Taking life at a gentler pace?
Look at your dog’s body condition, meals and daily activity. Strong muscles and a healthy weight help support comfortable movement throughout life.
Joint care starts before the senior years.
Healthy weight. Good food. Everyday movement.
Still keen to explore?
Help keep them moving.
A healthy body weight, complete nutrition and regular appropriate exercise all contribute to mobility. If your dog is becoming stiff or uncomfortable, speak to your vet early.
Where to start ↓Explore feeding options →
First, look at the whole picture
Ageing — or joint discomfort?
Stiffness after rest, limping or reluctance to jump can signal discomfort. Avoid assuming your dog is simply getting old.
See when to contact your vet ↓Three foundations of mobility
Keep them lean
Extra weight means extra load through the joints. Review portions, treats and body condition as your dog’s activity changes.
Keep them moving
Regular, appropriate activity helps maintain muscle and mobility. Match exercise to your dog’s age, fitness and health.
Feed them well
Choose a complete diet that provides protein, vitamins and minerals appropriate for your dog’s life stage.
Explore your feeding options
A senior wet food or a complete Cold Pressed recipe: choose according to your dog’s age, needs and usual routine.
For dogs in their senior years
Senior Chicken & Brown Rice combines 55% chicken with brown rice and vegetables. The complete recipe includes salmon oil, glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate.
Explore Senior Chicken & Brown Rice →
Prefer dry feeding?
Ocean Fish & Sweet Potato contains 49% dried ground ocean fish, alongside fish oil, glucosamine, chondroitin and turmeric within a complete grain-free recipe.
Explore Ocean Fish Cold Pressed →These are everyday complete foods. Ingredients within a recipe should not be treated as a substitute for veterinary care for painful joints.
More advice, when you need it
Choose a topic, then open just the answer you need.
Understand what you’re noticingStiffness, slower walks, stairs and changes in behaviour.
Slower to get up after resting
Taking longer to stand after sleep can indicate stiffness. If this persists, speak to your vet.
Taking walks more slowly
Dropping behind, wanting shorter walks or stopping more often can be signs of a mobility problem. Record changes and discuss them with your vet.
Reluctance to jump or use stairs
Hesitating before getting into the car, onto furniture or up stairs can signal that movement has become uncomfortable.
Stiffness after exercise or a change in gait
Some dogs become noticeably stiff after a walk or once they have rested. Persistent limping or changes in the way they move deserve veterinary investigation.
Quieter, irritable or repeatedly licking a joint
Discomfort can affect behaviour. Note changes in sleep, mood, play and willingness to be touched, as well as repeated licking of a particular area.
Nutrition & choosing a foodProtein, fish oils and ingredients within the complete recipe.
Does my dog need a specialist joint food?
A healthy dog does not automatically need a specialist diet or supplement. Start with complete nutrition, a healthy weight and suitable activity. If your dog has a diagnosed joint condition, ask your vet about their nutritional needs.
Why does protein matter?
Muscles help support the skeleton and stabilise joints. A complete diet supplies protein and essential amino acids as part of your dog’s everyday nutrition.
What about fish and fish oils?
Fish provides protein, while fish oils supply fatty acids within the diet. These can be useful nutritional components, but a fish-based food is not a treatment for arthritis.
Do these recipes contain glucosamine and chondroitin?
Yes. Senior Chicken & Brown Rice contains glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate, alongside salmon oil. Ocean Fish Cold Pressed includes glucosamine, chondroitin, fish oil and turmeric.
Their inclusion does not establish that the food will treat joint disease.
Should I add a joint supplement?
Supplements may help some dogs but do not work for every dog and should not replace medication. Ask your vet whether a separate supplement would be useful and suitable.
Weight, exercise & life stagePractical habits for puppies, adults and older dogs.
How can I check my dog’s body condition?
You should generally be able to feel the ribs without pressing hard, see a waist from above and see an abdominal tuck from the side. Your vet can help assess your dog’s body condition and ideal weight.
Why does regular exercise matter?
Consistent activity helps maintain fitness and muscle. Sudden bursts of strenuous exercise can be difficult for dogs with joint problems. If your dog has arthritis, follow your vet’s advice on suitable controlled activity.
Is joint care only for senior dogs?
No. Puppies need life-stage-appropriate food and suitable exercise while developing. Adult dogs benefit from maintaining a healthy weight and muscle. Older dogs may need portions and activity adjusted as their needs change.
Should an older dog still exercise?
Older dogs generally benefit from regular activity suited to their fitness and health. Significant slowing down or stiffness needs investigation, rather than being accepted as inevitable.
Make everyday life easierHome adjustments, a mobility check and a useful diary.
What small changes can help at home?
Use rugs or runners for grip on slippery floors. Offer comfortable, accessible beds and keep food and water easy to reach. Ask your vet whether a car ramp would suit your dog, and keep nails appropriately trimmed.
A simple mobility check
Look at getting up, walking, stairs, getting into the car, play and posture. Are they moving as confidently as usual? Have sleep, mood or willingness to be touched changed?
Keep a mobility diary
Record morning stiffness, walk distance and pace, stairs, jumping, slips, behaviour and good or bad days. A short video of your dog walking can help your vet understand changes over time.
What if my dog already has arthritis?
Arthritis needs veterinary assessment and ongoing management. Your vet may recommend pain relief, weight management, controlled exercise, physiotherapy or other support. Food alone should not be used to manage joint pain.
Joint care mythsCommon assumptions about age, exercise and supplements.
“Slowing down is just part of getting old.”
Changes in activity can occur with age, but persistent stiffness or significant slowing down may indicate discomfort or an underlying condition. Discuss changes with your vet.
“Glucosamine will cure arthritis.”
Glucosamine is found in many joint-support products. It does not cure arthritis and should not replace veterinary treatment.
“My dog should stop exercising if their joints are stiff.”
Not automatically. Dogs with joint problems often benefit from regular, controlled movement. Ask your vet about the right amount and type for your dog.
“One huge walk makes up for quiet days.”
For dogs with mobility problems, consistent appropriate activity is generally preferable to sudden increases in exercise.
“Only old dogs get joint problems.”
Injuries and developmental conditions can affect younger dogs too. A change in movement deserves attention at any age.
“Joint supplements mean my dog won’t need medication.”
Supplements are not a replacement for appropriate pain relief or other veterinary treatment.
When should I contact my vet?
Speak to your vet if you notice a persistent change in mobility, including:
- Limping or stiffness after rest
- Reluctance to walk, jump or use stairs
- Swollen joints or repeated licking of a joint
- Loss of muscle or changes in posture
- Pain or reluctance to be touched
- Unusual quietness or irritability
Seek urgent veterinary advice if your dog is in severe pain or suddenly cannot put weight on a limb.
Read PDSA’s advice on arthritis →