Current modalities of physical therapy for the treatment of canine osteoarthritis

Boston, a 12-year-old castrated male Labrador Retriever, has a four year history of osteoarthritis. He is bilaterally affected in both his stifles and hips. Clinically, he has marked hind limb muscle atrophy, decreased range of motion of both his hip and stifle joints, and walks with a stiff gait. At home, he is reluctant to climb up or down stairs and rests most of the day. When first diagnosed, he was treated with Tepoxalin (Zubrin), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with dual LOX/COX inhibition, however he still showed signs of lameness, even at the higher doses. He was switched to Feracoxib (Deramaxx), another NSAID, which worked very well to resolve his lameness and pain, however after several months of treatment he developed gastrointestinal side effects and the medication had to be recently discontinued. His osteoarthritis is currently being treated with a joint friendly diet (Hill's j/d) and Glucosamine/chondroitin (Cosequin) supplementation. Boston is an example of the typical dog affected by osteoarthritis. Also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD), osteoarthritis is a progressive degenerative condition of joints. It is estimated that about 20% of the dog population is affected. This disease causes cartilage destruction, subchondral bone resportion, synovitis, and periarticular osteophyte formation. Clinically, signs include limited activity, muscle atrophy, stiffness, lameness and decreased range of motion. These dogs are painful, and often have a decreased quality of life. This is a very debilitating disease that requires an aggressive treatment plan