Just like Humans, Dogs and Cats both endure pain, yet without a means for direct communication, we rely on behavioral cues to infer their discomfort.

How Common is Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is the most common source of pain in our dogs and cats.

Canine osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia are prevalent sources of chronic pain in dogs, with arthritis affecting approximately 20% of all dogs over the age of 1, with the number skyrocketing up to 80% of all dogs over the age of 8, although most experts believe these figure to be underestimated.

When looking at hip dysplasia, the statistics from the OFA show the percentage is 14.1%. This is also likely much lower than the true percentage, given that most dogs tested being submitted to OFA are breeding prospects and also intact.

The risk of developing hip dysplasia is higher in dogs spayed or neutered early, which is the majority of dogs being adopted from shelters and rescues as many don't even provide the option of spaying or neutering at an appropriate age for the individual dog.

Percent of Purebreed Dogs with Abnormal Hips

Breed	Percent with Abnormal Hips
Labrador Retriever	11.6%
French Bulldog	32.7%
Golden Retriever	19.6%
German Shepherd Dog	20.6%
Poodles	11.9%
Bulldogs	70.3%
Beagles	19.4%
Rottweilers	21.2%
German Short-Haired Pointer	3.9%
Dachshunds	5.2%
Pembroke Welsh Corgi	20.9%
American Pitt Bull Terrier	23%
American Staffordshire Terrier	26.4%
American Bully	43%
Staffordshire bull terrier	15.4%

Based on how common both hip dysplasia and arthritis are in our dogs and their ability to mask symptoms, it is essential for pet owners to be attentive to subtle changes in their pet's behavior that may indicate pain.

Tools to Track Chronic Pain

Luckily, there are a couple of validated tools that can be used to measure and track chronic pain in dogs. Some of them are extremely easy to use and can be an excellent resource for both owners and veterinarians.

Ideally, you would fill them out occasionally and compare them, so you can more readily notice subtle changes in behavior. After all, Arthritis and Hip Dysplasia can develop and worsen slowly, making the changes in behavior less discernable and easier to miss.

They can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of any treatment or supplements your dog is receiving. At K9Bioactives, we are the only company that provides you with these tools because we want you to actually measure the effectiveness of our supplement.

The Helsinki Chronic Pain Index- Chronic

These are all vastly superior to the completely inaccurate 1-10 scales, and are less subject to the caregiver placebo effect. Unfortunately, like other professions, many Veterinarians are slow to adopt newer tools. Many are still using the completely outdated, inaccurate, and subjective Visual and Numerical scoring scales. Many are likely unaware of these newer diagnostic tools. This means it’s essential to discuss them with your veterinarian.