Hello! I would like to know if anyone else out there has a cat with OI. I currently have one, Redd. She is being treated by a homeopathic vet and is doing quite well.
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Osteogenesis Imperfecta
- Thread starter sassyfras
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I would like to know what this disease is? I have never heard of it.
PS - my orange female is also named Little Red
PS - my orange female is also named Little Red
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- #3
Good Morning to you and Little Red!
OI is comonly known as Brittle Bone Disease. If you saw the movie "Unbreakable," it's the disease that Samuel L. Jackson's character had. It's very rare in people (only 30,000-50,000 in the U.S. have it), and most human medical professionals have not heard of it, so don't feel bad for not having heard of it. Our regular vet and the vet surgeon we first consulted about Redd had also never heard of it.
People and animals who have OI have a problem with the collagen in their bones. If bone is analogized to concrete, collagen is the rebar; it's the frame for the actual bone cells (osteoblasts?). OI patients sustain broken bones more easily than the rest of us. There is tremendous variation in OI patients. Some break constantly and look like they have a problem of some sort, while others look normal, just a bit short, and only break occasionally. In its worst form, OI is lethal in utero and the afflicted individual is stillborn. Fortunately, Redd is at the mild end of the spectrum.
Redd's current vet knows how to deal with OI because the vet's daughter also has it. (Is that a weird coincidence or what?) Redd's vet has only heard of one other feline case, and that cat was euthanized as soon as the owner got the diagnosis. We did not choose this course of action because all three vets we consulted about Redd told us that she was a basically happy cat who had a good quality of life and there was no need to do this. I would like to know if Redd is the only OI kitty out there and, if there are others, how they are being treated.
Here is a picture of Redd getting into the Christmas spirit (and getting in the way!!).
Have a great day, and thanks for viewing my post.
OI is comonly known as Brittle Bone Disease. If you saw the movie "Unbreakable," it's the disease that Samuel L. Jackson's character had. It's very rare in people (only 30,000-50,000 in the U.S. have it), and most human medical professionals have not heard of it, so don't feel bad for not having heard of it. Our regular vet and the vet surgeon we first consulted about Redd had also never heard of it.
People and animals who have OI have a problem with the collagen in their bones. If bone is analogized to concrete, collagen is the rebar; it's the frame for the actual bone cells (osteoblasts?). OI patients sustain broken bones more easily than the rest of us. There is tremendous variation in OI patients. Some break constantly and look like they have a problem of some sort, while others look normal, just a bit short, and only break occasionally. In its worst form, OI is lethal in utero and the afflicted individual is stillborn. Fortunately, Redd is at the mild end of the spectrum.
Redd's current vet knows how to deal with OI because the vet's daughter also has it. (Is that a weird coincidence or what?) Redd's vet has only heard of one other feline case, and that cat was euthanized as soon as the owner got the diagnosis. We did not choose this course of action because all three vets we consulted about Redd told us that she was a basically happy cat who had a good quality of life and there was no need to do this. I would like to know if Redd is the only OI kitty out there and, if there are others, how they are being treated.
Here is a picture of Redd getting into the Christmas spirit (and getting in the way!!).
Have a great day, and thanks for viewing my post.
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Our german shepherd Kenai has this disease. We were told she wouldn't live to be a year old, but she will be turning 4 this year. We were told to crate or kennel her for 24/7 but we decided to just let her be a dog and when it happens, we will deal with it from there. The only thing I do for her that is different from other dogs, is she does not get commercial dog food, I make her food myself out of food that we ourselves eat. She loves the stuff, and though it is expensive to make, it is necessary for her health.
Im sorry I don't have info/advice or anything on this disease, but I just wanted to say what a beautiful kitty Redd is!! Wow!! I only know what you'e talking about because I saw that film "Unbreakable"!!
I hope she turns out as well as Hissy's German Shepheard, Im sure she will! Love to you both!
I hope she turns out as well as Hissy's German Shepheard, Im sure she will! Love to you both!
Your Redd is indeed a beautiful animal! I pray you will get some assistance and answers for her.
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Here is the recipe I use for Kenai. Maybe you can talk to your vet and see if you can use some or all of this for Redd. I don't know if it suitable for cats, but it is worth a try.
10 pounds raw hamburger
1 large box TOTAL cereal
1 large box oatmeal
1 jar wheat germ
1 1/4 cup pure vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
10 raw eggs
10 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
pinch of salt.
