Just got back from kitty emergency vet run, she'll be ok!

[Blue Diadem]

Sammy, my grandkitty, began acting like she hurt last night. Today, she was in such pain, that we could not pick her up without her screaming out. After a trip to the emergency vet..thank god for them, we found out she has early arthritic hips and the pain is deterring her from going potty, her colon and intestines showed they were full. She was also a bit dehydrated.

They sedated her so they could do the ex-rays, she's still not able to stand yet and looks woozy. They also gave her a pain shot.

Now my daughter will have to decide what to do about her hips. The ex-rays show kitty has the beginning of arthritis, she's only 3..but she also has some type of boney spur that they said is not very common in cats.

Any cat owners ever heard of this?

[kedrys]

1. Glad Sammy's alright!

I've never heard of such a condition. Do call around and find out about alternative treatments; a progressive vet would keep track of developments in that arena as well as in "straight" veterinary science.

Good luck!

[Blue Diadem]

4. I'm hoping her regular vet can give us more information,

We didn't feel we had the time to wait for a call back from him so we rushed to the ER vet clinic. I've never seen a cat in that much pain, there was no place on her chest/belly/back that we could touch without her screaming out.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Sorry for the scare. Glad kitty is ok. I have no answers.

3 seems so young for this.
Try cross posting in the Pet Lounge. There are many people there with lots of answers if you don't get any here.

[Blue Diadem]

6. Thanks, I will check that out.

I don't think I can post there, but I'll read through the threads.

[okasha]

3. Cats can do low-dose--very low dose--aspirin therapy

for arthritis. That plus Cat-lax as necessary ought to help with the symptoms. Ask your vet about dosage. (Never, never give a cat Tylenol, though!) Bony spur may need surgery at some point; you might want to start looking for a specialist now.

[Blue Diadem]

5. The vet did supply a tube of cat laxative. Once she's fully awake we're

going to give her some. Hopefully our regular vet will be able to refer us to a specialist. The ER gave my daughter the ex-rays, so I took a closer look once we got home. I couldn't believe how pointy the spurs look.

[sleepyhead]

7. Glucosamine/chondroitin can help arthritic kitties.

You have to be very careful about giving NSAIDS to cats, because their livers don't have the appropriate enzymes to metabolize them. There are some newer NSAIDS out now that are much safer than aspirin if you need to give something for pain (ask your vet) - you can also ask about giving narcotics (eg buprenorphine) if your cat is really painful. There is also a drug called Tramadol that gives as much analgesia as morphine but is not a narcotic. Your vet will be able to suggest what is best for your cat.

For the long term, consider a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement like Glycoflex. If kitty is pudgy, weight loss is helpful. Perhaps you might be able to consult with an orthopedic surgeon about the bone spur to see if there is any kind of surgical intervention that could help. Three years of age is very young to have arthritic changes - any history of trauma?

And make sure that she is defecating normally too - maybe some extra fiber in her diet? (Metamucil, psyllium, etc) Hope she has a quick recovery!

[Blue Diadem]

9. After seeing Sammy's regular vet tonight,

and his examining the ex-rays, he says she has hip displasia on one side. I never knew cats could get hip displasia.

Both vets said she's preventing herself from going to the bathroom due to the pain when she crouches. The laxative did kick in and work for her, but it was horribly painful.

We're just shocked that this came on so suddenly. She is a feral barn cat rescue that my granddaughter adopted from her other grandma's home as a kitten. She was the only one to survive out of the litter. Sammy's always walked funny, strange front and rear feet hold, but the vet thought that came from malnourishment through her mother.

updated thread here:http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3438726

[BlueJazz]

8. I don't have a Cat (Bunnies) But I'm glad your Kitty..

..is going to be fine. The bonds of Human/Pets can be Oh-So Strong. :)

[Blue Diadem]

10. Thanks BlueJazz,

see updated thread here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3438726

I'm hoping she'll be ok.