Medical Management of Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is among the most prevalent chronic musculoskeletal diseases affecting companion animals and is a major contributor to pain, impaired mobility, reduced athletic performance, and diminished quality of life. Current understanding acknowledges OA as a complex whole-joint disease involving cartilage degeneration, synovitis, subchondral bone remodeling, periarticular fibrosis, altered neuromuscular function, and compensatory changes in whole-body biomechanics. Medical management of OA therefore has evolved into individualized multimodal care plans that address pain, inflammation, biomechanical dysfunction, body condition, and patient lifestyle requirements. This review summarizes current strategies for medical management of OA in dogs and cats for the small animal practitioner.