Arthritis Services for Pets

Arthritis can affect your pet's range of motion, creating inflammation and chronic pain. Though risk factors like obesity and genetics can predispose pets to the disease, our veterinary team can create a treatment plan to support your pet's wellbeing. Our goal is to ensure arthritis doesn't negatively impact their quality of life.

Is arthritis the cause of my pet's pain?

Pets with arthritis tend to get tired more easily, even after short increments of physical activity. Your once active pet could start opting for midday naps rather than walks in the park. The following are signs your pet could have arthritis, which our team can help you confirm during a visit:

• Limping
• Sore or swollen muscles
• Snapping, biting or whining
• Abnormal posture
• Decreased mobility

How is the disease diagnosed?

Based on your pet's symptoms, our veterinary team will use a physical exam and diagnostic tools to determine if they have arthritis. We often use digital X-rays, which have limited exposure to radiation, to examine your pet's bones and soft tissues. After our assessment, we can provide you with treatment options that best suit the severity of their arthritis. To learn more about our diagnosing process, please contact us at 416-245-8805.

How can I cure my pet's arthritis?

Arthritis is an incurable disease, which means once your pet is diagnosed, our team can only support with pain management. However, there are a range of effective treatments that we can recommend to ensure the disease isn't detrimental to your pet's quality of life. Treatment could be a combination of exercise, medications, dietary modifications and therapies. Exercise can soothe achy joints by strengthening the surrounding muscles and tendons. It can also stimulate weight loss, which can get rid of the added pressure from the extra pounds create on your pet's joints. Medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), special diets or supplements like fatty acids can decrease inflammation.