Greetings,
Welcome to this month's issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Please pass this along to your friends!

Table of Contents:

1. Content from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center
2. Cats and Arthritis
3. Pet Arthritis Message Boards

 

1. Arthritis in Dogs X-rays can show up most (but not all) conditions affecting the bony structures of the joints, limbs and spine, and some soft tissue structures as well. I am often asked why vets need to heavily sedate or anaesthetise an animal for this. For the x-ray to provide as much useful information as possible, your pet must be still during the process. Modern anaesthetics are very safe, and most practices now have a nurse monitoring the animal under anaesthetic constantly. Trying to interpret a poor x-ray can sometimes be just as dangerous as guesswork. So, if your vet recommends anaesthetising your pet to x-ray him, there are good reasons why this is helpful in confirming a diagnosis. 2. Feline Hip Dysplasia Hip dysplasia is an inherited trait involving multiple gene pairs - it is not congenital (meaning an animal is not born with it). The condition develops over time from instability in the hip joint which results from an improper fit of the femoral head (ball-like structure) into the acetabalum (hip socket). This instability, called hip joint laxity, results in abnormal weight bearing within the hip joint. From this, secondary changes and remodeling occur in an effort to stabilize the joint or avoid bone-on-bone contact. When cartilage disintegrates from abnormal wear, the femoral head and acetabalum rub together with every step causing pain and eventual osteoarthritis. 3. Is it really arthritis? When a pet that has been behaving normally has a sudden onset of "limping," does it mean that arthritis has set in? To answer that question, you have to consider just how suddenly it appeared.

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Cats and Arthritis

By J. R. Rogers

Yes, cats get arthritis too. We focus a lot on dogs that have arthritis and hip dysplasia but our feline friends also have these problems. And, it strikes more often than we might think.

Recent clinical findings

There have been some clinical tests reported recently that indicate a high incidence of arthritis in cats. In the age 8-13 group it was reported that over 20% showed arthritis problems. When the age hits 15 it is an astounding 90%. But, there is an issue that is a little different for cats when comparing dogs with arthritis.

The clinical testing was actually a sideline to other tests. In other words, these findings came as a result of testing for other medical conditions. In nearly every case, the cat owner had not reported any pain in their pets.

The problem with cats and arthritis

Cats do not exhibit arthritis pain the way the dogs do. When you see dogs out playing or just running around you will often see symptoms of limping or other evidence of pain. Cats do not do that as a general rule. It makes it a little more difficult to tell if a cat has arthritis.

Veterinarians will be the first to tell you that it is very tough to examine a cat for arthritis. They do not like to have their limbs extended (dogs don’t necessarily like it but they put up with the exam). Generally, it is up to you if you are a cat owner to watch for symptoms.

What are you looking for?

As I said, it is a little more difficult to detect arthritis in cats but it just takes a little observation on your part. Is your cat experiencing a little more difficulty in making those “jumps” that used to be really easy? Or, has climbing become a little more challenging?

There is no doubt that you can see these changes if you are looking for them. But, there is also an approach to (trying) to prevent these changes.

Products like Syn-flex® can be given to your cat as a preventative measure. It keeps joints healthy and can avoid developing arthritis problems. And, from a cost standpoint it is very inexpensive. (Dose are very low and based on body weight)

My choice is always to prevent arthritis in any event. When you consider that your cat has a better chance of avoiding painful arthritis, it makes sense.

See you next time.

A feature to our Pet Arthritis Resource Center is the Pet Arthritis Message Board. You can post messages, ask questions, learn more, and meet friends. You can post messages in any of the following sections.

Dogs

• Canine Hip Dysplasia
• Arthritis in Dogs
• Glucosamine for Dogs

Cats

• Feline Hip Dysplasia
• Glucosamine for Cats
• Arthritis in Cats

Other Animals

• Arthritis in Other Animals

Post your own message on The Pet Arthritis Message Board now!

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This concludes the February Issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Look for the next issue in your inbox on March 15th, 2007!

Please forward to any friends that have pets with arthritis and who would be interested.

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Have a great January from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center and The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. See you next month!