Degenerative joint disease, better known as osteoarthritis (OA), is a slowly progressive disease of the whole synovial joint: cartilage breaks down, the synovium becomes inflamed, subchondral bone remodels and new bone forms at the joint margins. In dogs it usually starts early in life because of an inherited or developmental joint problem, even though owners often do not notice signs until the dog is middle-aged or older. It is one of the commonest causes of chronic pain in dogs, and most of its management is about weight, exercise and well-chosen analgesia.
Key facts
Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) at a glance- Species and system: dogs (cats also get OA, with a different background); musculoskeletal, synovial joints.
- Cause: mostly secondary, especially to developmental disease (hip and elbow dysplasia, osteochondrosis, patellar luxation) and to cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) disease; also trauma, infection and immune-mediated arthritis.
- How common: Merck states that up to 40% of dogs aged 8 months to 4 years have OA; in UK primary-care records about 2.5% of dogs carry a diagnosis in any one year.
- Classic presentation: a large, often overweight, older dog that is slow to rise after rest, reluctant on stairs and jumps, with muscle loss, joint thickening, crepitus and pain or reduced range of motion on manipulation.
- Key management point: getting and keeping the dog lean is the foundation; pain control (NSAID, piprant or anti-NGF antibody) is added by stage.
- Zoonotic/reportable: no.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.