Arthritis

[Ron454]

Hi, I have posted a few weeks back on our cat Slim and his struggle with arthritis, He is still having a hard time with pain and walking. He still has pain with using the cat box and trying to poop. Right now, we have him on gabapentin, but he gets so dopped up, walking is even harder for him as he really has not got used to the medication. We also have him using MiraLAX to try to help things along. What i was wondering if anyone knows of an alternative to gabapentin we may try? injectable? new drug? maybe a steroid? we are willing to try anything at this point to help him, He has been having a hard past 2 months, if anyone has anything we can try, any info. to help him we would be greatful,anything we can suggest to our Vet,,,Thank you all,

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
There's Dasuquin and also the meds suggested here by FeebysOwner ;
Solensia is an injection, and it does seem to help with Feeby's arthritis. There is probably no reason not to try it, but if Feeby would have continued to take an arthritis supplement (she eventually rejected 4-5 different kinds), I probably would have stayed with that approach. There is also Adequan (an injection as well) that helps with arthritis, but it does contain joint supplement/support properties that Solensia does not. Adequan has been on the market a lot longer than Solensia.
Solensia (frunevetmab injection) for Cats - Drugs.com
Adequan (Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan) For Cats - Cat-World

 

[Ron454]

Hi
There's Dasuquin and also the meds suggested here by FeebysOwner ;
Solensia is an injection, and it does seem to help with Feeby's arthritis. There is probably no reason not to try it, but if Feeby would have continued to take an arthritis supplement (she eventually rejected 4-5 different kinds), I probably would have stayed with that approach. There is also Adequan (an injection as well) that helps with arthritis, but it does contain joint supplement/support properties that Solensia does not. Adequan has been on the market a lot longer than Solensia.
Solensia (frunevetmab injection) for Cats - Drugs.com
Adequan (Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan) For Cats - Cat-World

Thank you, we are disparate he gets so loaded on the gabapentin he can barely move. I do think he is still having some pain as he has not pooped in 4 days, he pees but does it lying on his stomach, he gets to the cat box ok but no poop yet. I want to try something do you think the supplements work as well as the injections? and did Feeby reject them because of the taste?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Many pain meds are known to cause constipation, so you might consider giving Slim some Miralax. Most start with 1/8 tsp and mix it with just a bit of water, then add it to his food or a lickable treat. You might even try adding to a bit of 'juice' from canned tuna in water and give a bite of the tuna as a treat. Although gabapentin seems to be a 'go to' by vets for arthritic pain relief, it seems there is a balancing act in order to get the dosage correct so the cat isn't spending half their time in a semi-stupor. You might tell your vet that Slim is kind of 'loopy' on whatever dose you are giving him - maybe it can be reduced.

Feeby was taking Glyco Flex Plus which is a supplement that contains glucosamine, chondroitin, and green lipped mussels. She took it for around 3 years before she apparently decided the taste was no longer to her liking. I think they helped her, and I would have continued to give them to her if she wouldn't have started rejecting them. I then tried Cosequin and thereafter Dausquin - neither of which she would eat. Both of these seem to work well for others, and many cats take them without issue.

That is when I decided to go with Solensia. I chose it over Adequan only because with the latter, there are multiple injections needed before it is tapered off to once a month. The Solensia started off at once a month. However, Adequan does contain a joint support supplement in addition to pain relief, Solensia does not. I would really feel better if Feeby were getting a joint support supplement, so I may end up moving from Solensia to Adequan for that reason.

 

[Ron454]

Many pain meds are known to cause constipation, so you might consider giving Slim some Miralax. Most start with 1/8 tsp and mix it with just a bit of water, then add it to his food or a lickable treat. You might even try adding to a bit of 'juice' from canned tuna in water and give a bite of the tuna as a treat. Although gabapentin seems to be a 'go to' by vets for arthritic pain relief, it seems there is a balancing act in order to get the dosage correct so the cat isn't spending half their time in a semi-stupor. You might tell your vet that Slim is kind of 'loopy' on whatever dose you are giving him - maybe it can be reduced.

Feeby was taking Glyco Flex Plus which is a supplement that contains glucosamine, chondroitin, and green lipped mussels. She took it for around 3 years before she apparently decided the taste was no longer to her liking. I think they helped her, and I would have continued to give them to her if she wouldn't have started rejecting them. I then tried Cosequin and thereafter Dausquin - neither of which she would eat. Both of these seem to work well for others, and many cats take them without issue.

