Osteoarthritis affects a large proportion of senior dogs, with multimodal pain management now offering significantly improved quality of life for affected animals throughout their later years.
Arthritis causes chronic daily pain that profoundly affects quality of life in senior dogs. Many owners attribute behavioral changes - reluctance to exercise, grumpiness, reduced play - to normal aging when in fact they reflect untreated pain. The gradual onset of arthritis means suffering can go unrecognized for years. Modern multimodal pain management significantly improves quality of life, and treated dogs often show remarkable behavioral improvements that demonstrate how much chronic pain was affecting them. Every day a dog with arthritis lives without adequate pain management is a welfare failure that is entirely preventable with veterinary care.