Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of chronic pain in dogs, affecting an estimated 20% of adult dogs and up to 80% of dogs over 8 years old. Yet it remains significantly underdiagnosed and undertreated.
Canine OA represents one of the largest chronic pain burdens in companion animals, yet pain recognition and treatment are often inadequate. Dogs evolved to mask pain as prey animals under predation pressure, meaning chronic OA pain is frequently invisible to owners until severe. Studies using accelerometers show that many dogs categorised by owners as mildly affected are significantly less active than healthy controls. The welfare cost of inadequately treated OA across millions of dogs is enormous. Modern multimodal pain management can dramatically improve quality of life — dogs that were reluctant to rise or engage in play can return to near-normal activity levels with appropriate treatment. Regular pain scoring by owners using validated questionnaires enables better monitoring and earlier intervention.