthritis causes their joints to hurt, it becomes harder, less comfortable and even painful for your dog to move around, and they can become scared of that pain so they withdraw from activities like playing, denying you and your dog those fun moments together.
Do they seem sensitive when you try to stroke them?
Arthritis can cause your dog's joints to become very sensitive, and over time they can become more sensitive everywhere in their body, which could cause them pain when touched. So they start to whine or flinch when you go to pick them up or stroke them, preventing you from being close to them.
Are they always picking different spots to rest in or struggling to get comfortable?
Arthritis pain can make it really hard for your dog to get comfortable. So they look around, trying to find somewhere to lie down that will reduce that pressure on their joints. Although it might seem like they're just looking for new places to rest, this is actually a sign they're in pain.
Have they been acting irritably or aggressively towards you?
Pain from arthritis can cause them to become defensive against things that might hurt, like being handled. They don't want to be aggressive, they're just scared of the pain, causing them to act defensively even against the person they love most.
Have they changed the way they groom themselves?
Joint pain from arthritis stops your dog from being able to physically reach certain areas of the body, or they might start excessively licking certain painful joints. As a result, you may see or feel a change in their once soft and snuggly fur.
Are they avoiding other dogs, people or even you?
Constant arthritis pain makes your dog less active and able, and leaves them feeling less like themselves. So they stop enjoying previously rewarding activities and being social, and start wanting more alone time, denying you both of your companionship.
Dogs with arthritis can have good days and bad days, much like their human counterparts, and with any chronic condition there may be days where your dog experiences a flare up (sudden re-appearance of their symptoms) and these need to be managed to keep your dog as comfortable as possible.
Arthritis is a progressive and painful joint condition that's estimated to affect 2 out of every 5 dogs. It causes inflammation, pain, stiffness and other uncomfortable symptoms that can negatively impact your dog's quality of life. But why is it important to recognise arthritis early, and what are the signs to watch out for?
