Degenerative joint disease, or osteoarthritis, is a progressive deterioration of articular cartilage that is common in the major joints of locomotion. It is characterized by hyaline cartilage thinning, joint effusion, and periarticular osteophyte formation. It is often seen in older dogs and is secondary to minor flaws in conformation. Other causes include trauma, infection, immune-mediated diseases, and severe developmental malformations.
Clinical signs include lameness, joint swelling, muscle atrophy, pericapsular fibrosis, and crepitation. Diagnosis requires radiographs, which may demonstrate joint effusion, periarticular soft-tissue swelling, osteophytosis, subchondral bone sclerosis, and possibly a narrowed joint space. Synovial fluid samples usually reveal mild inflammation compared to other joint disorders. The fluid can appear completely normal or have minor changes in color, turbidity, or nucleated cell counts.
Depending on severity, treatments may be medical and/or surgical. Nonsurgical therapies include weight reduction, controlled exercise, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications and other medications for pain. There is limited evidence regarding use of nutritional supplements, and current literature should be evaluated for options with demonstrated efficacy.
See
Degenerative Arthritis in Small Animals,
The Lameness Examination in Small Animals,
Pain Management in Small Animals with Lameness, and
Cytology in The Veterinary Manuals.
References
Hillström A, Bylin J, Hagman R, et al. Measurement of serum C-reactive protein concentration for discriminating between suppurative arthritis and osteoarthritis in dogs. BMC Vet Res. 2016 Oct 28;12(1):240. doi: 10.1186/s12917-016-0868-4.
Mehler SJ, May LR, King C, et al. A prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid on the clinical signs and erythrocyte membrane polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in dogs with osteoarthritis. Protaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2016 Jun;109:1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2016.03.015.
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