The infamous Rare Luxating Patella

[PushPurrCatPaws]

A grade 4 luxated patella should have shown up on x-rays. It is the most severe stage, and essentially means the knee is "out" all of the time and cannot be manually put back in place. It is a lame leg, basically. Grade 1 is the least severe, where the patella can be manually shifted out of place, but generally does not pop out of place on its own. Grades 2 and 3 are variations between those 2 ends of the spectrum. This is when most owners notice something wrong. Usually once you reach grades 2 and 3, you are on your way to progressing to eventual grade 4 and lameness. However, it all depends on what is exactly going on with the joints, knee, ligaments, etc., the cause of the LP, that kind of thing. Depending on a variety of factors like age, cause, and whatnot, most vets/surgeons recommend trying to take care of luxated patellas via surgery when in grades 2 or 3, since grade 4 equates with a lame animal (and the prognosis is usually worse for recovery after surgery when its done in grade 4 LP).

You can always try just monitored cage rest prior to deciding on surgery, as, yes, sometimes that can take care of the issue (esp. if it's a mild or moderate injury). But so much growing and development can occur in the first two years of a cat's life, it's hard to know what might resolve itself with proper care (and no surgery), or what might develop into serious developmental or mechanical problems with the cat (that is, developmental and bone structure, versus just a fluke injury).

 

[emmett]

My cat was born on July 28, 2015 and he is a Scottish Fold (mix?).  I got him from a "breeder" but more of a backyard breeder.  (I know, I know... don't yell at me.  He picked me!).  I had to put my last Persian cat to sleep after 21+ years.  He was blind and deaf and THE meanest cat for all 21 years even towards me and I just couldn't let him go.  I never thought I'd own another cat again since losing Bailey felt like I lost a child, even worse, like I killed my child.  Anyway, after a few weeks of coming home to no one greeting me I started looking but didn't know if I wanted a kitten I could train or an older cat that was set in their ways because I have 2 parrots as well.  I found a Maine Coon that just took a breeder our of their lineup and while she was sweet, neither of us felt a connection.  Then I met Emmett.  He came home with he right then and there.

During our second vet visit it was noted that his knees popped out of their sockets but he seemed fine.  I just took him in for his shots (he's now 1.7 years old).  I was told that his legs were worse and I needed to start him on a joint supplement immediately and consult a surgeon.

I had a surgery consult this past weekend and Emmett was rated a 2...kind of a "gray" area according to the doctor.  He wouldn't tell me if I should get surgery now or later.  It's up to me.  No, I'm paying for YOUR advice!  I figured since he didn't say Emmett needed surgery I would hold off and go back in 6 months to re-evaluate.

Has anyone else had this problem with not knowing WHEN to have the surgery?  Emmett really is in the "gray" area.  He jumps up and down from the couch.  He jumps in and out of the bath tub.  He jumps on my bed because I wake up with him every morning.  Sometimes he prefers me to pick him up by tapping my arm to get my attention.  When we play, he's not fond of running.  He'd rather plop on his side and grab at the strings on the stick.  He does not make any painful sounds, even when the surgeon was doing the consultation.  Now that I know what to look for, I notice his left knee is worse and he falls occasionally when jumping down on slippery surfaces or he shakes the leg to get it back in place.

I know he needs surgery.  I also know it's going to cost me $3500.  I love him SOOO much.  I just wanted the surgeon to say "set a surgery date" but since he didn't I don't know what else to do other than continue with the joint supplement.

Any advice? 

 

[foxxycat]

Well I have a bit of a story about my Honeybee.

in 2013 we adopted her. That spring she injured her knee. I noticed she was limping and was laying down a lot and not running around. I also took her to our vet. he did xrays and the structure looked ok. But her knee kept popping out but I could reinstall the knee back. They did a shot of pred and suggested resting for 2 weeks. That didn't go over well. So we started dasquin and they considered Adequan. so after all the fuss=it ended up being a ligament injury.

I don't know if she fell or what but we think she tried to jump from the counter onto the table and fell. So after 5 to 6 weeks it got better. It's now 2017. and we haven't done dasquin for her in a couple of years.

