Clinical Effects of Hyaluronic Acid Single and Multiple Intra-articular Injections in Dogs with Spontaneous Osteoarthritis

Introduction: Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) has been studied as a treatment option for osteoarthritis (OA) in dogs. However, the efficacy of HA intra-articular injection in dogs is still a controversial subject. The goal of this study is to confirm the intra-articular HA injection effect in dogs with spontaneous OA and to compare the effectiveness depending on the number of injections.

Materials and Methods: Thirty dogs with spontaneous OA were assigned to a single injection group (n = 17) and a three-weekly injections group (n = 13). Radiographic OA score was evaluated before and 3 months after the injection. The clinical symptoms were evaluated on pre-injection, 1-, 2-, and 3-months post-injection using clinical lameness score by veterinarians and Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) by owners. Kinetic gait analysis was additionally performed with three dogs per group.

Results: Changes in radiographic OA scores were not identified in both groups. The difference between groups was not confirmed. Clinical lameness score and CBPI score were decreased within 1 to 2 months after the injection in both groups and had no significant difference between the groups. Gait analysis confirmed that symmetry index (SI) and weight distribution (WD) improved in both groups within 3 months post-injection when compared with pre-injection. Differences between the two groups were found only in SI of vertical impulse (VI) at 3 months.

Discussion/Conclusion: These Results revealed that the intra-articular HA injection improved clinical symptoms in dogs with spontaneous OA. Furthermore, the single injection and 3-weekly injections showed similar clinical effects.

Publication History

Article published online:
26 October 2022