Arthritis/cosequin questions

[Lari]

Hey guys, our Sparkle (approx 14.5 years) was diagnosed with arthritis in her knees. The vet strongly suggested we add cosequin or dasuquin to her food to help rebuild the cartilage in her knees, so I got the cosequin capsules at Petsmart because I wasn't sure if she'd take to the chewables and started it last night.

- The bottle says we may see some results in 4-6 weeks - for those who use it, does this sound correct? What kinds of results do you see? Like better jumping, less limping?

- Sometimes Sparkle hasn't been finishing her food lately and Lelia swoops in and eats some (this never would have happened a couple years ago). Would it hurt Lelia if she ends up ingesting some?

- If I have to switch to the chewables rather than the capsule powder to keep Lelia out of it, do cats tend to tolerate them well? Do they act more like it's a treat or more like it's a pill?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Tobermory]

Both Iris and Lily were on Cosequin--the capsules. I never tried the chews because they ate their food with the powder mixed in with no problem. And I did notice an improvement after a few weeks. Much less limping, more ease of movement. I eventually had to increase both of them to two capsules daily as their arthritis worsened, but still, it helped. Btw, it's much less expensive if you can order it online from Costco.

 

[Lari]

Both Iris and Lily were on Cosequin--the capsules. I never tried the chews because they ate their food with the powder mixed in with no problem. And I did notice an improvement after a few weeks. Much less limping, more ease of movement. I eventually had to increase both of them to two capsules daily as their arthritis worsened, but still, it helped. Btw, it's much less expensive if you can order it online from Costco.

We have been talking about getting a Costco membership, so if we can get pet supplements there, that's another good reason to go for it!

 

[Tobermory]

We have been talking about getting a Costco membership, so if we can get pet supplements there, that's another good reason to go for it!

My local Costco carries only the dog Cosequin so I order it online. I’m usually able to wait until it goes on sale for even less.

 

[Kieka]

I chop up the chewable version and add it to Links food. He turned his nose up to the powder added to his food when I've tried that, but the chewable he doesn't seem to notice. It also doesn't hurt another cat to take the Cosequin. I have two other cats in the household and if Link misses some they can eat it without concern. I've actually thought of giving them a half dose just for preventative measures since they are older.

As to effectivness..... I really can't say. Which I know isn't super helpful. Link has had arthritis in his leg for a few years due to an old injury. We tried the powder for a few months and I didn't see a huge difference on the outside. We switched to CBD for a few years and that helped until recently. We've just switched to Solensia and I am doing the Cosequin chewable as an added supplement. So I can't say if Cosequin is working because Solensia is also in the picture and that is definitely having an impact. The cosequin is added to help his joints while Solensia helps with the pain.

I know I've seen members who have commented that it's helped them and it might just be different situations react differently.

 

[iPappy]

Hey guys, our Sparkle (approx 14.5 years) was diagnosed with arthritis in her knees. The vet strongly suggested we add cosequin or dasuquin to her food to help rebuild the cartilage in her knees, so I got the cosequin capsules at Petsmart because I wasn't sure if she'd take to the chewables and started it last night.

- The bottle says we may see some results in 4-6 weeks - for those who use it, does this sound correct? What kinds of results do you see? Like better jumping, less limping?

- Sometimes Sparkle hasn't been finishing her food lately and Lelia swoops in and eats some (this never would have happened a couple years ago). Would it hurt Lelia if she ends up ingesting some?

- If I have to switch to the chewables rather than the capsule powder to keep Lelia out of it, do cats tend to tolerate them well? Do they act more like it's a treat or more like it's a pill?

Thanks in advance!

Lila has been on Cosequin. I noticed less over-all stiffness in her gait, and a lot better jumping abilities (and she has NEVER been a good jumper, even as a kitten.) She had no problems handling the capsules (I open them and mix them into her food, she's an excellent eater) and there were no GI disturbances that I saw. I can't remember how long it took for me to notice results, but, I do remember it was within a few weeks and I did the "starter" dose (I think it's double what the maintenance dose is) for a few weeks before switching over to the maintenance. Personally, I never worried if any of the other cats got any of it.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I could not get Feeby to take Cosequin or Dasuquin (powder form), but previous to that, for over three years she ate the Glyco Flex Plus chews. They are big, so I cut them up into smaller pieces. She loved them, until she didn't. She has also been on Solensia (an injection) but that does not lend to any support for joint 'restoration', it merely is a pain blocker for arthritic pain. There is also Adequan (also an injection) that works similarly to Solensia, but also contains a joint support supplement.

Almost all of the products suggest it will take 4-6 weeks to see some improvement, so I do consider that a realistic basic guideline. However, I believe I saw improvement in Feeby after about 3 weeks with Glyco. The starter doses in the oral supplements are also almost double the maintenance dose, and all of these products do warn about loose stools at the onset. I never gave Feeby the starter dose of Glyco and she never had any loose stools.

Not sure how much of any of this is helpful, but just thought I would share anyway.

 

[Lari]

Not sure how much of any of this is helpful, but just thought I would share anyway.

All of this is definitely helpful! We might eventually go for the solensia if she seems to be in too much pain, but it's been such an expensive year that we're just starting with the cosequin for the time being.

Sparkle is eating her food, so she's not turning up her nose at the powder, but I'm glad to know it won't hurt Lelia if she swoops in to get at what Sparkle doesn't eat right away.

 

[iPappy]

All of this is definitely helpful! We might eventually go for the solensia if she seems to be in too much pain, but it's been such an expensive year that we're just starting with the cosequin for the time being.

Sparkle is eating her food, so she's not turning up her nose at the powder, but I'm glad to know it won't hurt Lelia if she swoops in to get at what Sparkle doesn't eat right away.

It happens a lot in my house. Or, a greedy little dog collects the cat bowls and I find all 3 of them tucked into her bed.

 

[pearl99]

I had Gracie on cosequin for a couple of years and it really helped. It was maybe a week before I saw some improvement so it was quick!
I put it on her dry food, opened the capsule. I got it through Chewy along with my usual food and litter.
I had tried it with Ziggy recently, but that’s when she started throwing up so I stopped it immediately. She was then diagnosed with CKD - which was causing the throwing up - and she’s better and I don’t see the arthritic symptoms.
So it helped Gracie quite a bit.