Arthritis has a habit of making itself look deceptively simple.
A dog starts taking a little longer to stand up.
A cat stops visiting the top of the cat tree.
Walks get shorter. Stairs become less appealing. The sofa suddenly looks higher than it used to.
It is tempting to put all of that under one heading:
They’re getting older.
Sometimes age is part of the story.
But changes in movement can also be a sign that something deserves a closer look.
And when arthritis is involved, the answer is rarely one product, one medication or one quick fix.
This article is general educational information and is not veterinary advice. New or worsening changes in movement, behaviour or comfort should be discussed with a veterinarian. Tvati Pet is not presented in this article as a treatment for osteoarthritis, pain, inflammation or any other disease.
First, what actually is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis, often shortened to OA, is a chronic degenerative joint condition.
Over time, changes within a joint can affect cartilage, bone and surrounding tissues, contributing to inflammation, stiffness, discomfort and changes in the way an animal moves.
It is commonly associated with older pets, but it is not exclusively an old-age problem.
In dogs, previous injuries, joint abnormalities such as hip or elbow dysplasia, cruciate ligament damage, body weight and other orthopaedic issues can all play a part.
Cats have their own challenge.
They are extraordinarily good at hiding discomfort.
Around 90% of cats over the age of 12 show some degree of arthritic change on X-ray, yet those changes may go unnoticed because the signs can be behavioural rather than dramatic. 1
Which brings us to the first problem.
Arthritis does not always look like arthritis.
We tend to imagine joint pain as a limp.
Sometimes it is.
But often, particularly with chronic discomfort, the changes are quieter.
In dogs, things worth noticing can include:
- stiffness after resting
- difficulty getting up
- reluctance to walk, run or exercise
- hesitation around stairs
- difficulty jumping into the car or onto furniture
- changes in gait
- reduced muscle mass
- changes in mood or tolerance
Cats can be even less obvious.
You might notice:
- fewer jumps onto favourite surfaces
- choosing lower sleeping places
- less play
- difficulty using stairs
- changes in grooming
- reluctance to use a high-sided litter tray
- sleeping more
- irritability when handled
- simply doing less of what they used to do
In cats particularly, changes in behaviour and everyday activity may be more obvious than limping. 2
That is why behaviour matters.
Your pet cannot point to a knee and tell you it hurts.
Sometimes the first clue is simply that life starts looking a little different.
Do not diagnose arthritis from the sofa.
This bit matters.
If your dog or cat suddenly changes the way they walk, jump, play or behave, it is worth speaking to your veterinarian rather than assuming arthritis is the cause.
A limp can be arthritis.
It can also be an injury.
A reluctance to jump can be joint discomfort.
It can also have another explanation entirely.
Veterinary assessment may involve examination, watching how your pet moves, feeling the joints and, where appropriate, diagnostic imaging.
And once you know what you are actually dealing with, the conversation becomes much more useful.
Because arthritis management is rarely about choosing between option A or option B.
The modern approach is usually multimodal.
That sounds complicated.
It really means something quite sensible:
Use different tools for different parts of the problem.
Current veterinary pain-management guidance supports a multimodal approach, combining appropriate medical and non-medical strategies rather than relying on a single intervention. 3
Depending on the animal, that wider plan might include:
- prescription pain relief
- anti-inflammatory medication
- injectable veterinary treatments
- weight management
- physical rehabilitation
- appropriate exercise
- changes around the home
- nutritional strategies
- other appropriate supportive measures
- regular reassessment with a veterinarian
The right combination will not look identical for every pet.
And that is really the point.
Weight, movement and the home matter more than people sometimes realise.
Not every useful intervention comes in a packet.
Maintaining a healthy body weight can be particularly important for animals with joint disease.
Extra weight increases the physical load placed on joints, while adipose tissue is also biologically active and can contribute to inflammatory processes. Weight optimisation is therefore an important part of chronic pain management. 4
Movement matters too.
That does not necessarily mean more exercise.
It means the right kind of movement for the individual animal.
Controlled walks, rehabilitation programmes, therapeutic exercises and other veterinary-led approaches may form part of a wider management plan.
And sometimes very simple changes at home make everyday movement easier.
Non-slip rugs on slippery floors.
A ramp into the car.
Steps up to a favourite sofa.
A lower-sided litter tray.
Food and water that are easier to reach.
A comfortable bed somewhere warm.
None of those things sound particularly revolutionary.
