What is Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis?
Never heard of this before? We hadn't either until Velcro was recently diagnosed with it. We had to do some research to see exactly what this is and how he might have developed it. Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis (IMPA), more commonly found in dogs rather than cats, is kind of like arthritis in overdrive and is most closely related to rheumatoid arthritis in people. With IMPA, a cat's immune system causes inflammation in the joints leading to swelling and pain. These symptoms make it hard for cats to walk and significantly decrease their quality of life. With this condition present, a cat's immune system is mistakenly signaled that there's an infection in the joints and starts sending white blood cells to fight it. The white blood cells get to the joints and start releasing chemicals and enzymes into the fluid that lubricates the joints, causing it to break down leading to pain and stiffness....
