Osteoarthritis Pain & Management In Dogs And Cats:

Everyone knows someone who has arthritis pain. Joints that are stiff in the morning and sore after exercise. And if we think about it, most of us probably also know some dogs or cats who slowed down as the years passed. What many people don't know is what to do about it.

The first step in treating arthritis (or osteoarthritis, if you're feeling technical), is knowing that your pet has it.

Dogs tend to show it more than cats. Often they'll be slow to rise in the morning or after a nap, walk stiffly, hesitate when jumping, or even limp after exercise.

Cats usually have more subtle signs like not grooming their fur and having a greasy hair coat, hesitating when jumping, having trouble doing the stairs, and generally "slowing down". It is actually very uncommon for cats to limp due to arthritis pain.

In the clinic, we can evaluate the joints both with our physical exam and with x-rays. Once the diagnosis is made, we have different options for dogs or cats. 

For dogs, we have numerous options at our disposal. We can start them on NSAIDs like carprofen or Galliprant, nerve pain relievers like gabapentin, or joint supplements. There is even a NGF inhibitor called Librela that is given once per month at the clinic that helps.

Cats have fewer options available than dogs due to their sensitivity to NSAIDs. While these drugs can be used short term in cats, we can't use them long term without risking harm to their kidneys. In cats, we usually recommend gabapentin, joint supplements, or the NGF inhibitor called Solensia. That's right! Cats can have an NGF inhibitor too! Dr. Stanley can speak from personal experience on how Solensia has helped her senior cat, Iss.

Let us help your "creature" be more comfortable in their senior years by treating their arthritis pain.