It’s Not Always Arthritis: A Whole-Dog Look at Inflammation

The Whole Picture

Degenerative joint disease in dogs is complex and influenced not only by structural joint change, but also by pain perception, physical conditioning, biomechanics, and overall systemic health. When a dog slows down with age, the word arthritis almost always enters the conversation. Sometimes, that diagnosis is completely accurate.

In advanced stages of degenerative joint disease, experienced veterinarians and rehabilitation therapists can frequently recognise arthritis through hands-on orthopaedic examination, identifying reduced range of motion, joint fluid accumulation, and tissue thickening around affected joints. These physical changes can sometimes be evident even before imaging is performed.

Yet the opposite is also true: early arthritis can be difficult to confirm, because structural remodelling and palpable joint changes may not yet be present, and range of motion can remain relatively normal. Even X-rays do not always match what a dog feels or how well they move — some dogs show severe radiographic change with minimal discomfort, while others experience significant pain despite only subtle imaging findings.

Veterinary diagnosis of joint disease is not guesswork. It typically involves a combination of physical examination, assessment of joint range of motion and pain response, gait and movement analysis, and imaging such as X-rays (radiographs). In some cases, further diagnostics may be used to clarify what’s really happening inside the joint.

When every sign of stiffness is simplified to a single word — arthritis — we risk overlooking the broader picture of inflammation, conditioning, biomechanics, compensation, nutrition, and whole-body health that influence how a dog actually feels and functions day to day.

After years of watching dogs in real homes, eating real diets, something else has become impossible for me to ignore.

Many dogs who look stiff, sore, or “old before their time” may also be carrying a high whole-body inflammatory load shaped by factors including but not limited to diet, lifestyle, and environment, and that inflammation can quietly influence how they move, recover, and feel day to day.

Without appropriate examination and imaging, it can be difficult to know whether a dog’s stiffness or reluctance to move is truly due to structural joint disease, or whether it may be influenced by other factors such as whole-body inflammation. This is not a criticism of veterinary care, but an acknowledgement that many dogs can show similar outward signs for very different underlying reasons.

For this reason, some people choose to first explore low-risk, foundational changes such as improving diet quality or adding whole-food components and to observe whether their dog’s overall comfort, movement, or vitality changes. While this does not replace diagnosis or treatment where needed, it can be a sensible and cost-effective way to assess whether nutrition may be playing a role, before assuming irreversible joint damage.

Sometimes the joints aren’t the whole story — they’re just where the story shows up.

In this article, I’ll also touch on simple nutritional changes — including wholefood additions like Augustine’s SuperBoost and raw coconut oil as part of a broader nutrition-first routine.

Before we go further, it’s worth pausing on one simple but powerful idea: most joint problems don’t begin when a dog is old — they begin quietly, years earlier, in the smallest changes in movement that are easy to miss.

If you haven’t yet read the first article in this four-part series, Early Signs of Arthritis in Dogs: Movement and Joint Health, I’d encourage you to start there. It walks gently through the subtle shifts in posture, stride, and everyday motion that often appear long before any diagnosis is made — and understanding those early signs can completely change how we support our dogs later in life.

Because by the time stiffness is obvious, the story has usually been unfolding for a long time.

 

Stiffness, Slowing Down, and What’s Really Going On

Joint disease and age-related changes are real, but not every mobility change is purely mechanical.

How a dog moves is influenced by far more than bones and cartilage. Digestion, metabolism, body composition, nutrient intake, and daily environment all play a role in how comfortable (or uncomfortable) a dog feels.

That’s why two dogs with the same veterinary label can look completely different. One still wants to play. The other struggles to get up. Same diagnosis. Very different dogs.

Looking at the whole dog, not just the joints, often reveals useful clues.

 
Let’s Talk About Kibble (Because It Matters)

In my experience, chronic inflammation may contribute to many of the long-term issues I see in dogs, and one of the biggest contributors is also the easiest thing to change: what goes in their mouths.

And yes… dogs will always eat things they find on the ground. That part we can’t control, but we can control what goes into the bowl.

Dry kibble, by its very design, is ultra-processed. It’s cooked at high temperatures, heavily refined, and typically relies on starches to hold it together. Once eaten, those starches are broken down into simple sugars as part of normal digestion.

From a physiological perspective, diets that are consistently high in rapidly digestible carbohydrates can contribute to:
·       higher glycaemic load
·       greater metabolic demand
·       increased inflammatory signalling in some individuals

Long-term, high-carbohydrate, highly processed diets may contribute to a higher inflammatory load in dogs, particularly when fed without variety.

As pioneering raw-feeding advocate Dr Ian Billinghurst has long argued, in his professional opinion, modern processed diets deserve closer scrutiny when we look at chronic health patterns in companion animals. His views have sparked important conversations about carbohydrate load, metabolic health, and long-term feeding practices.

The takeaway isn’t fear — it’s awareness.

 

Other Contributors to Inflammatory Load

Diet isn’t the only factor that can contribute to a dog’s overall inflammatory burden, and it’s important to recognise that no two dogs are the same. Each dog has its own genetics, physiology, strengths, and vulnerabilities, which means they can respond differently to the same inputs and environmental pressures.

Inflammation is a normal biological response, and it can be triggered by many things the body is required to process over time, including environmental exposures, ongoing stress, certain medications, parasite control products, and routine medical interventions such as vaccinations, all of which activate the immune system by design. When these inputs are layered together, they can add to the body’s cumulative workload, and individual dogs may express this in different ways.

Viewing inflammation through this broader, individualised lens helps explain why some dogs appear more sensitive than others, and why supporting overall wellbeing through nutrition, recovery, and sensible lifestyle choices can be valuable alongside appropriate veterinary care.

