Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive, chronic condition that significantly impacts animal welfare and client satisfaction. As veterinary medicine advances, best-practice approaches increasingly favour the creation of dedicated “mobility clinics” – in-practice hubs designed to deliver systematic, multidisciplinary care to animals with chronic mobility issues. Establishing such a clinic involves thoughtful operational planning, robust protocols, and genuine teamwork. 

From a practical perspective, OA clinics should aim to:

• Offer consultations that allow appropriate time and structure for proper chronic care planning. 
• Help all those involved build in-depth experience and confidence in managing more complex or persistent cases.
• Create and refine practice guidelines and processes focused on chronic and persistent pain. Through development or acquisition (e.g. via the Vet-IMPACT project) of toolkits for staff training, marketing, resource planning, and client management.
• Facilitate multi-disciplinary collaboration (e.g., between vets, nurses, physiotherapists) and shared plans.
• Address client understanding and attitudes towards OA, which are sometimes shaped by outdated expectations, through education and partnership.

Ultimately leading to offering individual patients structured assessment, individualised planning and ongoing monitoring

A key theme of successful OA care is cooperative effort. The VOA aims to dismantle siloed approaches by galvanising professionals (veterinarians, nurses, physiotherapists) to share education, experience, and resources.

To establish robust OA management pathways, practices should:

• Train and empower clinical staff, especially nurses, to lead and record OA management.
• Maintain care records and digital logs.
• Establish clear protocols for when patients should be re-referred or escalated (color-coding systems or pathways: green, orange, red).
• Incorporate networks and practice recognition programs to raise standards and drive improvement in the care provided.

Perhaps the most vital message is that owners are essential members of the OA care team: they are the animal’s daily advocates, best placed to notice subtle changes and to implement lifestyle modifications. Owner education, participation, and ongoing communication are thus pillars of success.

This module aims to provide a practical guide to delivering mobility clinics in general veterinary practice.