I would suggest waiting 6 weeks before you do the surgery. Sometimes we have what's called soft tissue injuries and ligament strains/sprains do take that long to heal. We used pain meds a few times in the beginning and Cerenia for her pain/nausea due to the injury. I think we did sub fluids a few times as well to help hydrate her body. It's been a while and I wish I could remember better but we just tried to keep her quiet and make her rest. We set up small obstacle course at 5 weeks to help her rehab her knee like ramps and stepping up and down stuff. Luckily it seemed to heal and we didn't notice anymore complications other than a year later we took her to a cat show and that made her knee act up again. Being in the cage and not able to walk around and stretch made her limp for a couple of weeks but since then we haven't seen a recurrence of the limping.

Needless to say we no longer do cat shows for this reason. It was just too much stress on her- and she got very ill from cat flu that she caught from the cats next to us but that's a entirely different story.

Sometimes allowing a month to heal is better on them than just jumping into surgery. It also depends on what they find in the MRI or xrays. Just my 2 cents view on this complicated issue.

I hope all the kitties who have problems can get some relief and fast healing. Sometimes it just takes time to see if it's an injury that needs time to heal or if it's in fact floating kneecaps.

The kneecap in a cat is very small and sometimes the grove that it sits on can be too shallow which is why it comes out of the groove. The doctor usually makes the groove deeper and pins part of the knee cap into place to avoid luxating patella in the future.

 

[Margret]

 
Well I have a bit of a story about my Honeybee.

in 2013 we adopted her. That spring she injured her knee. I noticed she was limping and was laying down a lot and not running around. I also took her to our vet. he did xrays and the structure looked ok. But her knee kept popping out but I could reinstall the knee back. They did a shot of pred and suggested resting for 2 weeks. That didn't go over well. So we started dasquin and they considered Adequan. so after all the fuss=it ended up being a ligament injury.

I don't know if she fell or what but we think she tried to jump from the counter onto the table and fell. So after 5 to 6 weeks it got better. It's now 2017. and we haven't done dasquin for her in a couple of years.

I would suggest waiting 6 weeks before you do the surgery. Sometimes we have what's called soft tissue injuries and ligament strains/sprains do take that long to heal. We used pain meds a few times in the beginning and Cerenia for her pain/nausea due to the injury. I think we did sub fluids a few times as well to help hydrate her body. It's been a while and I wish I could remember better but we just tried to keep her quiet and make her rest. We set up small obstacle course at 5 weeks to help her rehab her knee like ramps and stepping up and down stuff. Luckily it seemed to heal and we didn't notice anymore complications other than a year later we took her to a cat show and that made her knee act up again. Being in the cage and not able to walk around and stretch made her limp for a couple of weeks but since then we haven't seen a recurrence of the limping.

Needless to say we no longer do cat shows for this reason. It was just too much stress on her- and she got very ill from cat flu that she caught from the cats next to us but that's a entirely different story.

Sometimes allowing a month to heal is better on them than just jumping into surgery. It also depends on what they find in the MRI or xrays. Just my 2 cents view on this complicated issue.

I hope all the kitties who have problems can get some relief and fast healing. Sometimes it just takes time to see if it's an injury that needs time to heal or if it's in fact floating kneecaps.

The kneecap in a cat is very small and sometimes the grove that it sits on can be too shallow which is why it comes out of the groove. The doctor usually makes the groove deeper and pins part of the knee cap into place to avoid luxating patella in the future.

This sounds to me like plain common sense (which is a surprisingly rare and valuable thing).  If it's something that has a chance to heal on its own, give it that chance.  It's less traumatic both for the patient and for your budget.

Margret

 

[Margret]

 
My cat was born on July 28, 2015 and he is a Scottish Fold (mix?).  I got him from a "breeder" but more of a backyard breeder.  (I know, I know... don't yell at me.  He picked me!).  I had to put my last Persian cat to sleep after 21+ years.  He was blind and deaf and THE meanest cat for all 21 years even towards me and I just couldn't let him go.  I never thought I'd own another cat again since losing Bailey felt like I lost a child, even worse, like I killed my child.  Anyway, after a few weeks of coming home to no one greeting me I started looking but didn't know if I wanted a kitten I could train or an older cat that was set in their ways because I have 2 parrots as well.  I found a Maine Coon that just took a breeder our of their lineup and while she was sweet, neither of us felt a connection.  Then I met Emmett.  He came home with he right then and there.

