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Posted: 25th February 2013

Research conducted on osteoarthritis in cats
Study aims to improve diagnosis and treatment

Researchers at the University of Montreal's Quebec Research Group in Animal Pharmacology have attempted to better the ability to diagnose and treat osteoarthritis in cats.

"Osteoarthritis frequently affects cats' elbows, backs and hips and joints in the hind limbs, and its prevalence increases dramatically with age," said lead author Eric Troncy of the university's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. He added that despite the prevalence of the condition, improvements are needed in its diagnosis and treatment.

"We used our knowledge of cat behaviour and worked with experts in human osteoarthritis to develop a diagnosis tool and test an effective medication: meloxicam."

During the study 120 cats were examined by researchers, 39 of which were believed to be suffering from osteoarthritis. In order to evaluate the pain levels of the 39 sufferers, researchers measured their kinetic gait analysis - which reveals impairments in the limbs, their daily activity as recorded by an accelerometer, and their sensitivity to touch - measured by testing the level of pressure required for the cat to withdraw its paw.

For 74 days, a placebo was administered to a control group, while the remaining animals were given different doses of meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory drug already used in the treatment of other animals. According to researchers, no side effects were experienced, and the drug provided varying levels of pain relief depending on the dosage given.  Professor Troncy said: "Cats that were treated with the high dosage continued to enjoy pain relief for five weeks after dosage stopped."

The drug however, did not appear to reduce pain associated with touch, such as stroking. The same flaw, according to researchers, occurs in hypersensitive osteoarthritic humans who are being treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. Despite this, Troncy added: "The development of adapted therapy protocols to correctly treat arthritis associated with chronic pain will provide a better quality of life particularly in older cats and will in turn have a direct impact on owners, as their cat will be more active and sociable."

Researchers are now looking at how brain scans could further improve our understanding of pain in cats, particularly with regard to the neurophysiological hypersensitive process. Meloxicam is to be considered for use in cats by the Europe Medicines Agency in April of this year.



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