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Post by RuthE on May 4, 2008 11:06:42 GMT 1
We had to take Tinker to the vets again this week. She is 20 now and her back legs are both wobbly and arthritic, they are kept mobile with cortaflex. She has now developed a limp on one front leg. She can still jump up onto her radiator bed and can still run up the stairs.
The vet prodded her and said that there is some slight discomfort in one elbow and that it could be bone cancer so she could go in for xrays to find out. No thanks - she is 20 years old, they tend to amputate for bone cancer, even if she survived such a major op her back legs wouldn't cope with the loss of a front leg. So putting her through a GA so they can X-ray her seems totally pointless.
He then conceded that it could be arthritis (no sh*t sherlock - a 20 year old cat who already has 2 arthritic legs could have arthritis in a third leg, well I never!!!). He said that they could treat it with steroid injections and would have to test for kidney function first, but that he didn't think she was that bad. Also that the injections would have to be weekly. I know Tinker and I know that weekly trips to the vets would be very stressful for her, I am also not keen on long term steroid treatment for her. So I feel our best option while she is still mobile and happy is to look into alternative treatments. She is already on cortaflex, so what else can we try?
Has anyone here had success with magnetic collars or with heated beds for arthritic pets?
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Post by petdesigns on May 4, 2008 11:33:49 GMT 1
I don't know if they work for / against arthritis in cats - my dogs are both on occasional courses of cartrophen-injections (ok, I know that it's stressful for the cat...) which seem to work really well. I think (although I'm not sure it's exactly the same) that the 24 yrs old cat of a friend of mine is on these injection courses. I am sure though that it's NOT steroids as she's going to an 'alternative' vet and her cat cannot have steroids due to old age liver probs. Cartrophen information for dogs: www.kvh.com.au/Cartrophen%20Vet.htmlarthritis-information for both cats and dogs with possibly some more ideas: www.darwinvets.com/topical/arthritis.htm and www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00190.htmPersonally, I never felt any benefit from magnetic collars, but some people say it helps (if you'd like to try, I can see if I find one of my bioflow bracelets and send it to you, it may help if you just put it in your cat's bed, the magnet is probably too big for a cat collar) Hope this gives you some ideas, Jutta
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