Veterinary Medicine Essentials: Osteoarthritis

"He's just getting older." "She's not as spry as she used to be." You know not to let these comments slide in the exam room. "Osteoarthritis" is almost synonymous with "older pet," but you now have so many interventions to address it and help pets live pain-free. Here's some of our best on this debilitating disease. And, surprise, you'll find out it's not a disease of old age only. It's been hanging around awhile!

Updates on osteoarthritis

Are worries about long-term use of robenacoxib in arthritic cats warranted?

Sep 26, 2016

Study shows that longer use may be OK, even in cats with kidney disease, but more research is needed. ...

Exploring the new frontier in pain management

May 26, 2016

New options to spur on our continuing mission-to ease the pain of our veterinary patients. ...

How Patches got her pizzazz back

Feb 23, 2016

Take a multimodal approach to arthritis and get cats back to their fine feline ways. ...

Should your veterinary practice become laser-focused?

Feb 18, 2016

From cats chasing laser pointers to easing the pain of osteoarthritis, no one can deny that lasers are becoming widely accepted. If you are considering adding this modality to your treatment offerings, we're shining a spotlight on this cutting edge remedy with the help of Jennifer Wardlaw, DVM, MS, DACVS-SA. ...

Identifying pain: Hints from the obscure (cats) to the sad (dogs)

Feb 11, 2016

An attempt to decipher the enigma that is pain in pets. ...

Monoclonal antibodies on the horizon in veterinary medicine

Jan 06, 2015

Canine osteoarthritis treatment undergoing field trials; lymphoma therapy granted USDA approval. ...

Diagnosing osteoarthritis

Top 3 myths about osteoarthritis

Confess: Do you think of osteoarthritis as an "old dog disease?" ...

Osteoarthritis in cats: Degenerative joint disease vs. osteoarthritis

Although the terms degenerative joint disease and osteoarthritis are commonly used interchangeably in the veterinary arena, a distinction has been made between the two. ...

Osteoarthritis in cats: What we now know about recognition and treatment

It appears to be more common than previously thought and could be a major cause of discomfort in senior cats. ...

Canine Osteoarthritis: Understanding the etiology, clinical presentation, and diagnosis

Osteoarthritis is the most common rheumatic disease encountered in small animal practice. No longer is osteoarthritis regarded as a simple consequence of aging and cartilage degeneration, but rather, the pathologic changes of osteoarthritis may result from active biochemical and biomechanical processes partly due to disturbances of the homeostatic mechanisms of anabolic and catabolic pathways. As to the cause of osteoarthritis, there is no one etiology and its cause may be multifactorial. While there are many initiating causes, osteoarthritis is an irreversible process that often results in an end-stage clinical syndrome of the joint. ...

Bad hips and knees: Is it hip dysplasia or a torn cruciate ligament?

It can be difficult to differentiate between these two orthopedic problems. Luckily, the sit test, among other diagnostic evaluations, can help. ...

Treating osteoarthritis

Which joint health supplements do you suggest using in dogs? In cats?

Omegas should be your alpha when it comes to selecting supplements, says this pain management expert. ...

Nutritional interventions for osteoarthritis management

A look at nonpharmaceutical options to help your veterinary patients suffering from this debilitating disease. ...

Video: Controlling OA pain in dogs

Dr. Gregory Grauer weighs in on whether NSAIDs can be used in dogs with liver or kidney disease. ...

Treating osteoarthritis in geriatric dogs

A Q&A with Dr. Ronald McLaughlin, a specialist in orthopedics, gait analysis and biomechanics. ...

Surgery STAT: Intra-articular therapies for the elbow in dogs

Check out these three options for optimal joint care and comfort. ...

The role of fatty acids in the management of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a chronic and potentially debilitating disease involving the disruption of metabolic homeostasis within the articular chondrocyte. Specifically, osteoarthritis involves an increased ratio of cartilage-degrading enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases, or MMPs) to their normal inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). It is the imbalance of TIMPs and MMPs that contributes to the pathologic breakdown of cartilage. Dietary fatty acids can help to correct this imbalance by modulating the production of inflammatory mediators. ...

Veterinarians find therapy rich in possibilities

Platelet-rich plasma therapy is being increasingly used in veterinary medicine for canine orthopedic and sports medicine applications, but numerous questions remain regarding this promising treatment. ...

Associated conditions

Let's get awkward: “Your pet is fat”

Pet owners are often oblivious to pets' unhealthy weight. So cut the “Your dog is so fat” jokes and learn how to navigate this emotional client landmine. ...

Hot Literature: Shedding weight helps shed the pain of osteoarthritis in dogs

Studies in obese people demonstrating a significant link between obesity and the development of certain forms of osteoarthritis have resulted in a popular area of research for the veterinary scientific community. ...

Obesity and osteoarthritis: Is there a link in cats?

As in dogs, obesity may contribute to osteoarthritis or the clinical manifestations of osteoarthritis in cats. ...

Client education

Identifying pain: The enigmatic ways pets show-and hide-pain

Rehabilitation and pain management specialist Dr. Janice Huntingford says pets will clue us in on how they feel if we know what to look for. ...

Client handout: Osteoarthritis in your senior cat: Do you know the signs?

Download an informational client handout to help pet owners identify signs of osteoarthritis in their senior cat. ...

Adjusting to arthritis

Clients can easily track their pet's condition and quality of life with this form. ...

Client handout: Arthritis and your dog

Use this handout to help clients understand arthritis. ...

Manage pets' pain

Your team can help heal the hurt pets feel with a pain management program that supports pet owners. ...

Arming your team

Quick quiz: How much do you know about osteoarthritis?

Handling osteoarthritis: What's your role?

Each team member has a job to help handle cases of osteoarthritis in your veterinary practice. ...

Osteoarthritis: Tools to educate pet owners

Use these tools to educate pet owners about how to offer the best care for pets with osteoarthritis. ...

Take the "ouch" out of osteoarthritis

Give veterinary clients the tools to improve their arthritic pets' quality of life. ...

The pain prevention toolkit

This toolkit delivers articles, tips, handouts, videos and tools all designed to make it as easy as possible to discuss pain prevention in pets with your team and clients. (With an educational grant provided by Zoetis) ...

Team handout: 7 steps to make your veterinary practice comfortable for pets in pain

Use these tips and ideas from the Windsor Veterinary Clinic in Windsor, Colo., to ease the pain and strain of a veterinary visit for pets. ...