Fused Vertebrae/spondylosis Deformans

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Does anyone have a cat with fused vertebrae? And, if you do, was the cause/condition diagnosed? Has anyone here even heard of Spondylosis deformans?

Feeby has two nearly fused vertebrae in her upper spine, and some arthritis in one elbow and some toes. She is on Glyco Flex for the arthritis, and it has helped some. But, my vet didn't think it would do a thing for the fused vertebrae. And, I think he is right. She used to crawl under the bed with thunderstorms and now she just goes in a closet to hide. I do not see pain related to this behavior, just difficulty with some of her agility/mobility.

Vertebrae on an x-ray can looked fused (hers does) but sometimes the cause is from 'bone' growth between the discs that occurs to strengthen the weakened state of the vertebrae - which I will ask my vet about now that I know of this condition.

This is more common than people would think, especially in older cats (those at least 10 yo - Feeby is 14+). The problem is, it would seem that there is no real aide for any cat who has this condition, particularly if it is not causing pain. And, I was just wondering if anyone out there has heard/been told the same thing.

Here is an article about it, in case anyone would find it of value.

Spondylosis Deformans in Cats - Tampa Animal Hospitals

Any opinions/insight/experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

 

[Jem]

I know of the condition, but mainly because I treat humans with it.
For my clients, I have to be careful not to create too much inflammation as I work the areas because the body is kinda on over drive with inflammation to begin with.
It is classified as an auto-immune disorder, and all my patients who have this are on auto-immune suppressants to help slow the progression.
One of the best things you can do is KEEP THE SPINE MOVING. If it stays at rest too much, then the fusion can take hold much faster. The fusion occurs because of bone spurs and deposits that continue to form when they should not. The body thinks it's in a constant state of "it's broken", that the inflammation is always present and the bones just continue to "heal" (produce bone tissue).

I'm not sure what else I can help you with, without just spewing text book jargon. But feel free to ask me questions, I think I might be more helpful that way. Some of the treatments I've done with my clients I'm sure can be transferred to a cat.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I will be back with questions to be sure! Just need to absorb this all and formulate thoughts...

 

[FeebysOwner]

This second 'novel' is for not only Jem , but all other members as well who think their cat has spondylosis deformans.

I wanted to go back a capture two points made in the document I shared above. It appears that with spondylosis deformans there is no-inflammation - at least according to this article.

"With spondylosis deformans, the intervertebral discs slowly degenerate as part of the aging process and the condition is not associated with inflammation. The bone spurs [osteophytes] of spondylosis deformans develop to re-establish the stability of the weakened joint or joints... Occasionally, the bone spurs restrict the movement of the spine and the cat may appear to be stiffer or the spine may not appear to be as flexible."

"Any other condition or disease that causes instability to the spine can stimulate the development of osteophytes [bone spurs]. Congenital bone deformities and traumatic injury to the spine are some examples of other conditions that can trigger the development of osteophytes. In these cases, inflammation plays a role in the development of the bone spurs, that form around the injured or unstable joint."

It doesn't appear to be any definitive way to determine which condition applies in a cat (unless you know of an injury that occurred or a congenital condition based on genetic background). X-rays don't discern the difference in the growth of these bone spurs. The primary way seems to be related to the latter causing pain whereas in most cases the former does not.

So, if this is the case in humans as well, I would guess that means that Jem , you only treat the latter because of the pain associated with inflammation? It would seem that then the former - when causing lack of mobility - is assumed by humans to be part of the aging process and because these individuals have no pain, they are not as likely to pursue medical attention?? Does this seem logical?

I can ask the vet if these vertebrae in Feeby's upper spine that he called 'nearly fused' is in fact due to bone spurs growing in between the discs, and if so, are there other tests to determine whether it is truly spondylosis deformans.

If this is the condition Feeby has, I guess she will just have mobility issues for the rest of her life.

But, I am still curious as to whether anyone is aware of this condition in their cat.

 

[Jem]

Oh gosh! I was thinking of spondylitis and not spondylosis. That's what happens when I try to be helpful when I'm tired!

But the treatments could still apply to encourage better strength of the spinal muscles for stability as well as encouraging mobility and prevent "early" fusion of the remaining vertebrae.
Keep in mind that although the disease itself does not present with inflammation, Feeby could still develop inflammatory responses of the surrounding tissue due to compensation. Not to mention that she does have arthritis in other areas that would also benefit from manipulations. And you also want to try and prevent any compression of the spine (as it deteriorates and possibly fuses) which could lead to neurological issues.

As for the treatments I provide with my clients, I treat the mobility and the pain, which often go hand in hand. As range of motion decreases, ensuring the muscle and connective tissue stays flexible and strong supports the spine, which also helps minimize inflammation and pain.
Spondylosis Deformans is basically the result of degenerative disc disease which mostly happens with age. So preventing further disc degeneration and keeping the the supportive tissue around the spine flexible and strong will help decrease the formation of the osteophytes (spurs), considering they from to try and reinforce stability.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for the follow up! Again, have to absorb this info. But, physical therapy for Feeby is what I am hearing. OMG! I think for sure I would have to put her on CBD oil for that!!

I have asked my vet to confirm (or deny) 'my diagnosis', along with a ton of related questions. We'll see he what he says.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Update: Had a nice lengthy talk with Feeby's vet.

