Meet Grandpa Chuckie, a lovely 13 year old male black cat, who was presented to the clinic after his owners had noticed that he had been having trouble jumping up on the bed and his fur was becoming matted from not grooming himself. This was a concern to his owners as the bed was Chuckie's favourite place to sleep. At examination with Dr Alex, it was suggested that Chuckie could have arthritis and radiographs were recommended to confirm this. 

Arthritis is pain and inflammation in the joints and affects animals of all sizes, breeds and ages. This can result in changes to the joint cartilage, fluid and the bones involved in the joint.

Signs of arthritis include but not limited to:

• Difficulty moving
• Hard to get up out of bed in the morning
• Hesitating to jump
• Tiring out easily after exercise
• Tenderness
• Not grooming themselves

Radiographs of Chuckie's hip and elbows were performed using the clinic's new digital x-ray machine. It was discovered that Chuckie did have arthritis in both his hip and elbow joints. As this was hindering him from his daily activities, as well as being quite painful for him, Chuckie started a course of injections called Pentosan to provide relief from his arthritis.

Pentosan works by stimulating the body's own mechanisms to heal damaged joints. It improves cartilage quality and healing, improves joint fluid, inhibits the release of destructive enzymes which attack the cartilage, and also provides an anti-inflammatory activity which reduces the pain and lameness which can be associated with arthritis.

Chuckie is now extremely comfortable at home and is back to enjoying his sleep on his favourite bed as you can see by the photo! Chuckie will continue to have the Pentosan injections every three months to keep him pain-free and enjoying life in his twilight years.

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