Young, heavy Siberians ** warning**

Beware of letting your young cats get too heavy

I recently learned that young, heavy cats can spontaneously develop fractures at the top of the large leg bones (femur) that connect to their hips. Surgery may be required to have the top of their femur bone removed! Recovery can take a long time, and the surgery will be expensive.  Health care is expensive for both humans and pets.

Please do not let your Siberians become over weight. This is not a common occurrence, however this can be an issue in either male or females.

For the larger, male kittens I recommend medical health insurance in case this situation should happen. Please see the article Health Insurance for your Siberian.   Please verify that the company you are considering will cover this disease should it happen. If it is covered, make sure that they will cover a fracture for the other limb if there is a fracture in the first limb. Surgery for this disease is Very Expen$ive.

Abstract 

“Young, male neutered, obese cats are predisposed to sustaining spontaneous capital physeal fractures, as well as fractures of the femoral neck secondary to metaphyseal osteopathy.

PRACTICAL RELEVANCE:

Although femoral head and neck excision generally leads to adequate limb function, and is appropriate for chronic fractures, it is a salvage procedure and irreversible. Ideally, for acute capital physeal fractures an attempt should be made to stabilize the fracture and save the coxofemoral joint. This requires early detection of the femoral fracture.”

Copyright © 2011 ISFM and AAFP. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Abstract

“This paper describes 17 cats that developed an idiopathic necrosis of the femoral neck. In four cats the lesions were bilateral when they were first examined and five cats developed lesions in the other limb within five months. They were all male cats, two years old or younger, and 15 had been neutered.

The initial sign was a vague lameness which typically progressed, often acutely, to a more severe lameness. Radiography demonstrated radiolucency and loss of definition within the proximal femoral metaphysis, the femoral neck. In 12 cases there was a complete radiolucent line across the femoral neck. An excision arthroplasty was carried out on all the affected hips and the lameness resolved in all cases.”

Journal of the British Veterinary Association

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