Osteoarthritis affects the majority of older dogs, with multimodal pain management combining multiple treatment approaches providing substantially better welfare outcomes than single-drug therapy.
Arthritis pain management is one of the highest-impact areas of companion animal welfare given the very high prevalence in older dogs and the substantial quality-of-life improvements achievable with appropriate treatment. Single-agent NSAID therapy alone provides incomplete pain control for many arthritic dogs, leaving significant pain unaddressed. Multimodal approaches that combine pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions provide better coverage of the multiple pain pathways involved in chronic arthritis. New biologic therapies add further options for dogs with inadequate response to conventional management.