Stiff after rest, easier once moving

What this tends to look like

• Takes several attempts or a long pause to get up from lying down
• Loosens off within five or ten minutes of walking, which is the most characteristic feature
• Noticeably worse first thing in the morning and in cold, damp weather
• Reluctant on stairs, or hesitates before jumping into the car
• Sometimes a shortened stride or a slight sway rather than an obvious limp
• Gradual over months, so most owners cannot say when it began

What is usually going on

Stiffness that is worst after rest and eases with gentle movement is the signature of osteoarthritis. The joint surface has worn, the joint fluid is less effective when the joint has been still, and movement warms and lubricates it. That is why the first few minutes are the worst part of the day and why cold and damp make it more obvious.

Two things are worth understanding about what helps. First, controlled regular exercise is treatment, not risk. Arthritic joints do worse with rest than with steady moderate use, and muscle around a joint is what holds it stable. The pattern that causes harm is a sedentary week followed by a two-hour hike at the weekend. Consistent daily walks of a length they can handle comfortably beat sporadic long ones by a wide margin. Second, this is a condition you manage rather than cure, and the honest measure of success is how they are on an average Tuesday over a month, not whether they seem better tomorrow.

Where supplements sit is worth being straight about. The evidence for omega-3 fish oil in canine arthritis is reasonable and reasonably consistent, and it is the one we would start with. Glucosamine and chondroitin have far weaker and more mixed evidence, and green-lipped mussel sits somewhere in between. None of them are comparable in effect to prescription pain relief, and if your animal is actually in pain the kind thing is to ask about that rather than to stack supplements. Used alongside weight control and sensible exercise, they are a reasonable part of a plan. Used instead of those, they are mostly an expensive way to feel like you are doing something.

What people commonly use

Educational information only — not veterinary advice. Check with your vet before starting anything new.

Where to find them

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What you can do at home

• Keep exercise little, often and consistent. Two or three shorter walks daily beats one long one, and beats a weekend hike considerably
• Warmth and soft bedding, thick enough that they are not lying on a hard floor, and out of drafty spots
• Non-slip mats on smooth floors. Slipping on tile or laminate is a real and underrated source of pain
• A ramp into the car and a step onto the sofa or bed, so they stop loading joints on landing
• Keep nails short. Long nails change how the foot lands and make everything above it worse
• Ask your vet about pain relief before you decide it is not needed. Animals hide pain and most owners underestimate it

What progress should look like

How long to give this before you conclude it is not working.

• First two weeksBedding, flooring, ramps and consistent walk length. These change comfort faster than anything you swallow.
• Four to six weeksEarliest point at which fish oil could reasonably be expected to show anything. Judge it no sooner.
• Eight to twelve weeksGlucosamine-type supplements need this long. If nothing has changed by then, stop paying for them.
• OngoingReassess every few months. Arthritis progresses, so a plan that worked last winter may need adding to this one.

When to stop and call your vet

• Pain that breaks through, meaning yelping, panting at rest, or restlessness at night
• Rapid decline over days rather than gradual change over months
• One joint becoming hot, swollen, or much worse than the rest
• Loss of muscle down one leg specifically, or a leg that is knuckling over