THE VETOZON JOURNAL
Dog arthritis: exploring ozone therapy for comfort and mobility
Does your dog hesitate before getting up, cut walks short or look to you before climbing a step? When arthritis starts shaping everyday life, it is understandable to look for more ways to help. Ozone therapy is a promising complementary option to explore for comfort and mobility in dogs with osteoarthritis. Encouraging veterinary observations point, in particular, to its potential within a care plan combining several treatments.
A practical goal: a more comfortable everyday life
Enjoying a walk, moving around the house more easily and joining in family life are meaningful goals to bring to a consultation. Exploring another option is an opportunity to build care around your own dog: their age, the joints affected and the activities they enjoy.
Ozone therapy can be considered alongside pain treatment or rehabilitation. Your veterinarian plans how the approaches fit together and reviews them as a whole. For an owner, this opens a useful conversation: what else could we try to help my companion feel more comfortable?
How might ozone therapy work? Two ideas explained simply
Engaging antioxidant defences. One proposed mechanism involves a brief signal that prompts the body to respond and adapt. In a crossover study involving ten healthy dogs, de Oliveira et al. (2024) compared rectal ozone, oxygen alone and no intervention. They observed an antioxidant response following temporary oxidative stress. This work explores a biological mechanism, separately from the question of arthritis pain relief.
Modulating inflammatory signals. In laboratory experiments, Sun et al. (2022) found reduced levels of certain inflammatory messengers and increased cellular recycling in rat cartilage cells exposed to ozone. This preclinical finding helps explain the interest in joint applications; observations in dogs provide a separate, clinical perspective.
Hip and elbow arthritis: encouraging clinical observations
Dogs with hip dysplasia: better weight-bearing
In the study by Silva Júnior et al. (2020), 14 dogs with hip osteoarthritis received hyaluronic acid alone or with ozone through ultrasound-guided joint injections under anaesthesia. At 90 days, improvement in weight-bearing force favoured the combination. Lameness improved in both groups, without a significant difference between them on that score. No injection-related complications were observed in this small trial. These findings encourage further exploration of the combination to support joint function.
A 12-year-old Rottweiler: walking normally again
A 12-year-old female Rottweiler had chronic pain and left forelimb lameness, with elbow arthritis confirmed on X-rays. In this case presented by Trindade et al. in 2025, treatment combined medication and nutraceuticals with rectal ozone, local injections and subcutaneous ozonated saline. The authors reported normal walking at fifteen days, without additional pain medication. This conference case report describes encouraging progress during combined care, without separating the contribution of each treatment.
Choosing an approach around your dog
Vetozon presents approaches including local injections and rectal insufflation. Local injections provide targeted administration; rectal insufflation uses the rectal route without puncturing a joint. Your veterinarian considers the examination findings, treatment goals and your dog’s comfort when choosing a method. Injections into a joint, as used in the hip study, are specialised procedures: their practical arrangements and availability should be discussed at the consultation.
If keeping appointments comfortable and manageable matters to you, make that part of the conversation from the start. Discuss handling, any need for sedation or anaesthesia, appointment length and travel. Costs should also be considered across the whole course of care, including sessions, accompanying treatments and reviews. An overall estimate helps you compare concrete proposals.
You can explore the principles of veterinary ozone therapy and read about autohaemotherapy to understand other approaches. Autohaemotherapy involves taking blood, treating it with ozone outside the body and reinfusing the treated blood under veterinary supervision.
Before the first session, agree on what you hope will change and when you will review progress together. There is no need to measure everything: a few consistent observations can make the discussion much more useful. Your dog’s usual routines are a good starting point.
Practical questions from dog owners
What changes should I watch for at home?
Choose two or three reference points: getting up from bed, moving comfortably on a short walk or wanting to join family activities. A simple diary or short videos can help your veterinarian follow progress and tailor the care plan. Keep observations focused on similar activities so that changes are easier to discuss.
Can ozone therapy be combined with existing treatments?
Complementary treatment is exactly the possibility illustrated by these publications. Bring a list of current medication and other care to your appointment. Your veterinarian can then consider suitable combinations and make adjustments according to your dog’s response.
Where can I start in Belgium?
Would you like to explore this option for your companion? Vetozon’s network is currently based in Belgium. Use our veterinarian enquiry form or contact the Vetozon team for guidance: info@vetozon.com or +32 499 31 74 95.
Illustrative photograph: Helena Lopes / Unsplash.