Feline Hip Displasia??

Our cat (Felix) recently and suddenly started limping. Examining him proved that there was no external injury, so we assumed he must have pulled a ligament or something. We took him to a vet. The vet felt around and his speculative (no x-ray) diagnosis was a torn ligament. He gave him "laser pain therapy" and a few syringes of pain med. We then took him to another vet. This vet gave him a general anesthesia and performed an x-ray.

Her somewhat surprised diagnosis was hip displasia. She allowed us to view the x-ray on a computer screen, of which I snapped the (enhanced) image below.

The X-ray seems to confirm her diagnosis, I guess (opinions appreciated). She said that we could give him glucosamine. Since he likes the outdoors, she also said we could let him out without concern.

Questions:

1. Any contradictory opinions on the diagnosis?

2. Assuming the diagnosis is valid (and it does seem so), is letting him outside OK? He limps pretty bad at times (and others, not). There don't seem to be in any symptoms of pain other than the limp. We can move the leg all around, press it, etc. and he never winces or nips. I do worry about him hurting himself climbing, jumping, etc. or not being able to get away from a dog. That said, he mostly just stays in our yard.

He was inside for 2 years and has only been outside for about 6 months (he comes inside suring the day to sleep for about 6 hours. Once it's dark, he wants out). He is miserable inside.

3. How do people here feel about the glucosamine recommendation? We've ordered the product in the link below.

Thanks for any help:

While hip dysplasia in cats is rare it does happen.  I had a cat get traumatic hip dysplasia, he was limping so bad we did a Femoral Head & Neck Osteotomy on him.  Glucosamine is a great idea.  I am giving it to 2 of my cats right now, my 14 year old girl with arthritis and my 6 year old boy who is developing arthritis due to having both patellas surgically repaired (another rarity in cats).  Good luck with your kitty.  Cold weather can make the joints worse so it may not be a good idea to let him out during the winter.

Hip dysplasia happens when the tissue doesn't develop normally. In order properly to treat hip dysplasia, I recommend giving anti-inflammatory medications, such as Tramadol. Cats with hip dysplasia will eventually develop degenerative joint disease as they age. It's important to keep your cat at a healthy, lean weight. Because of the abnormal hip development and degenerative joint disease, hip fractures are more common in cats with hip dysplasia. This requires emergency care.

I agree with cprcheetah, glucosamine is a great idea. Although I have not had a cat with hip dysplasia, my beloved Lab, Maggie was severely affected by it for the last three years of her life.

The glucosamine helped her ease of movement, although it did take a while to work (or for us to notice the difference). If I remember correctly, it was about 4-6 weeks of daily doses before we saw the improvement. We also gave her Chondrotin, but I do not know if that is approved for cats. Many supplements have both because they are often used together.

Since hip dysplasia is progressive, I would do an evaluation of your cat's mobility about twice a week or so and when you begin to see a serious decline, you can start keeping him inside. My Maggie was mobile for 2 years after her diagnosis and the first warning we had that her back legs couldn't support her for much longer was her having a problem walking on grass. She was fine on hard surfaces, but when I walked her on the grass, she would takes a few steps and then sit down. It was about 2 months after that she couldn't walk anymore.

Keeping him in when it is cold out is a good idea, too. Once the dysplasia progresses, you might want to ask your vet for a mild pain killer to keep on hand for days when your kitty is particularly sore.

I recommend talking to your vet about putting your cat on Tramadol. Thankfully, Lilly doesn't have any joint problems. The Tramadol will help your cat move a lot easier.

Thank you for your responses and the advice. It's nice to have such a resource. This was a complete surprise to us. There were no previous symptoms...he just came in one day limping.

And the baffling thing is that he's only just over 2 years old. His parents and siblings have no history or symptoms. I guess we'll try the Glucosamine (<-- the link I forgot to include in my OP), watch his weight (maybe higher quality food) and see how it goes. It's supposed to be rare in cats, but there does seem to be a lot of info around the internet.

At any rate, again, thanks for your remarks. Additional info welcome and appreciated.

Thansk!

Just a little additional info. This all seemed to happen about 1 1/2 weeks ago. What's disturbing is that he is so young (2 1/2 yrs) and that it came on so suddenly and severely. Some days are better than others (in our brief experience), but sometimes (like tonight), he seems really bad and hardly able to walk. My take on this condition was that it is a long term condition, but at the rapid rate this is occurring, he won't be able to walk at all in a few months.

We are still looking for a vet that we feel confident in and have already spent about $400, and this basically bought us only a diagnosis and an xray.

What should we expect from this condition? There seems to be some kind of hip replacement procedure, but we know nothing about it...what it could cost, what the results are, does the surgery generally result in complete recovery, or could it recur?

We love this cat and hate the thought of losing him or him living an "invalid's life".

Thanks for any additional information or experience!

catmangled said:

 
Just a little additional info. This all seemed to happen about 1 1/2 weeks ago. What's disturbing is that he is so young (2 1/2 yrs) and that it came on so suddenly and severely. Some days are better than others (in our brief experience), but sometimes (like tonight), he seems really bad and hardly able to walk. My take on this condition was that it is a long term condition, but at the rapid rate this is occurring, he won't be able to walk at all in a few months.

We are still looking for a vet that we feel confident in and have already spent about $400, and this basically bought us only a diagnosis and an xray.

