The symptoms of degenerative joint disease will vary as to which joints are involved, the age of the animal and the severity of the disease. In general, the first symptoms may be an altered gait since the animal will try to put more of its weight on the unaffected limbs. For instance, in a dog with hip dysplasia involving both hind limbs, the muscles of the hind limbs may be thin whereas the muscles of the chest and shoulders may be increased in size because the animal is putting more weight on the front legs. Many times the animal may find it difficult to get up after lying down and appears stiff. The dog or cat may be unable to jump up into the car or on to a windowsill, for example.
Many animals find it difficult to go up or down stairs.
The joints are generally not swollen and the pain is the dull aching type, so pets do not often vocalize or cry out in pain. Some animals will lick or bite at the area that is painful. Some will seek out warmth or soft places to sleep. The veterinarian will obtain a good history of the animal's signs from the owner and perform a complete physical exam. See the article Veterinary Procedures Used to Diagnose Joint Disease for a detailed discussion of the exams that may be performed.