Osteoarthritis and DJD: helping your ageing pet stay comfortable

The phrase I push back on most is 'he's just slowing down with age'. Ageing is not painful; arthritis is. Degenerative joint disease (DJD) affects the majority of dogs over eight and — vastly under-diagnosed — most cats over ten. When owners say their pet seems younger on treatment, what they are seeing is pain relieved that they hadn't known was there.

Dogs show it as stiffness after rest, reluctance on stairs or jumping into the car, lagging on walks, licking at joints, and sometimes grumpiness when handled. Cats are subtler: not jumping to the windowsill any more, matted fur where they can no longer twist to groom, missing the litter box because stepping over the rim hurts, and sleeping more. 'Doing less' in an older cat is a pain signal until proven otherwise.

Diagnosis is examination plus radiographs, and an honest conversation about goals: we cannot reverse DJD, but we can usually make a pet substantially more comfortable, and comfort is the goal that matters.

Effective management is multimodal — no single tool carries the load. Weight loss first: for an overweight arthritic pet, losing the excess is more powerful than any single drug. Then structured, regular, low-impact exercise to maintain muscle (little and often beats weekend marathons), joint supplements as a foundation, and prescription pain relief when needed — modern options, including monthly injectable therapies for both dogs and cats, have transformed what we can offer.

Modify the home: rugs or runners over slippery floors, ramps to the sofa or car, raised food bowls, litter boxes with low entry, and warm padded beds. These are not indulgences — they reduce the daily pain burden measurably.

Reassess regularly. Arthritis is progressive, and what was enough a year ago may not be enough now. The Quality of Life tools on this site help you track changes objectively and know when it is time to adjust the plan.