A 10 year old male castrated Brittany Spaniel presented to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals with a 2-day history of tetraparesis and pyrexia. The patient was febrile ( 41.4 °C), recumbent, obtunded, and in shock. His elbows were markedly thickened from chronic soft tissue/bony changes and effusion: Computed tomography findings were suggestive of severe bilateral elbow osteoarthrosis with no evidence of subchondral bone lysis. Arthrocentesis of affected joints yielded synovial fluid containing neutrophils with phagocytized cocci. Aerobic blood culture revealed P-hemolytic streptococcus. The patient was treated with Ampicillin/ Sulbactam, Emofloxacin, fentanyl, and intravenous fluids. Aggressive physical therapy (PT) was initiated, and the patient returned to normal neurological and orthopedic function within 8 weeks. This case highlights how underlying joint disease can predispose patients to septic arthritis given a common source of infection and how aggressive PT combined with standard therapy for sepsis can improve the rate of improvement and overall functional outcome.