Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in dogs, affecting approximately a quarter of the population.

It is a chronic joint disease characterized by loss of joint cartilage, thickening of the joint capsule and new bone formation around the joint (osteophytosis) and ultimately leading to pain and limb dysfunction.

Majority of OA in dog occur secondarily to developmental orthopedic disease, such as cranial cruciate ligament disease, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, OCD, patella(knee cap) dislocation. In a small subset of dogs, OA occurs with no obvious primary causes and can be related to genetic and age. Other contributing factors to OA include bodyweight, obesity, gender, exercise, and diet.