What is canine osteoarthritis?
Canine osteoarthritis is a common cause of joint failure with stiffness, loss of mobility and varying degrees of inflammation and pain. It is commonly caused by joint instability due to slack/lax ligaments; it can also result from strains, direct or indirect injury and from faulty bone and cartilage development. Less efficient repair process in the older animal makes age a contributing factor, and the condition may be exacerbated by obesity and/or overexertion. Once joint cells are stressed or damaged, enzymes are released which fray and ulcerate joint cartilage and which attack the lubricants of the joint fluid. As a result of the damage, the joint lining and capsule becomes inflamed and the bone underlying the cartilage less resilient. It is only when these sensitive tissues (both capsule and bone) are affected, often after significant articular cartilage damage, that we can see the clinical signs of pain, swelling and stiffness.
