Psioratic Arthritis?

Arnie is a 12 year old neutered male. He's had arthritis in his hips for a long time now, and his posture is greatly affected. A couple of weeks ago his back left knee joint was so swollen that we took him to the emergency vet, fearing it was broken. They performed x-rays and determined it was really bad arthritis. He's also been having terrible problems with his skin. A few months ago he developed severe acne on his chin. We treated it with what the vet prescribed: very mild benzoyl peroxide and topical ointment. It was suggested to us that it was a result of stress. This week, Arnie's arthritis is better, but his skin is worse than I've ever seen. It's not acne anymore, but what appears to be severe psoriasis - he has open sores, scabs, and bald patches all over his head and neck. He has had instances of conjunctivitis in his eyes. He has also lost 2 pounds over the course of the last year, but he isn't eating any less. We took him to his regular vet who did a lot of bloodwork (to check his thyroid, etc.) and all of the tests came back negative. Could this be Psioratic Arthritis? If so, what would be the best thing to do? Allergy tests?

Welcome to the forum!

I'll give you my instinctual response to the general picture you're painting. My sense, from readong others' experiences here and on other forums, is that cats with such symptoms are better served by Homeopathic (Holistic)Veterinarians. I'm talking about better outcomes...

"Western medecine" goes "all out" with antibiotics, pain meds, injections and, in the end...well, there really is no "end". Allopathy, on the other hand, uses a completely different approach and...just from my own perspective, seems to fill in the missing links.

You're probably spending a bundle as it is...if it were me, I would seek out a Holistic Veterinarian and arrange a consult. Unfortunately, there are no Homeopaths in my area...fortunately, I have six very healthy cats!

If it's an option you're interested in pursuing, you could look here. If the search feature is confusing, their Association's phone & email contact info is at the bottom.

Do you know exactly what bloodwork was done ?? I ask cause some vet check CBC and thyroid but leave off kidney , liver and pancreas

I am one who uses a holistic vet and also a oriental medicine vet ... If you are willing to think outside the box they are a great resource ... NOTE : while some vets are on the Great link provided by Blaise many are not , I found mine thru word of mouth ...

May I ask what the kitty is eating ?? and has it changed resently ( either type , brand or possibley the maker changed something in the formula??

For my arthritic s I use a combo of natural "drugs/ supplements" /// the most effective here seem s to be trixsyn

I know they did a CBC, and they were supposed to check his liver and kidneys to see if he could be put on a regular pain meds schedule. He's actually my room mate's cat... I'll have to ask her for the paperwork. He's eating crap food right now - Science Diet Oral Care. He's been eating that for as long as he's lived here (over a year). We've tried to convince her to switch him over but she's pretty stubborn. Our cats eat Orijen. But I've read that wheat can aggravate psoriasis, so hopefully she'll have to switch his food. There is a holistic vet not very far from our house... I'll talk to Kimmy, hopefully she'll be open to the idea. I was also thinking we should try out this BIO VITES Joint Powder to see if it helps with his arthritis - do any of you know anything about it? Where do you get Trixsyn? At a natural health foods store?

...we should try out this BIO VITES Joint Powder to see if it helps with his arthritis...

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ShiftlessAderes- please don't experiment with things like this on a cat. There are some proven safe and effective natural treatments, there are also lots of unknowns out there which may do nothing, perhaps some good, perhaps some/very much harm.

You are very fortunate to have a holistic Vet nearby...take advantage of that !!!

trixsyn is something a holistic vet can get ...

Apparently cats can get autoimmune related arthritis - though supposedly rare. I couldn't even begin to guess what the tests would be used for cats. Can they test a cat's sed rate?
As for psoriatic arthritis, I'm not sure if cats can get this. It's not always easy to test for in humans - sed rate and tissue typing can be negative, so usually family and case history is taken into account more then anything else.


If it is autoimmune related steroids would probably be your only choice in treatment. As anyone who has done some research on autoimmune disorders knows, supplements aren't going to make the body stop attacking itself.

My only suggestion is to hunt for a specialist.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Apparently cats can get autoimmune related arthritis - though supposedly rare. I couldn't even begin to guess what the tests would be used for cats. Can they test a cat's sed rate?
As for psoriatic arthritis, I'm not sure if cats can get this. It's not always easy to test for in humans - sed rate and tissue typing can be negative, so usually family and case history is taken into account more then anything else.


If it is autoimmune related steroids would probably be your only choice in treatment. As anyone who has done some research on autoimmune disorders knows, supplements aren't going to make the body stop attacking itself.

My only suggestion is to hunt for a specialist.

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In mine there is a way to stop without steriods ... but true most auto immunes are not like that

^True, sometimes the body does go into natural remissions. The best way to help it do that is to just be healthy - though some things (certain supplements) just give the immune system more fuel to fight you with.