Dogs with hip pain can be treated with veterinary-prescribed anti-inflammatory medications, monthly injections that block pain signals, joint supplements, fish oil, weight management, and physical rehabilitation. The right approach depends on your dog’s age, the severity of the pain, and whether the underlying cause is arthritis, hip dysplasia, or an injury. Most dogs do best with a combination of treatments rather than any single option.
Before you reach for anything in your own medicine cabinet, know this: common human pain relievers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen are toxic to dogs. Ibuprofen causes stomach ulcers, and acetaminophen damages the liver. Neither is safe, even in small doses.
Signs Your Dog Has Hip Pain
Dogs don’t always limp in obvious ways. In younger dogs (under a year old), hip pain often shows up as lameness that gets worse after exercise or rough play. In older dogs, the signs are subtler: stiffness when getting up from lying down, a swaying or “bunny hopping” gait where both back legs move together, reluctance to jump into the car or climb stairs, and visible shrinking of the muscles around the hips and thighs. That muscle loss happens because the dog shifts weight forward to avoid using the painful joint, and the back legs gradually weaken from disuse.
Prescription Anti-Inflammatory Medications
The most common first-line treatment for hip pain is an NSAID prescribed by your vet. These drugs work by blocking an enzyme that triggers inflammation and pain after tissue damage. The FDA has approved several specifically for dogs, including carprofen, meloxicam, firocoxib, and deracoxib. All require a prescription and are formulated for canine biology, which is why human versions aren’t interchangeable.
A newer option called grapiprant (brand name Galliprant) works slightly differently. Instead of broadly blocking the inflammation pathway, it targets a specific receptor involved in osteoarthritis pain. It’s FDA-approved only for arthritis, not post-surgical pain, and some vets prefer it for dogs that don’t tolerate traditional NSAIDs well or have liver or kidney concerns.
Dogs on long-term NSAIDs typically need periodic blood work to monitor organ function. Side effects can include vomiting, diarrhea, and decreased appetite. If you notice dark or tarry stools, that’s a sign of gastrointestinal bleeding and warrants an immediate vet visit.
Monthly Pain-Blocking Injections
Bedinvetmab (brand name Librela) is a relatively new treatment that works completely differently from anti-inflammatories. It’s a lab-made antibody designed to neutralize nerve growth factor, a protein that amplifies pain signals in arthritic joints. Your vet gives it as a once-monthly injection under the skin.
In a head-to-head clinical trial comparing bedinvetmab to meloxicam (a standard NSAID), both treatments significantly reduced pain scores. Dogs receiving the monthly injection saw an average pain reduction of about 20 points on a validated scale, compared to 17 points for meloxicam. The difference between the two wasn’t statistically significant, meaning the injection performed on par with daily oral medication. For dogs that can’t take NSAIDs due to kidney disease, liver problems, or stomach sensitivity, this injection offers a meaningful alternative.
Joint Injections That Protect Cartilage
Adequan is an injectable medication that works differently from pain relievers. Rather than masking pain, it’s designed to slow cartilage breakdown inside the joint. The FDA-approved protocol is an intramuscular injection given twice weekly for four weeks (eight injections total), at a dose of 2 mg per pound of body weight. Many vets then transition to a maintenance schedule of once or twice monthly, though the frequency varies by how your dog responds. You’ll typically see improvement within the first few weeks of the loading phase.
Joint Supplements
Glucosamine and chondroitin are the most widely used joint supplements for dogs, available over the counter in chews, powders, and liquids. The honest picture: few joint supplements besides fish oil have been definitively proven to slow joint degeneration. Researchers at Cornell University’s veterinary college note that glucosamine and chondroitin “may help slow the progression,” but the evidence is not as strong as many pet owners assume. That said, these supplements have a good safety profile, and many veterinarians still recommend them as part of a broader pain management plan, particularly for mild to moderate cases.
Fish Oil for Inflammation
Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA from fish oil, have the strongest evidence of any supplement for reducing joint inflammation in dogs. Colorado State University’s veterinary hospital recommends a maximum daily dose of 310 mg of combined EPA and DHA per kilogram of metabolic body weight for dogs with osteoarthritis. In practical terms, a 50-pound dog might take roughly 2,000 to 2,500 mg of combined EPA/DHA daily at the full dose.
Start at about a quarter of the target dose and increase gradually over a few weeks. Loose stools and vomiting are the most common side effects if you ramp up too quickly. Look at the EPA and DHA numbers on the label specifically, not just the total “fish oil” amount, since much of a fish oil capsule is filler fat that doesn’t provide anti-inflammatory benefits. If your dog also takes glucosamine and chondroitin, giving the fish oil at a separate meal may improve absorption of both.
Weight Loss Makes a Measurable Difference
If your dog is overweight, shedding extra pounds is one of the single most effective things you can do for hip pain. A study on overweight dogs with hip osteoarthritis found that losing 11 to 18% of their body weight significantly reduced lameness, with no other treatment changes. For a 70-pound dog, that’s roughly 8 to 13 pounds. The improvement comes from simple physics: less load on an inflamed joint means less grinding, less inflammation, and less pain with every step.
Your vet can help you set a target weight and a safe rate of loss, typically 1 to 2% of body weight per week. Cutting back on treats, measuring meals precisely, and switching to a lower-calorie food are the most common strategies. For dogs that can’t exercise much due to pain, diet control becomes even more important since you can’t rely on burning extra calories through activity.
CBD Oil
CBD products for dogs have surged in popularity, but the evidence is still thin. A systematic review pooling five studies on 117 dogs with osteoarthritis found that full-spectrum CBD oil may reduce pain scores, but the results were not statistically significant and the overall certainty of evidence was rated very low. Treatment durations in these studies ranged from 4 to 12 weeks. CBD is not FDA-approved for use in animals, product quality varies enormously, and it can interact with other medications your dog takes. If you want to try it, discuss it with your vet first so they can check for drug interactions and help you choose a product that’s been third-party tested.
Gabapentin for Nerve-Related Pain
For dogs whose hip pain has a nerve component, or whose pain isn’t fully controlled by anti-inflammatories alone, vets sometimes add gabapentin. Originally developed as an anti-seizure drug, gabapentin works by calming overactive pain signaling in the spinal cord. It’s typically used as an add-on to NSAIDs rather than a standalone treatment. The most common side effect is sedation, which usually lessens after the first few days. The clinical evidence for gabapentin in dogs is limited compared to its well-established use in human pain management, but it remains a widely used tool when first-line options aren’t enough on their own.
Physical Rehabilitation and Home Modifications
Non-drug strategies can significantly improve your dog’s comfort. Canine physical rehabilitation, sometimes called physical therapy, uses underwater treadmills, targeted exercises, and manual therapy to strengthen the muscles supporting the hip joint without putting excess stress on the joint itself. Stronger muscles act as a brace around the damaged joint, reducing instability and pain.
At home, simple changes help more than most owners expect. Orthopedic dog beds with memory foam reduce pressure on hips during rest. Ramps for getting in and out of cars or onto furniture eliminate the jarring impact of jumping. Rugs or yoga mats on slick floors give your dog traction so they don’t splay their legs and strain already painful hips. Raised food and water bowls reduce the need to bend, which can be uncomfortable for dogs with stiff hind ends. Keeping nails trimmed short also improves traction and foot placement, reducing compensatory strain on the hips.