Arthritis Arthritis, also called Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) or osteoarthritis, is very common in cats and is one of the most significant and underdiagnosed diseases in cats. In additional to the chronic pain associated with arthritis, over time, the inflammation in the joint can damage a cat’s cartilage and supportive tissue, dramatically decreasing their quality of life. The common clinical signs of arthritis are
difficulty with stairs stiffness upon rising pain when petted an inability or reluctance to jump decreased grooming activity limping attitude changes such as decreased willingness to interact with people and other pets Pets have a limited ability to clearly communicate when they are experiencing pain, and often fail to exhibit obvious signs of pain such as limping or crying out. The recognition of feline arthritis can lead to life changing medical intervention which can help manage a cat’s chronic pain, but too often, the signs of chronic pain in cats are so subtle they can be missed. When early signs of pain are missed or dismissed, the inflammation associated with arthritis continues to build. This building inflammation contributes to damage to the joint further increasing pain associated with arthritis.
To complicate matters more, in the US, there is no FDA approved medication for the long-term treatment of chronic pain in cats. There are a few approved short-term treatments, but they come with challenges such as the need for dosing by mouth, adverse side effects, or lack of evidence to prove safety and efficacy with long term use. Furthermore, the currently available treatments require daily administration and/or monthly visits to the vet to relieve a cat’s pain. Even with the available products, some cats’ pain is still not well-controlled and this results in the continuation of the clinical signs, discomfort, and chronic pain.
Scout Bio is currently enrolling cats in a FDA compliant feline pain study. The study utilizes either a one-time AAV treatment, potentially lasting months to years, or a new monthly monoclonal antibody treatment for the management of chronic pain in cats.
Participation in this study will provide an opportunity to help the individual pets involved in the study and has the potential to help many future pet owners improve their beloved cats’ quality of life when diagnosed with this painful disease.
