With 20% or 1 in 5 dogs suffering from arthritis, your dog could be suffering without you being aware. Or maybe you consider it a natural sign of old age. Dogs don’t tell us how they are feeling, as much as we wish they did, so you need to be alert to the signs of arthritis. Mostly, arthritis develops slowly over time and we might not notice the gradual and subtle changes in behaviour and movements.

Lameness and limping are the classic signs of arthritis but the below practical questions might help you with picking up on the signs. How would your dog feel about the following statements?