A stiff dog drinks less when water is hard to reach. How arthritis develops, which dogs are most at risk, how treatment affects hydration, and how to set up water so your dog keeps drinking.

By Dr Tony Puglisi, MS, DVM, DACVS, and Courtney Otto, RVT, VTS

A dog with arthritis makes choices about movement. Every trip costs something. Getting up from a warm bed, crossing a slippery floor and lowering the head to a water bowl can all hurt.

Some dogs decide the drink isn’t worth it.

That matters more than it sounds. Many dogs with arthritis take pain medicines that are safest in a well-hydrated dog. Water setup belongs in every arthritis care plan.

What is arthritis in dogs?

Most arthritis in dogs is osteoarthritis, a slow, progressive disease of the joint. The smooth cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones thins and roughens. The joint lining becomes inflamed, the joint capsule thickens and bony spurs form at the edges. The result is pain, stiffness and a smaller range of movement.

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease in dogs. A VetCompass study of 455,557 dogs under UK veterinary care found that 2.5% were recorded with osteoarthritis in a single year, around 200,000 dogs. The average age at first diagnosis was 10.5 years.

Those figures only count dogs a vet has recorded. Many more live with early disease that hasn’t been spotted. According to Elanco, nearly 75% of dogs with osteoarthritis are already at a moderate or severe stage before treatment begins.

What causes arthritis in dogs?

In dogs, osteoarthritis usually follows a problem with the joint itself. The joint forms unevenly, is injured, or carries too much load. Age then adds to the wear.

Weight matters at every stage. In the VetCompass study, dogs above average body weight had 2.3 times the odds of an osteoarthritis diagnosis. Keeping a dog lean is one of the few risk factors an owner controls.

Which breeds are most at risk?

Breed plays a large part. Compared with crossbreds, three breeds stood out in the VetCompass data: the Rottweiler, the Dogue de Bordeaux and the Old English Sheepdog.

The Border Collie, Bull Mastiff, German Pointer, German Shepherd Dog, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Scottish Collie and Springer Spaniel were also predisposed.

Most of these are medium to large breeds, and several are prone to hip or elbow dysplasia. Small dogs develop arthritis too, often after kneecap luxation. A higher-risk breed doesn’t mean your dog will develop arthritis. It means watching for it earlier.

Signs of arthritis in dogs

Dogs hide chronic pain well, and early signs are easy to mistake for normal ageing.

The last row is often missed. If your dog has started lying down to drink, or walks away after a few laps, mention it at your next appointment.

How vets stage arthritis

Many vets now use the Canine OsteoArthritis Staging Tool (COAST), developed by an international group of orthopaedic, anaesthesia and pain specialists. It places dogs in one of five stages, from stage 0 (clinically normal, no risk factors) to stage 4 (severe). Stage 1 dogs look normal but carry risk factors such as breed, joint injury, excess weight or age.

Each stage calls for a slightly different water setup.

How arthritis is treated

Arthritis can’t be cured, but most dogs can be kept comfortable. Vets combine several approaches, known as multimodal management: weight control, regular controlled exercise, physiotherapy, pain medication and changes at home. In the VetCompass study, 75% of dogs diagnosed with osteoarthritis were recommended pain relief.

Your vet chooses medicines for your dog and adjusts them over time. Never give two NSAIDs together, or an NSAID alongside a corticosteroid, unless your vet tells you to.

Why hydration matters for dogs with arthritis

Medication safety

NSAIDs are the backbone of arthritis pain control. They work by blocking prostaglandins, some of which help maintain blood flow to the kidneys. The US Food and Drug Administration lists dehydration among the main risk factors for NSAID side effects, alongside diuretics, recent corticosteroids and existing kidney, heart or liver disease.

FDA-approved NSAID labels also list increased water consumption and increased urination among possible adverse reactions. Keep a rough sense of how much your dog drinks. A change in either direction is worth a call to your vet.

Less movement, fewer drinks

A dog in pain moves less. Fewer trips to the water bowl add up to less water across the day. Dogs on sedating medicines such as gabapentin may sleep through times they would normally drink.

Older dogs

Arthritis is mostly diagnosed in older dogs, and older dogs are more likely to have other conditions, including kidney disease, that make steady hydration more important. Your vet’s routine blood tests will check kidney function while your dog is on long-term medication.

For a baseline, see our guide to how much water a dog should drink daily, and watch for the signs of dehydration in dogs.

The best water bowl setup for a dog with arthritis

1. Bring the water to the dog

The biggest gain is distance. Put water within a few steps of where your dog sleeps. Add a second station on a route your dog already uses, such as by the garden door. Keep every station on the floor your dog lives on. A dog that has to climb stairs to drink will drink less.

