As soon as I adopted the Bananinha, I realized that she was something different: in addition to being very small, she had super short legs, a little hard gait and she was very quiet. Having lived with cats for 30 years, I knew this wasn’t very typical, especially for a kitten.
Over time, Bananinha’s stillness gave way to a clear picture of persistent pain. She became even more lethargic, couldn’t get up in places, trembled and complained when she was touched and walked “lowered”. To top it off, in a short time she had feline respiratory syndrome, calicivirus and an umbilical hernia.
He began a journey through several veterinarians. FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), Felv (Feline Leukemia Virus), hypothyroidism and dwarfism were soon ruled out. An X-ray of the hind legs was inconclusive, while an ultrasound of the abdomen detected an enlarged spleen that did not match other findings. Due to the pain, Bananinha started a treatment based on analgesics (gabapentin), anti-inflammatory drugs (prednisolone), nutraceuticals and acupuncture.
“I was called to take care of Bananinha, who had a history of a lot of pain, claudication of the pelvic limbs and later presented paresis. The suspicion was of hip dysplasia. On clinical examination, I could observe a decrease in proprioception in the pelvic limbs, presence of deep pain and a lot of sensitivity in the spine”, said the veterinarian Melissa Faria Martins Gabriel, who did the weekly acupuncture sessions.
The full body x-ray gave the first clue:
“Deformity of the cranial and caudal endplate of the thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies; morphological alteration of the articular processes in the thoracic and lumbar segment of the spine; lack of definition of the C2 odontoid process; deformities in the elbow joints. Findings compatible with mucopolysaccharidosis.”
What the hell??
Mucopolysaccharidosis, or MPS, is an inherited disease of metabolism, of recessive inheritance, which affects the production of enzymes responsible for the synthesis and breakdown of molecules. As the glycosaminoglycan molecules accumulate in the cells of organisms, the functioning of the organs is affected and the signs of mucopolysaccharidosis become more apparent.
The disease is classified according to the enzyme whose production the body is unable to carry out, receiving names such as MPS II, MPS IV or MPS VI. The symptoms of each genetic deficiency vary. The most common are hernias (inguinal and umbilical), joint limitations, hearing loss, respiratory and heart problems, enlarged liver and spleen, neurological deficit – and the facial changes that give a typical “bravinha face”.
At the time, July 2018, no laboratory in Brazil performed diagnostic tests and very few veterinarians had treated patients with this rare disease, which also affects humans.
Following the advice of veterinarian Alexandre Daniel, from the Gattos clinic in São Paulo, Bananinha had blood and urine samples shipped to the University of Pennsylvania genetics laboratory, PennGen, in the USA.
The result came out positive. As it does not have prevalence studies in SRD cats, the laboratory did not perform specific tests to classify the type of MPS that affects the Banana.
The disease is degenerative, there is no cure, and death is premature – the life expectancy for dogs and cats is about two years. Treatment is stipulated according to the symptoms presented.
“”I’m not going to tell you how long to live the Bananinha must have. Do not think about it. Think about giving her the best quality of life, while she is here”, oriented Alexandre Daniel at the time.
The house gained ramps so she could climb onto her mother’s bed and sofa and tall pots of food, while the litter box gained wide, recessed openings. Softer beds and rugs were added to the domestic landscape.
Today, the treatment of Bananinha consists of robenacoxib (anti-inflammatory for osteoarthritis) and medical cannabis oil.
“Cannabis acts on the endocannabinoid system, which carries out homeostasis [equilÃbrio] of the whole organism”, explained veterinary doctor Lia Nasi, responsible for prescribing Bananinha. “Through cannabinoid and vanilloid receptors, endocannabinoids (cannabinoids produced by the body itself) or phytocannabinoids (cannabis compounds) act on the afferent and efferent pathways of pain, producing analgesic effects, decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing production of anti-inflammatory cytokines.”
“In the case of Bananinha, the effect obtained for pain modulation is this: through the control of the nervous impulses generated by the synapses, in the afferent and efferent pathways, analgesia is obtained by stimulating the organism itself to produce anti-inflammatory cytokines, in an attempt to return to homeostasis. With this, it is possible to drastically reduce the allopathic medication for analgesia and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are harmful in the long term, in addition to protecting the body as a whole”, he added.
One of the complications triggered by MPS was glaucoma, which Bananinha has been treating with eye drops since 2020 and periodic visits to the ophthalmologist. But a recent check-up showed that Bananinha is doing well, with no kidney or liver problems. It is visible that her spine and paw joints are increasingly deformed, but she plays, jumps and moves normally around the house.
Contrary to all expectations, Bananinha will soon complete 4 years of pure pistol orange.
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