During our second vet visit it was noted that his knees popped out of their sockets but he seemed fine.  I just took him in for his shots (he's now 1.7 years old).  I was told that his legs were worse and I needed to start him on a joint supplement immediately and consult a surgeon.

I had a surgery consult this past weekend and Emmett was rated a 2...kind of a "gray" area according to the doctor.  He wouldn't tell me if I should get surgery now or later.  It's up to me.  No, I'm paying for YOUR advice!  I figured since he didn't say Emmett needed surgery I would hold off and go back in 6 months to re-evaluate.

Has anyone else had this problem with not knowing WHEN to have the surgery?  Emmett really is in the "gray" area.  He jumps up and down from the couch.  He jumps in and out of the bath tub.  He jumps on my bed because I wake up with him every morning.  Sometimes he prefers me to pick him up by tapping my arm to get my attention.  When we play, he's not fond of running.  He'd rather plop on his side and grab at the strings on the stick.  He does not make any painful sounds, even when the surgeon was doing the consultation.  Now that I know what to look for, I notice his left knee is worse and he falls occasionally when jumping down on slippery surfaces or he shakes the leg to get it back in place.

I know he needs surgery.  I also know it's going to cost me $3500.  I love him SOOO much.  I just wanted the surgeon to say "set a surgery date" but since he didn't I don't know what else to do other than continue with the joint supplement.

Any advice? 

I've never had a cat with this problem, so the only advice I can give is "Listen to the other people on this site who do have experience."

What I can and will say is, Welcome to TCS!   We're very glad to have you here, though we're sorry it was a medical problem that brought you to us.  We hope that you and Emmett will be members for a long time.  You've found one of the most supportive communities on the internet.

Margret

 

[emmett]

Emmett was about 14 weeks old when his vet first noted the problem and now he'll be 2 in July.  I did just start on a gel joint supplement about 2 weeks ago and I heard it can take 6-8 weeks to start working.  The surgeon said there is no arthritis (yet).  Emmett is able to pop his back in place by himself but it has to hurt when he jumps down and falls on a leg that is out of it's socket.  Although he does the normal "hurry up and start licking myself before she notices I fell" act.  I just love him so much and I don't want him in pain.  The surgeon said he's at a high annoyance, mild pain threshold right now.  So do I wait until he's in more pain or do the surgery while he's still able to do most everything?

 

[foxxycat]

That's a tough one. That sounds like it's a likely candidate for the surgery. So you are saying for the past 12-18 months he's still having the kneecap pop out?

If yes then maybe it's time to find a GOOD ortho vet. Not all vets are specialized in things like this BUT some small town vets are incrediably talented so sometimes you have to take what you can get.

Be aware you need to set up some kind of dog cage to keep him in for minimum 6 weeks. 10 weeks is perfect. Remember 4 to 6 weeks for basic ligament healing. The surgery will help improve the structure of the knee but the rehab time is the time the bone needs to heal where it's cut and then the sutures where the ligaments are reattached to stop the knee from popping out. Sounds like the ligaments have been stretched and needs readjustment and the groove may be too  narrow so they will need to reconstruct the groove.

A quiet cage with litter water/food and some time with you as well. Do you have a room you can put two of these together? I think I have seen some people make it 4 feet by 8 feet wide by putting 2 of them in a row so the kitty can have a bit of room to move around but we don't want him jumping and leaping. It's going to be tough to have them in a cage for 2 months but it's very doable.

And yes you want to do the surgery before arthritis get's inside the joint to make the surgery a more of a success and healing times less. A good ortho can work around the arthritis but it's a good idea to do it before the joint breaks down and has less surface area to cut into.

 

[Margret]

 
Emmett was about 14 weeks old when his vet first noted the problem and now he'll be 2 in July.  I did just start on a gel joint supplement about 2 weeks ago and I heard it can take 6-8 weeks to start working.  The surgeon said there is no arthritis (yet).  Emmett is able to pop his back in place by himself but it has to hurt when he jumps down and falls on a leg that is out of it's socket.  Although he does the normal "hurry up and start licking myself before she notices I fell" act.  I just love him so much and I don't want him in pain.  The surgeon said he's at a high annoyance, mild pain threshold right now.  So do I wait until he's in more pain or do the surgery while he's still able to do most everything?

