Dr Hannah Capon with her dog
Your Dog Isn’t ‘just Slowing Down’: Top Vet Reveals The Silent Disease Driving Thousands To Early Death”
2 weeks ago 
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Arthritis in dogs is a prevalent condition, more common than in humans, yet too many owners miss the early warning signs, according to leading veterinary surgeon Dr Hannah Capon.
Dr Capon, 47, founder of Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) and creator of The Pain Vet, says the painful condition is not simply an inevitable part of ageing; it can begin much earlier in a dog’s life.
“Way back when, my understanding of arthritis was very limited, and it took quite a heartbreaking event, two dogs, in back-to-back consults, who were otherwise healthy, being put to sleep, having 'gone off their back legs', for something to click in my brain,” she said. "It was not uncommon for me to have to euthanise a dog due to collapse, but this day was different. For some reason, a lightbulb went off, and I knew something had to change!"
“Osteoarthritis and other chronic musculoskeletal conditions are as, if not more, prevalent in dogs as they are in people, but in dogs, it is not only related to age. Arthritis is very common in young dogs. If we can help caregivers identify a problem when their dog is two years old, then they have the potential to change the trajectory of the disease progression.
“If they show signs when they are two don’t turn a blind eye until they are ten as it is a lot harder to manage.”
Dr Capon, who has more than 20 years’ experience in clinical practice, established CAM in 2015 driven to change the way we understand, identify, and manage chronic musculoskeletal pain in our companion animals. It was not that day that was hugely different to any other day in practice, but that day, coupled with her own dog Holly’s diagnosis, became a huge turning point in her career, which is now dedicated to raising awareness and helping owners and professionals from around the world.
CAM is now a veterinary-driven online resource supporting both caregivers and professionals with evidence-based advice on early identification and multimodal management of canine arthritis. The organisation aims to tackle the fact that arthritis remains one of the major causes of elective euthanasia in dogs in the UK and worldwide.
Through The Pain Vet, an associated service provided by CAM, Dr Capon, who is based in Mersea Island, Essex, offers long, in-depth online consultations to owners of dogs living with chronic pain. By working remotely, she can offer more time than the traditional 15-minute vet slot, link to a huge array of CAM resources, and deliver truly contextual care at a reasonable cost, whilst reaching bonded owners from around the world.
In addition, she works with a dedicated team that develops and delivers an obscene amount of resources for all stakeholders working with arthritic dogs, still practices in first opinion vetcare, and she is currently undertaking a master’s degree in human pain management, with the goal of translating that understanding into the canine world.
Dr Capon also has a theory about why arthritis in dogs is so often overlooked.
Rather than deliberately hiding pain, she believes that we need to be sure that we are truly listening to our dogs. Subtle behaviour changes can be the only outward sign that a dog is actually living with pain. After that, we need to understand that dogs may behave more like many elderly people, who downplay discomfort for fear of being a burden or missing out on family life. Slowing down, reluctance to jump, stiffness after rest, reduced tolerance, increased frustration, and a lack of interest in play can all to easily be dismissed as “just getting older”.
Later this month, Dr Capon will speak at the Emotional Wellbeing in Animals Conference 2026, taking place on March 30 and 31 at the four-star The Imperial Hotel overlooking Torbay.
The immersive two-day event will explore the difference between welfare and wellbeing, a hot topic in animal behaviour science, and features a world-class speaker line-up including Dr Robert Falconer-Taylor, Dr Amber Batson, Chloe Scoones, Daniel Shaw, Victoria Stilwell and Andrew Hale.
“I’m really looking forward to the conference,” said Dr Capon. “It’s so important that we bridge the gap between physical health and emotional well-being. Pain doesn’t just affect the body; it affects behaviour, relationships and quality of life. The more we understand that connection, the better lives we can give our dogs.”
To find out more about the conference go to:
https://petremedy.co.uk/ewac26/?srsltid=AfmBOopJz5txoIbkuidduFq1XD7QPuVi5kg2Itp8CF3u_CHSyY_-_UmN
For more about Dr Hannah Capon go to: www.thepainvet.co.uk
