Our pets are part of our family. For many of us our special furry friend/friends are like one of our children. And one thing is for sure we all want the best for our pets. Nevertheless, while our pets do communicate with us it is sometimes easy to overlook or misinterpret conditions that gradually make their way into our pet’s lives. One of these conditions is osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease.

Arthritis is a general term referring to inflammation of the joint. The most common form of arthritis in pets is osteoarthritis, which is also known as degenerative joint disease. This common condition is most often found in large animals but can affect animals of all sizes. It is characterized as loss of cartilage (the shock absorbing gel like material between the joints) and joint degeneration leading to pain and lack of mobility.

Pet’s Osteoarthritis is the most common form of a joint disease found in our pets.

However, it is not just related to the “age “of your animal. It is a degenerative joint disease that usually is associated with the wearing out of the cartilage.

Over a given period of time, the smooth cartilage that overlays the end of the joint starts eroding, but there can be other factors that will contribute to pets osteoarthritis

Trauma to the joints, lack of exercise, overweight or obesity, and than the other extreme, such as repetitive strenuous regimes on the pet can also lead to this ailment.