That's called "composure grooming."  It translates "I know I just did something stupid, and I want my mommy to comfort me with her tongue, but since she's not here I'll just have to do it myself."  Then, when you notice, that gets turned into "I meant to do that.  You don't need to know why; it's a cat thing and therefore you're not smart enough to understand."  AKA "cattitude."

Yes, joint supplements do take a while to begin working.  At least, they do in humans, so it makes sense that they would in cats.  If it were me, I think I would start by giving the supplements a couple of months, then have Emmett reevaluated.  At that point, if there were no sign of improvement, I think I'd opt to do the surgery as soon as possible.  But, once again, I have no direct experience with this particular problem, so you should give more weight to the advice of other people in this thread.

Margret

 

[foxxycat]

yes it does take 6 weeks to start working-Pumpkin face is on it and I see a bit of improvement but she's got advanced arthritis which is different than the luxating patella..

Honeybee..I think fell out of the window..I think she was on the deck railing and jumped to the window and fell. I didn't see it but that's what we are guessing because she was jumping from the window over 2 feet to the railing. Jon since has put up a wonderful platform right in front of the window so she won't have to risk falling off the window again. it's 2 feet long and is only a foot away from the deck railing...since then we haven't had anymore injuries..we suspect she jumped to catch a bird...she was bringing birds into the house.. not my idea..this was when Jon watches her..I keep the window shut LOL. because who wants feathers all over the kitchen?!! (DONT ASK LOL)

That summer I remember she caught two birds right after another-since then we don't put up bird seed but they still hang out. I haven't heard from Jon of anymore critter incidents with the birds anyways.

Honeybee was so rambunctious that resting wasn't an option. She would walk then lay down. Get up. the knee bothering her and lay down. She was trying to keep it low key and yes she too didn't want mom to figure out she was uncomfortable as she knew she would be banished to the house-which I prefer to be indoor kitty but nope she pouts and hides and wont let us near her..so we compromise and I go outside with her now. At least now she's calmed down a bit and isn't so rambunctious anymore..we guess she is age 6 now..maybe younger..hard to say..they said she was a young 1-2 year old kitty in 2013. So she's either 4-5-6. or ??

And yes her kneecap was popping out. It would stay popped out unless I straighten her leg which earned a whap from her claws or a growl to leave her alone. So often I would see her straighten her leg and it goes back in. It was a grade 2 as well as sometimes it went back and most often I had to reset the knee cap and she would be fine. It seemed to come out when she jumped or landed. Walking on flat surfaces was fine. It was during one of our vacations in maine was when we noticed the knee improving..it was about a month after the injury. it was helpful to have her walk all over the large yard they had-she's more dog than cat-she never goes far off and prefers to meow at us to follow her. so luckily it healed but yes they said it was around $3500 for the surgery and we decided to deal with it in September..the injury was late June/july. By September she improved. And we were going to bring her to Angell hospital for the surgery.  Luckily that never came about.

I wish the same for your kitty @Emmett  but it does sound like you will have to deal with it. It's best to have the surgery in the winter when they are house bound than the summertime I think but it's just my opinion. Maybe find another ortho vet to see what they say. It sounds like arthritis takes years to start...maybe you have another 6 to 12 months to think about it. I even asked if they had knee braces like they make for people..I have one for my right knee...maybe someone has invented a sling or something to help keep that knee cap from slipping?

 

[emmett]

 
yes it does take 6 weeks to start working-Pumpkin face is on it and I see a bit of improvement but she's got advanced arthritis which is different than the luxating patella..

Honeybee..I think fell out of the window..I think she was on the deck railing and jumped to the window and fell. I didn't see it but that's what we are guessing because she was jumping from the window over 2 feet to the railing. Jon since has put up a wonderful platform right in front of the window so she won't have to risk falling off the window again. it's 2 feet long and is only a foot away from the deck railing...since then we haven't had anymore injuries..we suspect she jumped to catch a bird...she was bringing birds into the house.. not my idea..this was when Jon watches her..I keep the window shut LOL. because who wants feathers all over the kitchen?!! (DONT ASK LOL)

That summer I remember she caught two birds right after another-since then we don't put up bird seed but they still hang out. I haven't heard from Jon of anymore critter incidents with the birds anyways.