But good mobility care often lives in the boring little details.
What about anti-inflammatory medication?
For dogs with osteoarthritis, veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, are a well-established prescription option for controlling pain and inflammation.
There are several veterinary NSAIDs approved for canine osteoarthritis, and veterinarians may recommend monitoring when they are used over longer periods. 5
They can be extremely valuable.
They can also cause adverse effects.
As with any prescription medication, the decision is about balancing potential benefit with the individual animal’s overall health, medical history, other medicines and potential risks.
Dogs and cats are not interchangeable here.
In the United States, the FDA states that veterinary NSAIDs are approved for controlling osteoarthritis pain and inflammation in dogs, while there are currently no veterinary NSAIDs approved there for long-term control of osteoarthritis pain in cats. 2
That is another reason feline arthritis can require a different conversation.
And just to make one thing extremely clear:
Do not reach into the human medicine cupboard and improvise.
Human pain medicines can be dangerous to pets, and cats are particularly sensitive to several commonly used human medications. 5
Then there are newer injectable treatments.
One of the biggest developments in veterinary osteoarthritis care in recent years has been the arrival of monoclonal antibody treatments targeting nerve growth factor, or NGF.
For dogs, that includes Librela.
For cats, there is Solensia.
These are prescription veterinary medicines designed specifically for the control of pain associated with osteoarthritis.
And they have understandably attracted a lot of attention.
A fair word about Librela.
Librela (bedinvetmab) was approved by the U.S. FDA on 5 May 2023 for the control of pain associated with osteoarthritis in dogs. 6
It works by binding to nerve growth factor, a protein involved in transmitting pain signals.
It has become an important option within veterinary osteoarthritis care.
Before approval, the FDA reviewed the available studies and other data and determined Librela to be safe and effective for its approved intended use. 7
But there has also been genuine post-market scrutiny as the medicine has been used more widely.
The FDA has evaluated post-approval adverse-event reports involving dogs treated with Librela. Events identified and analysed by the agency included ataxia, seizures and other neurological signs including paresis and recumbency, as well as urinary incontinence, increased urination and increased thirst. In some reports, death, including euthanasia, was recorded as an outcome. 7
That sounds alarming, so context matters. An adverse-event report does not automatically mean the medicine caused the event. Post-market reporting data cannot, by itself, reliably establish how frequently an event occurs or whether there is a causal relationship to the medicine. 8
In February 2025, FDA-approved changes to Librela’s U.S. labelling added post-approval safety information, an Information for Dog Owners section and a Client Information Sheet. Veterinarians are instructed to provide and discuss that information with owners before each injection. 8
That does not mean Librela should simply be dismissed.
It does mean owners deserve the full conversation.
What are the expected benefits?
What are the known and reported risks?
What is your dog’s wider health picture?
What should you watch for after treatment?
And what other options might sit alongside it?
That is what informed veterinary decision-making should look like.
Not fear.
Not hype.
Not pretending any intervention is completely without risk.
What about supplements?
This is another area where the answer is less straightforward than the marketing sometimes suggests.
The word “joint supplement” covers an enormous number of ingredients and formulations.
Glucosamine.
Chondroitin.
Green-lipped mussel.
Turmeric.
Omega-3 fatty acids.
Various herbal and botanical products.
They are not interchangeable, and neither is the evidence behind them.
Veterinary pain-management guidance notes that evidence for many nutraceuticals used around osteoarthritis is limited, while omega-3 fatty acids in dogs have comparatively stronger supporting evidence. 9
That does not mean every other supportive product is automatically useful or useless.
It means the sensible question is not:
“Are supplements good?”
It is:
“What exactly is in this product, what is it being presented for, and what evidence exists for that particular ingredient or formulation?”
Transparency matters.
The routine matters too.
There is another practical issue that rarely appears in scientific abstracts.
You still have to give the thing to the animal.
Some dogs will happily eat almost anything presented as a treat.
Others become suspicious the moment a tablet appears.
Cats can elevate this into an art form.
Powders alter food.
Liquids change texture.
Capsules reappear mysteriously on the floor.
Veterinary pain-management guidance even recognises the burden that a long-term care routine can place on owners, including the practical difficulty of orally medicating cats. 9
The perfect routine on paper is not especially useful if nobody can realistically maintain it.
So where does Tvati fit?
Not as a cure for arthritis, and not as a replacement for veterinary care.
Tvati Pet takes a different approach to everyday mobility support.