 

Digestion, Energy, pH — and Why the Body Feels the Difference

Digestion isn’t passive. It’s hard work.

In mammals, including dogs, the body expends energy breaking food down, absorbing nutrients, and maintaining balance. This is often referred to as the thermic effect of food.

As part of normal digestion, the pancreas releases digestive enzymes along with bicarbonate into the small intestine. Bicarbonate neutralises acidic stomach contents so enzymes can function properly. This buffering system is tightly regulated and essential for life.

Every organ in the body operates within a very narrow pH range. Blood, tissues, and organs are constantly buffered and monitored. Significant shifts outside these ranges are medical emergencies.

So no — dogs don’t become “acidic” or “alkaline” because of food. The body self-regulates pH relentlessly.

What food does influence is how hard the body must work to maintain that balance.

Think about how you feel after eating heavily processed food — sluggish, foggy, ready for a nap. That’s not weakness; it’s your body working overtime to process something far removed from its natural state. Fresher, whole foods typically place less metabolic strain on the system.

The same principle applies to dogs, and it’s surprising to me that this is rarely (if ever) talked about.

 

Even With Joint Disease, Diet Still Matters

Even when a dog has confirmed joint disease, nutrition still matters a lot.

A healthy, fresh, wholefood-based diet does not replace veterinary care, and it does not treat joint disease. But it can still play a valuable supportive role by helping reduce background inflammatory load and supporting overall metabolic health.

Dogs with joint disease still rely on:
·       efficient digestion
·       balanced fats
·       adequate micronutrients
·       healthy body composition

Supporting these foundations through diet can help support day-to-day wellbeing and resilience, regardless of diagnosis.

 

Mobility Isn’t Just About Diet or Vets

Another piece of the puzzle that often gets overlooked is physical and manual therapy.

Many dogs benefit from supportive modalities such as:
·       chiropractic adjustments
·       Bowen therapy
·       hydrotherapy
·       acupuncture
·       gentle, structured movement work

These approaches support mobility, circulation, neuromuscular balance, and comfort, particularly when used alongside appropriate nutrition and sensible activity management.

For many dogs, a multi-modal approach — food, movement, manual therapy, and professional oversight — makes far more sense than relying on any single strategy alone.

 

“I Can’t Feed Fresh” — And That’s Okay

Not everyone has the time, budget, or lifestyle to feed a fully fresh diet. That’s reality. The good news is that even small changes can matter and the goal is to do the best we can as often as we can.

If a dog is eating a predominantly processed diet, adding wholefood components can help improve dietary diversity and shift the overall dietary profile away from highly inflammatory inputs — not by changing body chemistry, but by balancing inputs.

 

WholeFood Nutrition Support: Augustine’s SuperBoost & Raw Coconut Oil

If you can't overhaul everything overnight, wholefood additions can be a realistic starting point.

Augustine’s SuperBoost is a 100% certified organic, wholefood supplement designed to be added to meals to support general wellbeing and dietary diversity, particularly for dogs eating a repetitive, processed diet where we want to add a diverse range of nutrients.

Raw Coconut oil, when introduced appropriately and in moderation, is also commonly used as a wholefood fat source and it also helps to improve the taste of food.

Neither is a medicine. Neither diagnoses, treats, cures, or prevents disease. They are simply nutritional tools that can help tip the balance toward better overall support.

 

This short video shares a moment that felt too important not to include. Years ago, Holly’s guardian was facing an incredibly distressing situation. Holly, a much-loved companion and essential support dog for Michael Doran — living with significant health challenges, had experienced a noticeable decline in comfort, mobility, and energy. Veterinary guidance at the time included ongoing management discussions and the possibility that euthanasia may need to be considered within the following year if her quality of life continued to decline.

Soon after, Michael Doran chose to introduce Augustine Approved products, alongside simple whole-food dietary additions such as raw coconut oil and fresh vegetables like carrots, as part of a broader effort to support Holly’s overall wellbeing.

Within a relatively short period, he observed meaningful positive changes in her comfort, movement, energy, digestion, seasonal skin irritation and blocked anal glands. These observations were deeply significant for someone whose daily life depended on Holly’s companionship.

To be clear, this account is a personal testimonial, not evidence of diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of arthritis or any medical condition. Descriptions such as “arthritis” can sometimes be used broadly to explain mobility changes without definitive confirmation of the precise underlying cause. Every dog’s health situation is unique, and outcomes can vary widely.

What stories like Holly’s gently highlight is the potential value of supporting whole-body wellbeing through nutrition, inflammatory balance, and daily care, always alongside appropriate veterinary guidance. Experiences like this are simply part of a larger collection of guardian observations that invite deeper questions about comfort, quality of life, and the many factors that can influence how a dog feels from day to day.

Hundreds of similar accounts appear throughout our records, and Buster's case above is among them. Each reflects an individual dog, an individual circumstance, and outcomes that cannot be assumed or generalised. Rather than pointing to a single diagnosis, these moments simply encourage a broader look at inflammation, nutrition, and whole-body support, considered carefully alongside appropriate veterinary care.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to mobility, inflammation, and ageing, there’s rarely a single cause — or a single fix.

Veterinary diagnosis matters. Manual therapies can help. Medications have their place.

But nutrition underpins everything, because it’s the one input that affects the body every single day.

Often, meaningful change doesn’t come from doing something extreme. It comes from reducing what burdens the body and increasing what supports it.

And that almost always starts with the bowl.

 

Important Note

This article provides general information about nutrition and lifestyle. It is not veterinary advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. If your dog has persistent pain, limping, or sudden mobility changes, consult a veterinarian.