Osteoarthritis in cats: diagnosis and treatment options
0.25 Credit Hour / Veterinarians & Veterinary Technicians
Overview:
Osteoarthritis (or degenerative joint disease) is the most common cause of chronic (maladaptive) pain in cats but is underrecognized by owners and therefore many cats go untreated. Up to 92% of all cats have radiographic changes (radiographic disease) in the axial and appendicular skeleton and these changes are more common in cats over the age of 10. There is often a mismatch between radiographic changes and clinical findings (painful joints, mobility impairment) but the relationship between radiographic changes and clinical disease increases with age. Screening and assessment tools have been developed and validated for cats and should be used to help diagnose the disease and monitor the response to treatment. Treatment in multimodal and includes drug and non-drug therapies in combination with environmental changes and ensuring that stress in the affected cat’s household is addressed. Pain related to osteoarthritis is responsive to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the feline specific anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody, Frunevetmab (Solensia™). Non-drug therapies include Omega-3 fish oil, physical therapy and acupuncture. Ensuring cats have a safe place to hide, help with accessing “high” places and easy entry litter boxes are important for improving the cat’s quality of life.
Learning Objectives:
- To recognize the changes in behavior that suggest chronic pain in cats
- To know how to screen for cats with OA
- To know which assessment tools can be used to document disability and monitor response to treatment
- To know what treatment options are available for cats with osteoarthritis
Sheilah Robertson, BVMS (Hons), PhD, DACVAA, DECVAA, DACAW, DECAWBM (WSEL), CVA, FRCVS
After graduating from the University of Glasgow, Dr. Robertson undertook specialized training in anesthesia, pain management and animal welfare. She is board certified in anesthesia and in animal welfare by the respective American and European Colleges and holds a certificate in small animal acupuncture and shelter medicine. Her career has included time in mixed animal practice, academia, in the welfare division of the American Veterinary Medical Association; she has worked in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. She is the senior medical director of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, a large network of veterinarians dedicated to end-of-life care. Dr. Robertson is also a courtesy Professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA
Dr. Christman is the Chief Veterinary Officer at Fetch dvm360®, the nation’s leading multimedia company in the veterinary profession. He is an international speaker on leadership, wellbeing and motivation. Author of, “Honey, Have You Squeezed the Dachshund?”, Dr. Christman is passionate about helping pet parents with pet disabilities. He is a social media personality with almost 600,000 followers on TikTok. Dr. Christman is the host of dvm360®’s, “The Vet Blast Podcast”. He continues to practice relief work both in shelter medicine and private practice. If you don’t see him hosting the Fetch conferences, you can find Adam hanging with his four adorable dachshunds. He is a fitness enthusiast and avid Disney fanatic. You can find out more information at www.dradamchristman.com
As an avid social media influencer for animal health care, he has over 800K followers on TikTok and 53K followers on Instagram. He loves to engage with fellow pet parents and veterinary professionals across social media. Christman is an advocate of Pride VMC and Pawsibilities. He is also the proud dog dad to 4 dachshunds and believes no one should be deprived of the incredible human-animal bond.
This course is RACE-approved for 0.25 CE credit hour in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval.
This CE program is sponsored by Zoetis.