Honeybee was so rambunctious that resting wasn't an option. She would walk then lay down. Get up. the knee bothering her and lay down. She was trying to keep it low key and yes she too didn't want mom to figure out she was uncomfortable as she knew she would be banished to the house-which I prefer to be indoor kitty but nope she pouts and hides and wont let us near her..so we compromise and I go outside with her now. At least now she's calmed down a bit and isn't so rambunctious anymore..we guess she is age 6 now..maybe younger..hard to say..they said she was a young 1-2 year old kitty in 2013. So she's either 4-5-6. or ??

And yes her kneecap was popping out. It would stay popped out unless I straighten her leg which earned a whap from her claws or a growl to leave her alone. So often I would see her straighten her leg and it goes back in. It was a grade 2 as well as sometimes it went back and most often I had to reset the knee cap and she would be fine. It seemed to come out when she jumped or landed. Walking on flat surfaces was fine. It was during one of our vacations in maine was when we noticed the knee improving..it was about a month after the injury. it was helpful to have her walk all over the large yard they had-she's more dog than cat-she never goes far off and prefers to meow at us to follow her. so luckily it healed but yes they said it was around $3500 for the surgery and we decided to deal with it in September..the injury was late June/july. By September she improved. And we were going to bring her to Angell hospital for the surgery.  Luckily that never came about.

I wish the same for your kitty @Emmett  but it does sound like you will have to deal with it. It's best to have the surgery in the winter when they are house bound than the summertime I think but it's just my opinion. Maybe find another ortho vet to see what they say. It sounds like arthritis takes years to start...maybe you have another 6 to 12 months to think about it. I even asked if they had knee braces like they make for people..I have one for my right knee...maybe someone has invented a sling or something to help keep that knee cap from slipping?

Thank you for replying!  I'm glad I found this place!!

Emmett's is a congenital defect probably from to much inbreeding.  We was a tiny baby when it was first diagnosed.  I'm SO glad his go back into place by themselves....for now at least.

I asked the surgeon if I should exercise him more or start babying him more and not letting him jump as much.  I was told to baby him.  Let him jump if he wants but if I see him to pick him up.  No running but to let him walk as much as possible.  I live in an apartment and I don't know how he's going to like going for walks but I'm going to try once the weather gets warm.!

 

[all4mom]

Are you sure this isn't just a run-of-the-mill CCL (the cat equivalent of the ACL) tear?  My cat has that, as well...    They can be misdiagnosed.

 

[all4mom]

Are you sure this isn't just a run-of-the-mill CCL (the feline equivalent of the dog's -- and people's -- ACL) tear or rupture?  My cat has that, as well.  Things can be misdiagnosed...

 

[emmett]

 
Are you sure this isn't just a run-of-the-mill CCL (the feline equivalent of the dog's -- and people's -- ACL) tear or rupture?  My cat has that, as well.  Things can be misdiagnosed...

The surgeon is sure it is not a torn ACL although the longer I let things go he very well could tear it before he has surgery.  Luckily he doesn't jump much and when he does it isn't a high distance.

 

[carocats]

Don't see an option for a new post, so hope "reply" works. I have posted several times on the past about Ozzie (initially known as Mr. Brown) - double luxating patellas. My experience with him and, as it eventually turned out, also his brother Cooper answer some of the questions others have raised over time in these posts:

1. Luxating patellas are congenital but aren't always evident as a kitten. Cinderella, my current LP kitty, just turned 4 yrs old and only just began limping and got diagnosed - more about her below as she has more going on than just the patellas.

2. For those with a lower grade, mobility not yet badly affected and no apparent pain - i.e. able to instinctively stop and rest/adjust position so that patellas go back in by themselves, a wait and see period is probably the best idea. Ozzie lost some weight and became more active after being caged as a kitten and then let out, and his condition improved such that he was soon able to run, climb and get into bar stools and on counters, all without any actual treatment. We lost him at 2 to acute renal failure due most likely to ingestion of a tiny amount of antifreeze from a broken snow globe (see past post), but this was unrelated to his patella situation. Our specialist had said when he was 5 months and stage 2 to wait and see, he might grow out if it, and apparently he did. Of course it is possible that eventually the patellas would have started to luxate again and/or arthritis would have set in but we unfortunately now will never know.