In a nutshell (still long) - He said her 'nearly fused' vertebrae are plain and simple: disc degeneration, which can cause any or all of three things. 1.) inflammation - which he says he DOES see on the x-rays, 2.) spinal instability (affecting mobility), 3.) pain. The inflammation is there, the instability is there, but no one but Feeby can tell us whether or not the pain is there.

The 'fusing' could be a combination of bone growth to help stability and/or just the lack of 'normal' space between vertebrae seen in a healthy spine. He thinks there is both, but to less of a degree on the bone growth.

So, bottom line - as we have all experienced with our cats - unless Feeby learns to talk we cannot possibly know about the pain. Uh, kind of leads me back to Square One. (Why should I be surprised?)

He thinks Adequan would be used as a trial and error treatment. If it works, it works, if it doesn't, it doesn't. But, he did say he has yet to see an issue with blood thinning in any of the cats that are using Adequan.

Once that experiment would be over - if unsuccessful - the next course would be the drug of last choice: steroids... Haven't even addressed the Assisi Loop with him . Nor, did I ask about 'physical therapy' as Jem deals with in humans (OMG ).

I still don't know what, if anything, I am going to do.

 

[Kflowers]

Since Feeby is an only cat, it should be safer to try the Adequan than if she were playing with other cats.

 

[daftcat75]

Is Feeby in pain? Does she hesitate or think a long time about her jumps before deciding whether to jump or not? That's her evaluating whether the destination is worth the pain of getting there. If she weren't in pain, she'd go for it regardless of how messy her landing might be. I have plenty of back pain myself. Assume inflammation = pain.

You could try salmon oil as an omega-3 source for inflammation. Then you could try Adequan. Then I would try the Loop. I would skip the steroids just because she's older and steroids can cause other problems. I'm actually hopeful for Adequan giving her relief because the GlycoFlex gave her some measure of relief. My understanding of Adequan is that it's like a stronger variation of glucosamine/chondroitin that's more bioavailable.

I didn't even want to try Adequan with Krista because it sounds too much like glucosamine/chondroitin when I researched it. And I already know how that soups her poops and gives her bonus poops that make us both extremely stressed out. No amount of relief is worth what she'd do to her tail, legs, and carpet every night. She'd probably stop using the box altogether if that became a regular thing.

 

[daftcat75]

Assisi Animal Health :: Patient Spotlight: Joey, The Sheltie with Spondylosis

It's a dog but that sounds promising.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Is Feeby in pain? Does she hesitate or think a long time about her jumps before deciding whether to jump or not? That's her evaluating whether the destination is worth the pain of getting there. If she weren't in pain, she'd go for it regardless of how messy her landing might be. I have plenty of back pain myself. Assume inflammation = pain.

Yes, she does hesitate when it comes to jumping up/off of things. She does appear to be evaluating the jump - she always does the jump, but it does come after what looks to be contemplation.

But, she doesn't even contemplate crouching down to go under the bed at all - replaced by going in the closet with a thunderstorm instead. I guess the difference is the mobility is so bad with the disc degeneration that the crouch isn't related to pain so much as just the lack of ability.

You could try salmon oil as an omega-3 source for inflammation. Then you could try Adequan. Then I would try the Loop. I would skip the steroids just because she's older and steroids can cause other problems.

I guess I will get omega-3 oil for her. Hope that the combination with Glyco Flex doesn't affect her the way some things have affected Krista. I am not willing to remove the Glyco Flex just yet.

The Adequan just ticks me off because of the frequent visits to the vet during the first 3-4 injections weekly. Once a quarter thereafter is ugly enough. As I understand it, and I appreciate why, this is not something they want a layman to do - perhaps at least initially. I have to research this more.

Assisi Animal Health :: Patient Spotlight: Joey, The Sheltie with Spondylosis

It's a dog but that sounds promising.

Yeah, I read that, along with most of everything on their web site.

I am glad that Assisi Loop is helping Krista. Our cats are similar in age, and I think there should be plenty of life left in both of them.

 

[daftcat75]

I wasn't sure what to expect of the Loop to be honest. But I knew the alternatives weren't pretty. And these days, any vet visit seems to result in sedation so her vet visits alone cost me the price of the Loop. I'd be buying the Loop several times over to give the Adequan a try. I'm surprised at how much the Loop has helped Krista already. I was expecting it to help her hips. What I didn't expect was that it would also bring back her kisses and even treat her ear when it fills up with fluid (allergic reaction to tuna flakes she keeps finding in her environment. Cat glitter!) I used to have to give several treatments of her ear tea (chamomile tea with a few drops of apple cider vinegar, a few drops of that dripped into her ear) for her to get relief. Last night I put the Loop around her neck instead of her hips. By the next meal she was her regular bonkers pushy self bouncing all over me with a freshly groomed coat trying to get me to feed her two hours early. Krista doesn't always melt into her Loop treatments. I do think it sometimes overstimulates her. But when she does stick it out, she can feel when it's done because she'll get up from underneath it when it's over. In Krista's case, it's her hips but not her shoulders. She will hesitate on jumps up (though really not so much anymore since the Loop), but she doesn't think twice about taking the counter jump down in one go even though she could certainly break it up in two jumps just like she breaks up the jump up. She knows the path up. I've shown her the path down is the same way. She's just not interested in taking the long way down. That tells me that her shoulders are probably okay.