Mix all this up similiar to like you would a meatloaf but don't cook it. Divide it up into 10 qt. freezer bags and freeze. Thaw as needed
10 pounds raw hamburger
1 large box TOTAL cereal
1 large box oatmeal
1 jar wheat germ
1 1/4 cup pure vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
10 raw eggs
10 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
pinch of salt.
Mix all this up similiar to like you would a meatloaf but don't cook it. Divide it up into 10 qt. freezer bags and freeze. Thaw as needed
I am so happy that you found such a good vet and I wish the best for you and Redd. Currently, if anything, what do you do different for Redd and if you don't mind me asking, how did it come about that something was wrong with Redd? I like to learn as much information as I can when I hear something new about animals. Your baby Redd sounds so lucky to have you! Oh, and welcome!
AAww Poor Redd....
That sounds like a horrible disease. I was aware of it in people, but people understand what they can do and not do to minimize danger.
Poor kitty,but I do not think it is a coincidence that your Vet's pet has the same disease.
I think it was meant to be.
I wish you much luck in your treatment and for the kitty...
That sounds like a horrible disease. I was aware of it in people, but people understand what they can do and not do to minimize danger.
Poor kitty,but I do not think it is a coincidence that your Vet's pet has the same disease.
I think it was meant to be.
I wish you much luck in your treatment and for the kitty...
oops Val - I think it was the daughter of the vet.
OOPS!!!
Sorry :/
Sorry :/
The only thing I have ever heard about it was brought up with certain breeds of cats. From everything I have heard or read it was never clear weather there was a definate gene link or a diet deficiency. I havn't heard anything about treatment of any kind. It sounds like a great thing that your vet is familiar with it. I don't think you will find a lot of people that have cats with the problem. That's not to say that cats don't get it very often, but I would bet that it goes misdiagnosed quite often.
Redd is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!
Redd is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!
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- #13
Greetings, All! Thanks for all of your warm wishes.
Hissy, you don't know how happy I was to find out that I was not the only one out there who thought that automatically euthanizing pets with this disease was not an option!! We were also originally advised to keep Redd constantly kenneled and that Redd would get to a point, probably before she was two, where we would have to euthanize her because she would be constantly breaking. I am happy to report that she will be 2 in April and is doing even better now than when she was a kitten.
Redd's current vet said that there was no way to protect OI patients from breaking; you just had to let them live their lives and deal with the breaks when they happened. We have followed this advice, and we're all happy with it. This vet also advised us that the disease could also improve as Redd matured and went through heat. This seems to be the case. She still breaks, but it's not as frequent as when she was little. The breaks are also increasingly milder.
Also, Hissy, thanks for the recipe. She's been on AFS cat patties, but I think she might like your recipe.
Hissy, you don't know how happy I was to find out that I was not the only one out there who thought that automatically euthanizing pets with this disease was not an option!! We were also originally advised to keep Redd constantly kenneled and that Redd would get to a point, probably before she was two, where we would have to euthanize her because she would be constantly breaking. I am happy to report that she will be 2 in April and is doing even better now than when she was a kitten.
Redd's current vet said that there was no way to protect OI patients from breaking; you just had to let them live their lives and deal with the breaks when they happened. We have followed this advice, and we're all happy with it. This vet also advised us that the disease could also improve as Redd matured and went through heat. This seems to be the case. She still breaks, but it's not as frequent as when she was little. The breaks are also increasingly milder.
Also, Hissy, thanks for the recipe. She's been on AFS cat patties, but I think she might like your recipe.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #14
Sfell, and anyone else who is interested, since you want to learn more, here goes a bit more about Redd and "OI in a nutshell." :-) Sorry if this is more info than you wanted.
I have seen Redd's x-rays, and her breaks are not what you think of when you think of a broken bone; the bone does not splinter or break into pieces. Rather, she has "green stick" fractures. This is what it is like when you break a green stick: although the stick is broken, it does not break into two pieces or break all the way through. Thus, looking at her x-rays, you can see the callus from previous breaks, but not any current breaks. This is part of why she was not diagnosed until after her second break. WHen she got the first one, we jsut thought she was clumsy.
Redd deals with her breaks very well. It is rare for her to just sit there and cry; she has only had a total of 3 breaks that were this bad. She usually just keeps on doing what she wants to do, albeit on 3 legs!!
However, even with the worst break, she is fully using the leg again in, at most, 2 weeks. And, as I mentioned in the post to Hissy, the breaks are getting more and more infrequent since she's gone through puberty. Somehow those "female hormones" are helping her out!
