Many pets develop some form of joint disease during their lives.
It can be mild, even unnoticeable to the pet owner, or it can be debilitating, severely affecting the pet's quality of life or even causing complete lameness. The majority of cases fall somewhere in between. While some pets may develop joint disease in the first half of their lives, signs usually don't appear until the latter half of life, which varies depending on your pet's breed. Dogs are more susceptible to arthritis than cats, and the larger dog breeds are more vulnerable than smaller breeds. There are many diseases that affect the joints of dogs and cats, so many, in fact, that there are 10 major classifications.