Elbow Arthritis In Cats

Elbow osteoarthritis in a cat.

Elbow arthritis in cats.

Senior cats have the highest risk for contracting osteoarthritis a type of arthritis in cats that s also known as degenerative joint disease djd. The only way to reliably diagnose arthritis in cats is to radiograph the joints the elbow and the hip are most commonly affected. Signs of arthritis in cats. Arthritis also known as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease causes pain and inflammation in a cat s joints.

Cats tend to hide signs of pain quite effectively which makes sense if you consider their ancestry. 7 interestingly arthritis of the vertebrae and sternum the axial. Arthritis is the general medical term for inflammation of the joints while osteoarthritis is the term that specifically refers to a form of chronic joint. The most frequently affected joints in cats are the elbows and hips although shoulders and hocks have also been reported.

Elbow and coxofemoral joints are commonly affected by osteoarthritis in obese cats. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the lining of the joints often in the elbows. Of all skeletal disorders in cats arthritis is probably the most common occurring in nearly 80 of cats over 15 years of age. A sick animal in the wild is vulnerable to predators so any sign of weakness must be hidden.

This instinct makes it difficult for owners to know their cats is affected and whether treatment is necessary. Arthritis does however occur in younger cats often of immune mediated or infective origin. The long term disease makes your immune system attack the lining of your joints causing pain swelling and inflammation. One sign that your elbow pain is ra is that you have symmetrical pain in both elbows.

Elbow arthritis also affec. Hanie elfenbein dvm phd. Reviewed and updated for accuracy on may 29 2019 by dr. Although fairly uncommon in felines arthritis tends to affect the elbow joint when it does strike but many joints can be afflicted.