Thread: Hip Displasia

I am really sorry Mary - it must be heart breaking...
I am sorry that I can't help you out I have no idea, too... All I can say is that pain killers are addictive to humans, so I assume it is the same for cats? but may be not...
I'll let more experienced people advise you, but I just want to wish you and Watseka good luck and please let us know what you choose and how it goes?

Very sorry here too,I know it can be a problem with MC's but luckily have never had a hint of it in mine & haven't known anyone who has,seems very weird at 5yrs old for it to all suddenly become so apparent in both hips at the same time you very often pick up dysplasia through a strange "gait" when they are a bit younger,what did the xrays show....? Did the vet say how bad they were...? Have you been in touch with Watseka's breeder,two reasons really,one that she could hopefully help advice & guide you but also she needs to be made aware because of the breeding from cats that could carry the gene......
I am not sure if there is anyone on the forum who has gone through such a nightmare but hopefully if there is they will come on & help you all I can say is once you get over the shock of this diagnosis go back to your vet & have a discussion with him on the advantages & disadvantages of the two options..... Yes it is awful to think of an animal on painkillers at such a young age & yes there are side effects from drugs but some animals can be on medications from a very young age & as long as they are monitored still live a normal life span but some as with humans will chuck up a side effect that can in some cases be worse than what it is being used to treat for,op wise I would take it that they would do one side,most probably the worst if there is a difference then once Watseka had recovered from that one then do the other which is a long time being restricted & on cage rest but that against medication at such a young age could be the way to go... I have come across a lot of things working at a vets for 40 years & I have seen many young dogs with this problem but never ever a cat so although I don't wish this on any one I do hope someone can come on & help you,love to you all at this difficult time & a special cuddle to Watseka & whatever you decide will be right for both of you....xxx
Just an afterthought haven't heard about a special diet for this would be interesting to know what it is .....x

So sorry to hear this news, I dont have any advise to give, but my heart goes out to you. I really hope that you find resolution to this problem that will have your baby happy once again x

jckkerrison;32968 I know it can be a problem with MC's but luckily have never had a hint of it in mine

So, how bad and frequent is this problem for MCs?

Originally Posted by Whyemier

So, how bad and frequent is this problem for MCs?

I think the fact that I have had MC's for fifteen years & never come across it either in mine or in the many other MC's I know,have never seen it in the 40 years of working at a vets or as yet waiting on forum for someone to pop up & say they have encountered the problem hopefully it is good news pointing to the fact that it is not a bad problem but it is something that has been noted in the breed & a genetic test can now be done on breeding cats to do what they can to help eliminate it.
Although you don't wish it on any of our babes for MaryM's sake it would be great if someone with personal experience did come along to give some help but.....!!!!!!

Thank you all so far for your thoughts and best wishes. And I'll keep looking in the hope that there is some experience of treatment out there in this member group as I want to make sure I make the right choice of treatment now. I've notified the breeder and I'm going to contact the MC Cat Club as well. For all those concerned let me reassure you that little Watsi is absolutely fine ... she doesn't know she has a problem and is still joyously bouncing around and conducting her favourite hobby of catching frogs and bringing them home and dropping them in the loo ... sooo adorable :-~

Hi Mary, One of my cats, Aria, had a definite problem when she walked when she was just 6 weeks pregnant but it turned out to be a patella luxor. When they x-rayed her they fully expected that she would have hip dysplaysia. It turned out she actually had no ball on her femur at all. She needed an op on her knee to stabilize it which went really well, although she had to live in a cage for 6 weeks, much to her disgust. I had her spayed once the diagnosis was made, just in case, but have kept two of her kittens who have both since been x-rayed and are fine
My vet said the good news about not having dysplaysia meant she'd never get inflammation of the joint and would just lead a normal life.
It just seems to have been one of those random things as her other ball was formed perfectly normal - dysplaysia is nearly always on both sides.
Dysplaysia, depending on the severity, can often be managed through weight management of the cat, which is where I suspect the diet aspect may come in? Weight control is an important aspect of recovery and is recommended to decrease the pressure applied to the painful joints as the cat moves. The lighter weight the cat the less pressure on the joints, the less pain the cat will feel. Trouble is with MC's they are usually heavy boned and in that respect would be treated like a small dog, in that the pressure/pain may be too much for the cat to bear. Rule of thumb most cats are light and agile and can usually manage to 'put up' with the unstable joints without too much of a problem.
If the vet recommended to get at least one of the hips done then I wouldn't hesitate, personally. Sometimes one is more severe than the other.
I don't think it is so much of a frequent problem for MC's, just more obvious due to their size and bone density.
I am surprised the vet would want to put her on pain killers for life though. I have a Cavalier KC dog that has had one hip done, four years ago now, and will at some stage need the other repairing, but he's not on any medication at all. He initially had serequin to support normal joint function but hasn't even been on that for the last few years.
If you do opt for surgery, once the six weeks to heal has passed- which is a nightmare when you have to restrict them in a cage- the cat should return to normal and you'd never know she'd had it done
Hope all that makes sense and isn't too gobbaldygook

This is Cody. Not a MC obviously but he lived to be 17 years old with bilateral hip dysplasia. He started having troubles when he was about 4. After his diagnosis we were told to make sure to watch his weight and to make life as easy as possible for him. We changed things around the house. He lost the ability to jump by the time he was 7 but it didn't stop him. We used carpeted doughnuts and stools to help him as steps. One next to the bed and by the couch. We arranged all our furniture so that he could easily step from item to item. All the places he wanted to go were steps or some sort of transition. All less than a foot high and a foot apart. Sometimes not beautiful but I felt comfortable leaving him alone. Knowing he could get up and down. Over the years the list of things he could do grew shorter. We had him on glucosomine(joint supplement) to help with pain and heat helped a lot. He had a heated bed for winter and the rest of the year the had a heat reflecting pad. Only the past couple years did he let my husband hold him. It took a lot of coaching to get him to relax. He feared someone hurting him by grabbing him the wrong way. He never had a problem with me holding him cause I knew where to touch him and where not. One thing I made sure not to do was bunch his back legs. He hated to have you fold his legs in to hold him. I can try and answer questions. I only know what worked for him over the years but something might help.