We think that she got OI due to a spontaneous genetic mutation; it can happen this way. We also have her mother, two brothers, and sister, and none of them have OI. We discovered that something was wrong with her after her second broken leg. The vet surgeon we had consulted spent hours pouring through old vet journals and found two articles about other animals with it: one articles was on 3 puppies, and the other on 1 kitten, all with OI.
When she was first diagnosed, I did some research on my own and learned that conventional medicine cannot do much for OI. People with particularly bad cases are "rodded": they have surgery to attach rods to their bones to make the bones grow straight. We did not even think of doing this to Redd, as it seemed too much to put her through. There is no other real treatment option offered for OI by conventional medicine.
I was getting very discouraged over lack of treatment options for this dear little kitty, whom we've had since she was 2 days old, when my good friend Tina referred us to Redd's current vet. Redd takes Calc Phos dissolved in water 3x a day on a regular basis. This boosts her energy and helps her to feel well overall. She also takes a few grains of silica remedy every couple of months; this helps prevent breaks. When she does get a break, she gets a dose of arnica. She also takes something that I think is called Rhus Tox on rainy days; rain seems to cause her to be a bit down, and this remedy helps a lot.
I cannot emphasize enough how well these remedies work. I once ran out of Calc Phos and could not get to the vet for a couple of days. Redd had a visible loss of energy on those days when she did not get the Calc Phos. I have not let this happen again!!! Also, the other remedies help tremendously when she is feeling a bit down or has a break. An hour or so after being remedied, she is feeling visibly better.
Also, PLEASE do not feel sorry for Redd!! She is doted upon and spoiled by all the members of our family, two and four-footed. When Redd is feeling good, which is usually, she can be an obnoxious little witch. :-) Although she is only about 5 pounds, she will chase and try to pounce our other cats, including her 15-lb brother, Nigel. They seem to know that she is different, because they never try to swat her or otherwise harm her, even when she deserves it. Her latest game is to run and jump into her hooded bed, causing it to do a somersault.
If you are still interested in OI, the OI foundation has a very good website.
Here's a picture of her in the hooded bed I mentioned, and thanks again for all of your good wishes and interest.
I have seen Redd's x-rays, and her breaks are not what you think of when you think of a broken bone; the bone does not splinter or break into pieces. Rather, she has "green stick" fractures. This is what it is like when you break a green stick: although the stick is broken, it does not break into two pieces or break all the way through. Thus, looking at her x-rays, you can see the callus from previous breaks, but not any current breaks. This is part of why she was not diagnosed until after her second break. WHen she got the first one, we jsut thought she was clumsy.
Redd deals with her breaks very well. It is rare for her to just sit there and cry; she has only had a total of 3 breaks that were this bad. She usually just keeps on doing what she wants to do, albeit on 3 legs!!
We think that she got OI due to a spontaneous genetic mutation; it can happen this way. We also have her mother, two brothers, and sister, and none of them have OI. We discovered that something was wrong with her after her second broken leg. The vet surgeon we had consulted spent hours pouring through old vet journals and found two articles about other animals with it: one articles was on 3 puppies, and the other on 1 kitten, all with OI.
When she was first diagnosed, I did some research on my own and learned that conventional medicine cannot do much for OI. People with particularly bad cases are "rodded": they have surgery to attach rods to their bones to make the bones grow straight. We did not even think of doing this to Redd, as it seemed too much to put her through. There is no other real treatment option offered for OI by conventional medicine.
I was getting very discouraged over lack of treatment options for this dear little kitty, whom we've had since she was 2 days old, when my good friend Tina referred us to Redd's current vet. Redd takes Calc Phos dissolved in water 3x a day on a regular basis. This boosts her energy and helps her to feel well overall. She also takes a few grains of silica remedy every couple of months; this helps prevent breaks. When she does get a break, she gets a dose of arnica. She also takes something that I think is called Rhus Tox on rainy days; rain seems to cause her to be a bit down, and this remedy helps a lot.
I cannot emphasize enough how well these remedies work. I once ran out of Calc Phos and could not get to the vet for a couple of days. Redd had a visible loss of energy on those days when she did not get the Calc Phos. I have not let this happen again!!! Also, the other remedies help tremendously when she is feeling a bit down or has a break. An hour or so after being remedied, she is feeling visibly better.
