| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 536.1 | | DAGWST::BROWN | everybody run Prom Queen's Gotta Gun! | Wed May 12 1993 11:18 | 11 |
| Your vet is probably your best source of information on this disease.
I will do some reading up on it when I can, but I would be willing to
bet that your vet is right in that the cat will always be affected.
Cortisone treatment would probably make your cat more comfortable,
reduce joint swelling, etc. I will see what I can find out.
Since your cat is purebred, have you notified the breeder of this
problem? She/he would need to know so she/he can find out if the
problem is an inheritable one.
Jo
|
| 536.2 | you probably already knew this | DAGWST::BROWN | everybody run Prom Queen's Gotta Gun! | Fri May 14 1993 10:12 | 24 |
| Hi again,
I read up last night about CPP (Chronic Progressive Polyarthritis) in
the Cornell Book and found out some interesting information.
The good news is that this doesn't seem to be an inherited disease,
which doesn't help you any. The bad news is that it is chronic, and
there is no way to cure it. The only treatment is to give
anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce swelling and ease the pain a bit.
The Cornell Book said that this is similar to Rheumatoid arthritis in
people, that it can be caused by viral illness, and that it is a
immunologic disease, rather than a result of traumatic injury to the
joint, which is how regular arthritis sometimes starts. They also said
that it is most common in male cats.
As far as treatment goes, if any of his joints get really bad, they
mentioned fusing the joint as treatment in severe cases of arthritis.
This procedure would mean eliminating movement in that joint, which
would eliminate the pain too.
I wish I had better news for you.
Jo
|
| 536.3 | | MCIS3::PDALEY | | Tue Jun 01 1993 10:47 | 13 |
| The fusing of the joint for relief may not be as bad as it sounds;
especially if it provides relief for your cat.
(I recently heard of a dog with a fused bone in his rear leg. I
remember hearing that the fusion was simpler in a cat than in a dog-
altho I don't know why that is).
I would use the cortisone as long as I could and then consider
joint fusion when/if the cortisone ever loses its effectiveness, or
until the vet (or several vets) recommend fusion. I am sorry to hear
that your little guy has arthritis.
Pat
|
| 536.4 | One of the reasons fusion's better in cats than dogs | PTPM06::TALCOTT | | Wed Jun 02 1993 07:59 | 14 |
| Is that they're lighter and put less strain on their skeleton. It's possible to
fuse a leg in a dog and have him later break it during, say, a launch from a dead
stop. My dog's had two cruciate ligament operations and has degenerative joint
disease in his hind legs. He's also 70 pounds and still likes to take off in a
hurry.
You might try asking your vet about using Adequan. It's typically used in horses.
My dog gets an injection (intramuscular/1.25 cc) monthly and it seems to help him
with the pain. Doesn't seem to be a consensus among vets on its efficacy in dogs
and I don't know if you can use it in cats. It isn't cheap - like $76/bottle
retail. I believe the bottle's 10 cc's. Given the weight of a cat, if it works
the price would be reasonable.
Trace
|