The ROLE NUTRITION IN THE DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE OF APPENDICULAR SKELETON IN CATS

Abstract

Studies related to recognition and importance of degenerative joint disease in cats must be better divulgation, due to some peculiarities related to the species. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to overview of diagnosis methods of degenerative joint disease/osteoarthritis of the appendicular skeleton, and to emphasize the nutritional aspects associated with the disease. For the diagnosis should be performed initially a complete medical history, and general physical examination followed by specific orthopedic examination. However, clinical signs of the disease can be subtle in cats, including behavioral changes, or lifestyle’ changes such as spend more time lying down, and reluctance to climb or jump, among others. Based on clinical findings, the confirmation of the lesion requires the use of imaging techniques, but the poor correlation between radiographic severity and clinical signs should be considered. Among the several aspects of the disease, the role of nutrition must be highlighted. The nutrition can contribute to the development of diseases that lead to osteoarthritis in a direct or indirect manner. For example, the obesity that promotes overloading of the articular structures as well as contributes to inflammation. On the other hand, the nutrition can help in the control mechanism or even prevention of disease, by modification of degenerative process or inflammatory response. Among of the possible modifying agents for osteoarthritis are glucosamine, chondroitin and omega-3 fatty acids, but the beneficial effects are not fully understood. Therefore, multicenter trial or based on a large standard population are needed to validate the different aspects of the role of nutrition in the management of degenerative joint disease/osteoarthritis of the appendicular skeleton in cat.