What should we expect from this condition? There seems to be some kind of hip replacement procedure, but we know nothing about it...what it could cost, what the results are, does the surgery generally result in complete recovery, or could it recur?

We love this cat and hate the thought of losing him or him living an "invalid's life".

Thanks for any additional information or experience!

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Hip Dysplasia can definitely progress.  I would venture to say that a Total Hip Replacement would be quite pricey as it has to be done by a specialist.  For my cat we had the Femoral Head Osteoectomy done (removing the ball out of the joint).  I am blessed to have my father who is a Veterinarian (although now he is semi retired so I work for a different one), so my costs weren't super expensive for it.  But I would venture to say you are probably looking at anywhere from about $700-$1200 or so, hard to say depends on the area and if you would have to have a specialist do that surgery.  My cat Prince recovered just fine after a few weeks, he was walking pretty good, he did develop arthritis in the joint later on but anytime you have surgery on a joint there is that risk.  The Cosequin is an excellent supplement to give.  If you think he is in pain, please talk to your vet about getting him some pain medication, common ones are Tramadol or Buprenex. 

Thanks for your response, cprcheetah. Nice to have a direction and a possibility to ponder. He seemed to have a particularly rough night last night and so we were worried. I suppose our next step is to find a vet we trust. Thanks to all and happy holidays!

LillyDSH said:

 
Hip dysplasia happens when the tissue doesn't develop normally. In order properly to treat hip dysplasia, I recommend giving anti-inflammatory medications, such as Tramadol. Cats with hip dysplasia will eventually develop degenerative joint disease as they age. It's important to keep your cat at a healthy, lean weight. Because of the abnormal hip development and degenerative joint disease, hip fractures are more common in cats with hip dysplasia. This requires emergency care.

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Hi.  It is not recommended that you give any medications without speaking to your vet.  In addition, as you have been to a vet, it is them who should tell you if and when this requires emergency care.

Always keep in mind that information given by posters here are not based on your pet’s full history, and are by people who most likely do not have a degree in veterinary medicine. There are many home remedies, as well as approved veterinary treatments for cat health problems that may work for one cat, but be lethal for another cat. Please discuss any potential treatments with your vet first to ensure you are treating the right problem, and not potentially making it worse.

LillyDSH said:

 
Hip dysplasia happens when the tissue doesn't develop normally. In order properly to treat hip dysplasia, I recommend giving anti-inflammatory medications, such as Tramadol. Cats with hip dysplasia will eventually develop degenerative joint disease as they age. It's important to keep your cat at a healthy, lean weight. Because of the abnormal hip development and degenerative joint disease, hip fractures are more common in cats with hip dysplasia. This requires emergency care.

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Tramadol is not an anti-inflammatory, it is a narcotic like pain medication.  Please discuss any medications with your Veterinarian.

catmangled said:

 
Thanks for your response, cprcheetah. Nice to have a direction and a possibility to ponder. He seemed to have a particularly rough night last night and so we were worried. I suppose our next step is to find a vet we trust. Thanks to all and happy holidays!

Click to expand...

Sorry he had a rough time.  I forgot to mention, my Prince used to like to sleep on heated beds.  I have thermal type beds that reflect the heat that my old kitty DeeJay likes to sleep on.  It you google Thermal Cat Mat you can find them.  Another option for treating your kitties pain is alternative things such as laser therapy (some regular Veterinarians offer this), and rehabilitation such as shock wave therapy, acupuncture, underwater treadmills, things like that.  You can try to find a Rehab vet here: http://www.rehabvets.org/

@LDG has a kitty with fairly severe hip troubles, I know she gives krill oil but she can explain that further as well as any other treatments she uses or used.

I gave my old arthritic kitty Adequan injections from the vet. It didn't affect her CRF or diabetes, but in any case this may be something to ask your vet about pros vs cons.

tulosai: Point well taken and excellent advice. We have no intention of taking any steps not medically approved, but I find the methods those with experience have used to handle their situation as well as the pointers in providing relief to be invaluable.

Thank you, cprcheetah and peaches08. All good information and advice, esp. coming from those who have experienced this. I can't believe this has progressed so quickly.

His activity level has gone to almost none...seems afraid to walk or jump and his hip looks out of joint at times. We have decided to take him to the (very reputable) University Vet Clinic, where they will assess him and give him whatever procedure is required for a reasonable price.

After your mention of the Femoral Head Ostectomy cprcheetah, I researched it and feel that this may be his best shot at a return to normal life and the procedure seems to be quite routine with excellent results. We will see what they say at university. Given the holiday, we haven't talked to them yet. Not sure how long an appt. will take, but I'll return with an update after he has been examined and we are given direction.

Again, thanks for all of the helpful and friendly advice!

I have a 2.5 yr old that was diagnosed with bi-lateral hip dysplasia at 6 wks of age (he is a Maine Coon mix and hip dysplasia is seen in this breed.) Because he was still growing, we monitored him and re x-rayed at 6 mo of age. This reconfirmed the diagnosis; although, Max's hip sockets had grown enough to stabilize the hip bones well enough...we thought he would need surgery.

We tried Max on several medications before finding one that didn't make him so groggy (we have settled on a combination of Onsior and Buprenex.) He also sees a *certified* veterinary chiropractor as needed.

His hips slip from time-to-time and his activity level varies depending on weather and his activity level the day before. He is able to run and jump (though not always gracefully but, cannot climb.

As for him going outside, can you secure your backyard or make him a safe enclosure that he can enjoy?