3. Meanwhile, Ozzie's brother Cooper, adopted out at 10 weeks, had apparently also developed a luxating patella when he was about a year old. His adopters went to the same specialist who saw Ozzie, and a grade III/V was diagnosed. They elected surgery and apparently he recovered well. Late last year when Cooper was 3 they returned him to us because of several episodes of sterile cystitis/supposed indiscriminate urination. Other than blood in his urine the first day, treated with Onsior, he has had no problems since, so we believe there was stress in the adoptive household causing that problem. So far Cooper's left leg seems normal and his right leg - the one operated on - is fine too. The only possible evidence of the past patella problem may be that he likes to lie on his back with legs in the air, and he is very rotund, which we are watching. He has another brother who was adopted out young and I'm going to check to see whether he is OK. In addition we have their sister, Suzie, who so far is also OK. We also have their mother, Brownie. Nothing so far wrong with her.

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Cooper
4. For those for whom buprenorphine is prescribed, get your vet to call in a scrip to Roadrunner Pharmacy in AZ. We pay approx. $45 for 30 ml. I run a rescue so we often have more than one cat on it. Your vet might prescribe less but you save more with larger amounts and overall it is way less expensive than individual doses from the vet.

5. Keeping weight down is crucial for patella problem cats. No dry food, or at least as little as possible.

6. Cost comparison - our surgical specialist said approx. $2800 for double patella surgery done at same time here in Columbia SC with board certified specialist. I had some concerns about doing both legs at once on Cinderella, but after reading back posts from others, I think it will be best plus it saves money.

7. Now to Cinderella. Like Ozzie and Cooper, she was rescued as a kitten from Kirkland Correctional Institution, a high security men's prison here in Columbia with a large feral cat population, and where we were doing TNR. We do not know who Cinder's mama was, and do not think it was Brownie - Cinders is about 6 months older than Ozzie and Cooper. She was perhaps 8-9 weeks when she came to us, rather scared and apparently the prison staff found only her at the time, and she was the first kitten we got from Kirkland. Brownie and her 5 week old kittens came later in the year, and although she was feral at first she tamed down eventually, and the kittens were immediately handleable, being so young and possibly handled by inmates, some of whom take an interest in the cats and try to work with them. Cinders went to a foster, a friend and previous adopter, who socialized her well. She came back to us at about 4 or 5 months and has been with us ever since. I thought when I first got her that her pupils looked unusually dilated but our vet examined her and found nothing wrong. She was spayed young as we initially were going to TNR her back to the prison until we realized she was younger than we thought and appeared to allow handling and would perhaps therefore be tameable and hopefully adoptable eventually. In the past year she developed rather severe skin problems - in part due to a flea problem. We have all that under control now. Then I noticed her limping, seemingly with one back leg. I observed and videoed her walking around before the vet appointment and noticed she was also bumping into things. Knowing the patella problems with Ozzie and Cooper and having meanwhile also had 4 other prison kittens who turned out to be blind, I knew what was coming. Cinderella has lost her sight to retinal degeneration (one other prison kitty has this and 3 have juvenile cataracts - all congenital). In addition, Cinders has double luxating patellas and apparently also had something wrong with her left shoulder. So off to the specialist. He was more concerned about the shoulder after examining her, and wanted to sedate her for X-rays. During this he found a tumor in the shoulder joint and did a bone biopsy, and consulted with oncologist. I brought her home to await biopsy results, which they said could take 2 weeks. They were certain it was cancer due to bone lysis (holes/disintegration); only real question was which type of cancer - osteosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, etc. Patella situation on back burner since if she had cancer it would probably be moot. When I got her home and out of the carrier I realized they had biopsied RIGHT shoulder not the left, which was the only one we'd noticed the crunching/popping with, and which my regular vet had Xrayed. Immediately thought surgeon had made a mistake, but turns out when he examined Cinders he found major problems with right shoulder and apparently, seeing that, didn't pay close attention to the left. Subsequent Xrays of left shoulder showed problem there, too - not quite as bad as right, however. Finally, we got biopsy result - NOT cancer! Yay! But although they were able to rule out cancer, the pathologist said not a big enough tissue sample to determine what IS wrong. Don't want to put her thru another $1000 bone biopsy. Worst case scenario shoulder(s) worsen and he could put a plate in; meanwhile use pain and arthritis meds as necessary. I did some research and am also looking into stem cell therapy and Assisi Loop (see Little Bub and the Assisi Loop website - might be of some help to cats who had surgery but have developed arthritis and/or still have pain). So now we are back to considering doing patellas. She is used to being crated so that won't be a problem during recovery. She currently hobbles around and lies down a lot but doesn't appear to be in pain, and uses back legs to scratch herself at times. Eats well - too well! Researching joint problems in cats I found a paper by one specialist listing various conditions affecting the joints of cats, all pretty rare. One seemed to fit Cinders - involving shouders, patellas and sometimes also skin problems, and he also states that research shows that gene anomalies can affect eyes as well as joints. We now have to work on raiding $$ for Cinder's surgeries.
Cinderella:

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• carocats
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[carocats]

Also, with reference to managing Cinderella's shoulder problems, what arthritis supplements/meds dies anyone have their kitty on?

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• carocats
• Mar 28, 2017

 

[foxxycat]

we use dasquin. I can get it on chewy.com for $25. It's the cheapest I have found. Yes weight loss is very important for any bone issues. I have an older kitty who I have cut back on food but she still hasn't lost any weight.

I am so glad people are sharing their experiences with these complex issues.  We are learning that we can use what we know for humans in reference to rehabilitation and use it on our four legged friends. Ice or heat/rest/exercise/diet is always core basics in dealing with most bone issues.

 

[catpack]

So far my favorite arthritis medication is Adequan. It's an injectable medication given Sub-Q.

 

[mentat]

I use primarily Adequan for long term osteoarthritis management. At trauma event, or acute pain diagnosis, Onsior, and previously Metacam, were the choice options to get swelling and pain down quickly. Onsior comes in 6mg tablets, given daily, then every other day, and lower, to effect, for short term, usually 1-2 weeks postop or post-trauma. Metacam liquid is given at a very low dose mL per lb or kg. With both, the vet prefers to monitor kidney values closely, prior to starting, and after. But, for QOL, my one cat with slightly high kidney values was still kept on Metacam as he was too painful without it. Being on it didn't make is values higher, as we supported him with fluid therapy multiple times a week.

After a week of Onsior or Metacam, much reduced dosing is prescribed, every 2 days, while waiting for initiation of Adequan series to take effect. One of our primary care vets decreased the cats to once weekly when starting Adequan or restarting the series after many months since last series of injections. After once weekly for 4 weeks, they decrease to every 2 weeks if the effect on pain and activity clinically seems to maintain. And continue to decrease, to a once monthly dose, if effective at that frequency. Two of mine stayed on every 2 week regimen until passing. Two are currently on weekly to booster their series again, and will return to every 2 or 3 weeks, depending on what's effective for them. The PSGAGs in Adequan are more effective, and "bioavailable," compared to glucosamine supplements like Cosequin, Dasuquin, and Glycoflex according to my pets' orthopedic surgeons, rehab therapists, and primary care vets. The two older cats still stay on Cosequin, as we clinically see benefit. But Adequan is the gold standard for osteoarthritis management long-term.

 

[dannie c]

My friend's cat had this- and also outgrew it-  the bones are soft when you so the vet says and pliable-   I would wait- if you can grab her from those big jumps- I'd do it-  not so easy with a kitten but might help - I would't go near a vet who suggest surgery for this on such a young kitten

 

[carocats]

Not sure whether you are talking about Cinderella or not, but I apparently failed to make it clear that she is no longer a kitten - she is 4 years old. Since I wrote the above posts she seems to have improved somewhat. She is still hobbling with both back legs but is moving around more and can go quite fast if she wants to, but still lies down often, so probably will be best to get surgery done soon before arthritis worsens. Oddly, her shoulders don't seem to be bothering her as much - she is able to stand on back legs and reach up and scratch on a scratching post, plus she uses back legs to scratch herself in the normal way.