2. Give secure footing

Smooth floors are hard work for weak back legs. A dog that splays its legs on tile or wood strains painful joints. Put a non-slip mat under and in front of the water, and lay runners along the route.

3. Keep the floor dry

Spilled water on a hard floor is a slip hazard for an unsteady dog. Choose a water source that keeps the floor around it dry, and wipe up drips straight away.

4. Get the height right, with your vet

A dog with neck, shoulder or elbow arthritis may find dropping its head to floor level painful. A modest raise can help. The aim is a height your dog can drink from standing square, without crouching, stretching up or splaying the front legs.

Height needs care in large and deep-chested dogs. In a JAVMA study of large and giant breed dogs, raised feed bowls were linked to a higher risk of bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus).

That research looked at food bowls, not water. Even so, for giant and deep-chested breeds, agree any raise with your vet first.

5. Make every drink easy

A dog in pain gives up sooner. Water should be fresh and ready the moment your dog arrives, with no wait for someone to refill an empty bowl.

Where Torus fits

Torus is portable, cordless, no batteries and silent. Water is stored inside the walls and only fills for lapping. Fewer spills. Less mess.

Those features match the setup above:

• Portable. Lock the cap, carry it and set it down wherever your dog is resting. The water comes to the dog, room by room.
• Fewer spills. Only a shallow level of water sits at the drinking surface, and the weighted base makes the unit very hard to tip. The floor around the water stays drier for unsteady legs.
• Refills as your dog drinks. The drinking well refills from the walls, so water is ready each time your dog gets up, even when you are out.
• Cordless and silent. No cable to trip over and nothing to plug in beside the bed.

Water passes through a replaceable carbon filter on its way to the drinking well. Change the filter monthly.

Most dogs with arthritis are medium to large, so the Torus MAXI (2 litres, 68 oz) suits most. Use two units for dogs over 36 kg (80 lb), or to set up a second station. The Torus MINI suits small dogs. Torus sits at floor level. If your vet recommends a raise, set it on a flat, stable, non-slip platform. Refilling at the same time each day also gives you a rough sense of how much your dog drinks.

Questions about arthritis and water

What is the best water bowl for a dog with arthritis?

One your dog can reach without effort: close to its bed, on a non-slip surface, at a comfortable height, with a dry floor around it. A water dispenser that refills itself and resists tipping makes that easier to keep up every day.

Should a dog with arthritis have a raised water bowl?

Sometimes. A modest raise can help dogs with neck or front-leg arthritis. Raised feed bowls have been linked to bloat in large and giant breeds, so check with your vet before raising water for a deep-chested dog.

Does arthritis medicine make dogs thirsty?

Corticosteroids often do. With NSAIDs, a new increase in thirst or urination can be a sign of a side effect. Tell your vet about any change in drinking.

Can arthritis stop a dog drinking enough?

Yes. A dog in pain may make fewer trips to the water bowl. Put water near where your dog rests and watch how much it drinks.

How much water should a dog with arthritis drink?

Most healthy dogs drink roughly 1 oz of water per pound of body weight each day. Medication, diet, weather and other conditions change that. Ask your vet what is normal for your dog.

Water within reach

Arthritis changes how a dog moves through the day. Small changes at home keep drinking easy: water near the bed, firm footing, a dry floor and the right height.

Keep your dog drinking steadily, and the rest of the arthritis plan works better.

Shop the range: Torus MAXI for medium and large dogs. Torus MINI for small dogs. Build a full setup with our hydration kits.

This article is general information, not veterinary advice. Speak to your vet about your dog’s arthritis, medication and drinking. Learn about our Veterinary Advisory.

About the authors - Torus Pet Veterinary Advisory Team

Dr Tony Puglisi, MS, DVM, DACVS is a board-certified small animal veterinary surgeon based in Georgia, United States.

Courtney Otto, RVT, VTS is a Veterinary Technician Specialist at the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Sources

• Anderson KL et al., Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care, Scientific Reports, 2018
• Royal Veterinary College, VetCompass rocks the joint in dogs
• Cachon T et al., Face validity of a proposed tool for staging canine osteoarthritis (COAST), The Veterinary Journal, 2018; summary via AAHA
• US Food and Drug Administration, What veterinarians should advise clients about pain control and NSAIDs
• Glickman LT et al., Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs, JAVMA, 2000
• Buckley L, Are dogs fed from a raised bowl at increased risk of GDV?, Veterinary Evidence, 2017