We understand that arthritis is a painful uncurable condition that affects over 1 in 35 dogs and approximately 80% of dogs over 8 years old have arthritis. Yet surprisingly, it is a young dog’s disease (but it mostly gets diagnosed later in a dog’s life). For most dog owners how to spot when their dog is in pain is difficult, and most owners of older dogs believe that their dog is ‘just slowing down’ and miss the all-important signs to allow their dogs to live longer, live relatively pain free and have an improved quality of life.
Arthritis doesn’t just torture the affected joints – it plays havoc with the muscles and joints that over work as a result. Arthritis is the leading cause of voluntary euthanasia in the UK. Learn how to identify the early signs of arthritis and change the life of your dog/s.
The signs your dog is suffering with arthritis
It is so important to get a correct diagnosis from your veterinarian professional and an early one too. You will then know the cause of your dog’s pain how to move forward with a sound approach, using multimodal management.
Some early signs to look out for include: - a change in behaviour–for example a usually calm dog becomes antsy and aggressive, they may struggle with anxiety, become sound sensitive and bark often at things they don’t normally bark at for example a car door slamming, thunderstorms, and fireworks. They may dislike being fussed or stroked especially in certain areas. They may appear stiff when they wake up, and struggle to get up from sitting. You may notice your dog not jumping onto the settee or wanting to climb the stairs as they did previously. You notice a posture change, tail may be tucked under, back may be hunched/arched, head held low. They may or may not have a limp. When walking you might hear a claw scuff. They may stop on a walk and or refuse to go any further, they pant and tire quickly. They can over balance when toileting, or squat when they usually cock their leg – or may cock the opposite leg to compensate for the pain and weakness. Your dog may go off his food, be more restless and not settle particularly at night – they become sleep deprived. You may notice weight loss as in muscle loss too.
These images designed by CAM (Canine Arthritis Management) summarises early identification of pain nicely: -
Why the preference of shorter walks?
If we think of ourselves for just a moment – how do, we feel when we perhaps take a few flights of stairs because the lift that we usually take is out of order? Most of us will feel breathless, stiff, our legs feel heavy, and we feel narked off. Now, couple that with arthritis and now how do we feel? Our symptoms, our pain, our emotions worsen – yes? Let us think of our arthritic dog - a ten-minute walk and they’re happy and content – they can cope with this – a thirty minute plus walk and woah the pain ensues and they’re miserable. As dog owners we need to be able to read their body language and listen to the subtle signals they are given us. Dogs are extremely stoic and clever at hiding pain and discomfort. They do not want to show weakness and only want to please us.
When an arthritic dog does too much their joints become swollen and more painful, and their compensatory muscles become overworked and tight – thus causing secondary pain. One long walk doesn’t allow for adequate rest, it puts further stress on their joints and exacerbates the progression of arthritis. Short, steady, multiple walks daily (for example 3 x 15 minutes) can help to strengthen muscles, keep ligaments and tendons flexible, circulate blood to lessen stiff joints, reduce boredom, help with weight management, and allow for sufficient quality of restfulness.
We also need to consider along with the distance and duration of the walk - the terrain and the gradient. Rough and hilly ground can put added strain on our dog’s arthritic joints and unstable gait.
Keep to a routine as much as possible, even at weekends and your days off.
The weather also plays its part and can cause a flare up of arthritis. Cold, damp weather and your dog needs to be kept warm and dry (wearing a decent waterproof coat is a must). In the warmer months – walking your dog at cooler times of the day is important (arthritic dogs tire more easily and the heat definitely doesn’t help). If you need to drive to walk your dog, please consider using a ramp.
Arthritis is a progressive condition so the best treatment for our dog is firstly pain relief, then weight loss (keeping them as lean as possible), good nutrition, non slippy flooring, specific exercise (perhaps hydrotherapy), massage, enrichment (perhaps scent work), and to keep them moving – short regular walks not one-off walks of long duration. Please get rid of the ball chucker too! Running with sudden stopping and quick turns is lethal for arthritic dogs.
We need to be mindful when we put our dogs on appropriate pain relief – that this can mask their condition (we know that there is no cure for arthritis). Our dog can suddenly run around like a little puppy once again. It is wonderful seeing them like this, however we must use our heads and not allow them to do too much, arthritis waxes and wanes – good days and bad days.
Here is a great resource from Canine Arthritis Management on how to appropriately exercise your arthritic dog
Long walks or high impact exercise can intensify arthritic joints. They can also damage ligaments that are strained due to lack of support and muscles that are weak and compromised.
For this reason, it is common for your vet to recommend little and often exercise, but what does that mean? This booklet aims to help you figure out what little and often means for you and your dog.
(Capon, 2022)
(Webb, 2020)
(Gemma, n.d.)
(Simms, 2013)