Exercise or Rest? What Arthritic Dogs and Cats Actually Need

Rest is useful sometimes, but movement matters

When a pet has arthritis, owners are often told to limit activity. That advice can be appropriate during an acute injury or a painful flare. But long-term inactivity creates its own problems.

Muscle becomes weaker when it is not used. Endurance decreases. Movement can become more difficult. An arthritic patient that loses strength may have an even harder time supporting painful joints.

For most patients with chronic osteoarthritis, the goal is not “no exercise,” the goal is the right exercise.

Consistency beats the weekend-warrior approach

Cachon et al. (2023), in the COAST canine osteoarthritis treatment guidelines, emphasized regular, age- and breed-appropriate exercise. The group recommended daily activity with consistency in duration while minimizing sudden high-impact loading or excessive activity unless a dog has been properly conditioned for it.

That is an important practical message. A dog that takes short walks all week and then goes on a three-hour hike on Saturday may pay for it on Sunday. The problem is not necessarily exercise itself. It may be the sudden change in workload.

Therapeutic exercise has a purpose

Gruen et al. (2022) included exercise and rehabilitation as important nonpharmacologic parts of chronic pain management. Therapeutic exercise is different from simply tiring a dog out. An exercise may be selected to improve strength, range of motion, balance, coordination, or endurance.

The amount also matters. We want enough activity to create a useful training effect without causing a significant pain flare afterward.

Cats need the same basic concept but a different delivery system. For many cats, exercise may mean short bouts of play, food-motivated movement, climbing to an appropriate height, or other activities that fit normal feline behavior.

How do you know if it was too much?

Watch the patient later that day and the next morning. Increased stiffness, reluctance to rise, new limping, decreased willingness to walk, or a major drop in activity can indicate that the previous workload was excessive.

That information helps us adjust. Exercise prescriptions should change as the patient becomes stronger, loses strength, has a flare, undergoes another treatment, or develops another medical problem.

The takeaway

For most pets with osteoarthritis, permanent rest is not the goal.

Regular, controlled, appropriately-dosed movement helps preserve strength and function. The best exercise program is consistent, individualized, and adjusted according to how the pet responds.