Keeping Your Dog’s Joints Healthy as They Age

Protecting pets’ health as they age is paramount. Healthy animals have more energy, less pain, and enjoy a better quality of life. They can stay active and enjoy more years doing the things they love, strengthening the bond with their owner. 

There are many aspects to safeguarding your pet’s health, including protecting internal organ function, maintaining mental health, managing weight, and supporting mobility. The musculoskeletal system, including joints, is essential for overall health and pain-free mobility. Dogs with healthy joints tend to be more active and happier.  

In this guide, we’ll share how joints work, how they become unhealthy, signs of a problem, and how to help maintain your pup’s joints. 

Joints are the pivot points that allow the skeleton to move. Muscles and tendons contract and relax, pulling the bones around the joints. There is no movement without joints. Formed by bones, cartilage, fluid, ligaments, and tendons, joints are the main attraction for doggy mobility.

Painful joints or those in poor condition make movement difficult, sometimes impossible. Remember a time you or someone you know had an injury. From an ankle sprain to a broken bone, impaired movement alters your life. You move less. When you do move, it’s slower and clunkier than usual. Pain, swelling, and bruising can significantly reduce quality of life. The rest of your body changes too, losing flexibility and strength, since you can’t exercise like you used to. 

All these factors may cause mental health problems. It’s easy to be discouraged and even depressed with chronic mobility and pain issues. It’s the same for dogs. Joint health in dogs is important for overall health and wellness.

It’s generally easy to spot joint problems in dogs as long as you’re paying attention to your dog daily, including regular petting, watching them move, checking their coat, skin, and body, and evaluating their behavior.

Joint problems in dogs may happen due to inherited problems and growth disorders, or from trauma, surgery, nutritional deficiencies, and other illnesses that cause direct or collateral joint damage.

Chronic joint problems in dogs lead to arthritis. The inflammation, swelling, and pain that characterize arthritis can affect one or many joints.

Signs your dog may be having a joint problem include:

• Appearing to be sad or withdrawn
• Moving more slowly
• Non-weight-bearing lameness in one limb
• Reluctance to play or go on walks
• Repeated licking of the skin around the affected joint or foot of the affected limb
• Stiffness after walks
• Stumbling 
• Trouble jumping into the car, onto the couch/bed

Other signs of dog joint problems include:

• Atrophy of the muscles of the affected limb
• Abnormal appearance of the joint/limb
• Cracking sounds and pain when the joint is manipulated
• Joint swelling

Several breed-associated conditions lead to joint problems in dogs. The symptoms usually develop in younger dogs, but may also occur later in life. These conditions include elbow or hip dysplasia, octoechondritis dissecans, limb deformities, luxating patella, and others. 

Traffic accidents, ligament rupture, patellar luxation, and orthopedic surgeries lead to joint pain and inflammation. Surgical correction of joint problems reduces but does not eliminate joint damage, pain, or inflammation.

Joint degeneration may be part of aging for some dogs. In other dogs, diseases may develop that affect the joints, including infections, autoimmune disorders, cancer, and others.

Diagnosis of joint problems in dogs includes owner observations of their pet’s physical, mental, and behavioral changes, radiographs, joint fluid analysis, and tests for other diseases.

Maintaining a healthy weight helps prevent and treat joint problems. Adipose tissue secretes inflammatory factors and physically stresses joints, exacerbating arthritis. 

Regular exercise that emphasizes low-impact movement and muscle building protects joints and reduces arthritis. 

Using ramps for stairs and getting in and out of the car or onto furniture helps protect joints. Installing rugs with rug grips prevents slipping. Having soft, thick bedding keeps dogs with arthritis comfortable while resting. 

A veterinarian-approved diet helps protect joints. Fatty acid dietary supplements have been shown to improve mobility and reduce the need for anti-inflammatory medications in some dogs. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate contain ingredients that may help treat arthritis.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications are commonly prescribed for pain management in dogs with arthritis. They can be withdrawn after initial use in some dogs, but may be used long-term in dogs with severe symptoms. 

In some cases, your veterinarian may discuss alternative medications for pain management, including anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibodies, gabapentin, tramadol, and other options.

Other possible treatments include intra-articular administration of mesenchymal stem cells, other biologics, radiation, and steroids. Additionally, laser therapy, electromagnetic field therapy, and acupuncture may be beneficial.

Surgery to reduce pain and address severe joint problems in dogs includes joint fusion, replacement, or excision.

Talk to your veterinarian about which therapies are best for your dog’s joint problem.

The best medicine is prevention, so talk with your veterinarian about the best plan for protecting and enhancing your dog’s overall health, including joint health. Select a reputable breeder with a proven track record of producing healthy dogs. Consider adopting pets from animal shelters or rescue organizations. Mixed-breed dogs may have a lower risk of genetic problems. 

Consider dietary supplements to support joint health throughout your dog’s life. Vetericyn’s All-In dog supplement offers formulas tailored to all stages of your dog’s growth and development. 

Daily observation of your pup’s physical and mental health, along with regular veterinary check-ups, will identify problems earlier, when they’re usually easier to treat. 

Proactive care, a balanced diet, supplements, regular exercise, and veterinary support help keep dogs’ joints running like a well-oiled machine. 

Vetericyn is your partner in keeping your dog’s joints healthy and moving smoothly. Our All-In Dog Supplements support your dog's joint health throughout all life stages. Explore our other pet wellness lines to learn about the many ways we help you optimize your pet’s healthy life.