Also, PLEASE do not feel sorry for Redd!! She is doted upon and spoiled by all the members of our family, two and four-footed. When Redd is feeling good, which is usually, she can be an obnoxious little witch. :-) Although she is only about 5 pounds, she will chase and try to pounce our other cats, including her 15-lb brother, Nigel. They seem to know that she is different, because they never try to swat her or otherwise harm her, even when she deserves it. Her latest game is to run and jump into her hooded bed, causing it to do a somersault.
If you are still interested in OI, the OI foundation has a very good website.
Here's a picture of her in the hooded bed I mentioned, and thanks again for all of your good wishes and interest.
I must say that I have learned some about this illness now that I never knew existed. Thank you for the information and also for the remedy hints. I am thinking that Redd is one LUCKY little creature to have you all. Her fate would have been so different without you. So...no more more feeling sorry for Redd!
The kitty bed is really neat. Isn't it amazing how our fur familys know to watch out for others when they have special needs? I wish us humans would take a lesson!
The kitty bed is really neat. Isn't it amazing how our fur familys know to watch out for others when they have special needs? I wish us humans would take a lesson!
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When we went there to have Kenai's films read. They "tried" to explain the disease, but used such convuluted terms that I got lost in the translation.
Basically with Kenai, we just don't let her exert herself- yeah right, tell an exuberant German Shepherd not to play ball and see how well she listens!
We have had a couple of scares, one recently. A client came here to order a knife (my husband is a knifemaker) and she picked up a stick in the yard and threw it for Kenai before we could tell her no.Kenai went racing after it- went a$$ over teakettle over, yelped and lay still.
My heart racing, I took off after her, and with help got her inside into her cage, gave her a pain med and called the vet. While waiting for the vet, I applied ice/heat treatment and wrapped the front leg. She got lucky this time, but next time she might not be so lucky. But, I guess we will deal with it when the time comes, and there is no way that she will ever be allowed to suffer. Her disease comes from the fact that the breeder (a top one in our area) bred her bitch repeatedly over and over to the same stud and has weakened the line. I tried to tell her this when I got the diagnosis, but she is so impressed with her line that she is not willing to listen. She told me she had already bred the two together again, and she flat didn't believe me that she had caused this. I sent her all the copies of the medical records, but I don't think it matters to her. To her, bottom line is how much money she can get for these pups.....
Glad to have helped in passing on the recipe.It has made a world of difference in Kenai's health. Oh, and one night, I did try baking it as a meatloaf and served it to Mike and I- can you say "BLECH!" So don't try it okay? LOL
Basically with Kenai, we just don't let her exert herself- yeah right, tell an exuberant German Shepherd not to play ball and see how well she listens!
Glad to have helped in passing on the recipe.It has made a world of difference in Kenai's health. Oh, and one night, I did try baking it as a meatloaf and served it to Mike and I- can you say "BLECH!" So don't try it okay? LOL
Hello,
Sorry to hear about your baby's disease. I have a question for you. I just took my 14 year old cat to the vet. She had to have two teeth pulled and her teeth cleaned. The vet said her jawbone is brittle. He said he saw fistula's going up into the jawbone. He could even scrape some away with his fingernail. She's never had any broken bones and is very active. I'm trying to figure out why she has this problem. Does this sound like a symptom of what your baby has? Thanks! Cathy
Sorry to hear about your baby's disease. I have a question for you. I just took my 14 year old cat to the vet. She had to have two teeth pulled and her teeth cleaned. The vet said her jawbone is brittle. He said he saw fistula's going up into the jawbone. He could even scrape some away with his fingernail. She's never had any broken bones and is very active. I'm trying to figure out why she has this problem. Does this sound like a symptom of what your baby has? Thanks! Cathy
Cathy, this post is over 2 1/2 years old. As your cat is 14, I believe she most likely has normal bone degeneration associated with old age, much like arthritis and brittle bones in elderly humans.
Hi,
You're probably right. She's so active and has always been so healthy I guess hearing that just threw me for a loop. I've always fed her good quality food so I'm gonna quit beating myself up over it and accept she's just getting old. The vet had one cat there that was 23 years old. He looked every bit of it but felt fine. I hope I'm lucky enough to have Friskey that long. Thanks, Cathy
You're probably right. She's so active and has always been so healthy I guess hearing that just threw me for a loop. I've always fed her good quality food so I'm gonna quit beating myself up over it and accept she's just getting old. The vet had one cat there that was 23 years old. He looked every bit of it but felt fine. I hope I'm lucky enough to have Friskey that long. Thanks, Cathy
You might want to ask your vet if vitamin supplements such as Calcium would help Friskey.