It is a two-ingredient topical formula, applied directly to the skin, designed to support joint comfort, healthy movement and everyday mobility in cats and dogs.
No tablets.
No powders mixed into food.
No adding another chew or capsule to an already complicated routine.
Instead, Tvati uses a simple pre-measured topical format that can be incorporated into everyday life, something that can be particularly useful for pets who are difficult to medicate orally or owners already managing a busy care routine.
And while individual experiences naturally vary, we regularly hear from Tvati owners who tell us they have noticed positive changes in their pet’s everyday movement, activity and general willingness to get involved in the things they enjoy.
Those customer experiences are encouraging, but they are not the same thing as evidence that Tvati treats osteoarthritis or another medical condition.
That distinction matters.
If your pet has diagnosed osteoarthritis, Tvati should not replace diagnosis, prescribed medication, rehabilitation or any other treatment recommended by your veterinarian.
Instead, some owners choose to make Tvati part of the wider routine they build around their pet, alongside appropriate veterinary care, movement, weight management, changes at home and whatever else that individual animal needs.
Because supporting mobility is not always about finding one thing that does everything.
Sometimes it is about finding several things that work practically together.
Sometimes the answer is more than one thing.
Perhaps your dog benefits from prescription pain management and a controlled exercise programme.
Perhaps weight reduction changes the physical load placed on their joints.
Perhaps rugs stop them slipping on the kitchen floor.
Perhaps veterinary rehabilitation helps maintain strength.
Perhaps your cat needs a lower litter tray and an easier route onto the bed.
Perhaps supportive products become part of the wider routine too.
The important thing is not finding the single most exciting answer.
It is building a plan that works for the animal standing in front of you.
Then watching.
Reassessing.
Changing it when necessary.
Because osteoarthritis is chronic.
Pets change.
Their needs change.
And a good management plan should be allowed to change with them.
More movement. More comfort. More good days.
Arthritis can affect how a pet walks.
But it can also affect everything wrapped around that movement.
The walk to the front door when the lead comes out.
The jump onto the sofa.
The trip upstairs at bedtime.
Climbing onto a favourite windowsill.
Playing.
Exploring.
Grooming.
Getting up to follow you into another room for absolutely no reason other than the fact that you moved.
Those small things are easy to take for granted.
Until they become difficult.
That is why good arthritis care is about more than a single joint or a single intervention.
There may be medication involved.
There may be rehabilitation.
There may be changes at home.
There may be supportive products.
Often, several things will work together.
And that is okay.
Because arthritis in pets is not one problem with one solution.
It is about finding the right combination to protect as much comfort, movement and everyday life as possible.
Sources & further reading
1. Cats Protection: Arthritis in Cats
2. U.S. Food & Drug Administration: Osteoarthritis in Cats — More Common Than You Think
3. American Animal Hospital Association: 2022 Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats
4. AAHA: Nonpharmacologic Modalities for Pain Management
5. U.S. Food & Drug Administration: Get the Facts about Pain Relievers for Pets
6. U.S. FDA: Approval of Librela for Osteoarthritis Pain in Dogs
7. U.S. FDA: Dear Veterinarian Letter — Adverse Events Reported in Dogs Treated with Librela
8. U.S. FDA: Animal Drug Safety-Related Labeling Changes
9. AAHA: Acute vs. Chronic Pain
Additional FDA data: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine FOIA Electronic Reading Room
This article is provided for general educational purposes only and is not veterinary advice. Osteoarthritis is a medical condition that should be diagnosed and managed with a qualified veterinarian.
Tvati Pet is not presented in this article as a product that diagnoses, treats, cures, prevents or mitigates osteoarthritis, pain, inflammation or any other disease.
Do not start, stop, reduce or replace prescription medication or veterinary treatment based on information in this article. Always discuss treatment decisions and meaningful changes to your pet’s care plan with your veterinarian.
Descriptions of prescription treatments, including Librela and Solensia, and adverse-event monitoring are included for general educational context only and do not constitute a recommendation for or against any particular medicine.
Adverse-event reports describe events observed after use of a medicine. A report does not, by itself, establish that the medicine caused the event, and spontaneous reporting data cannot by itself establish incidence or a causal relationship.
Individual experiences with Tvati Pet vary. Customer feedback or testimonials should not be interpreted as evidence that Tvati diagnoses, treats, cures, prevents or mitigates osteoarthritis or another medical condition.