That is when I decided to go with Solensia. I chose it over Adequan only because with the latter, there are multiple injections needed before it is tapered off to once a month. The Solensia started off at once a month. However, Adequan does contain a joint support supplement in addition to pain relief, Solensia does not. I would really feel better if Feeby were getting a joint support supplement, so I may end up moving from Solensia to Adequan for that reason.

Hi, thanks, some great ideas! he has been using MiraLAX but is not constipated the last 3 times he went it was diarrhea i think when he gets to the cat box he cant bend or squat as he is in pain so he cant get it out, I was hoping the gabapentin would help him to squat but so far no luck, The last time he went diarhea he kind of layed there as it was then another 4 days before the last poop.i had to give him a bath as he got it all on his underside. I think if i could get him to poop he would be so much better, i also think the gabapentin makes it even harder to squat as he gets so loaded. I backed off the gabapentin a little bit last week and the vet was ok with it,but he still has a hard time on it. I wonder if solensia with an added supplement[if he will eat it] will help him. Thank you so much!

 

[Furballsmom]

he has been using MiraLAX

What is the amount/dosage you're using daily?

 

[Ron454]

Hi, we started out with syringe .05mil, every 12 hrs then up to 1mil every12 hrs 7 days later and he was floored, so went back to vet and told him he can't even walk and lays in the cat box to pee,so he said try the 100 mil pills at 1/4 every 12 hours [he hates the liquid] so even the 1/4 pill every 12 hrs he is having a hard time, I hope i wrote the servings right. Thank you for your help!

 

[Ron454]

Hi, we started out with syringe .05mil, every 12 hrs then up to 1mil every12 hrs 7 days later and he was floored, so went back to vet and told him he can't even walk and lays in the cat box to pee,so he said try the 100 mil pills at 1/4 every 12 hours [he hates the liquid] so even the 1/4 pill every 12 hrs he is having a hard time, I hope i wrote the servings right. Thank you for your help!

I am sorry that is the gabapentin ratio, the MiraLAX is 1/2 teaspoon 2x a day,

 

[FeebysOwner]

He may just not be suited to take gabapentin, as I think you are saying he gets 1/4 of a 100 mg pill twice a day - that is 25 mg per dose, I think.

And, from what I know 1/2 tsp twice a day is a pretty hefty amount of Miralax. I'd certainly back that off and see if that doesn't help with the diarrhea. Most folks here start with 1/8 tsp a day, then up it to twice a day if needed. If more is still needed, they might go to 1/4 tsp once a day, and if still needed then go to 1/4 tsp twice a day. I have never heard 1/2 tsp twice a day being the norm.

 

[Ron454]

He may just not be suited to take gabapentin, as I think you are saying he gets 1/4 of a 100 mg pill twice a day - that is 25 mg per dose, I think.

And, from what I know 1/2 tsp twice a day is a pretty hefty amount of Miralax. I'd certainly back that off and see if that doesn't help with the diarrhea. Most folks here start with 1/8 tsp a day, then up it to twice a day if needed. If more is still needed, they might go to 1/4 tsp once a day, and if still needed then go to 1/4 tsp twice a day. I have never heard 1/2 tsp twice a day being the norm.

I am sorry ,you are right 1/4 in the morning of MiraLAX and we give him 1/4 in the evening, sorry. , maybe we drop it to 1/8 tsp a day might help?

 

[Ron454]

I am sorry ,you are right 1/4 in the morning of MiraLAX and we give him 1/4 in the evening, sorry. , maybe we drop it to 1/8 tsp a day might help?

Yes you are right,he just has a hard time on gabapentin, i just think it combined with pain,being loopy and not pooping he is miserable i just dont know what to do if the gabapentin is a problem, i wonder if i should ask the vet to drop lower dose or would that be so low it would have no bennifit on his pain issue?

 

[daftcat75]

Since this is clearly a quality of living thing, I would seriously consider Adequan or Solensia. My Betty's vet initially recommended Solensia for her. But the drawback of Solensia is that the vet (or tech) has to perform the injection. So you're essentially signing up to this monthly cost and time commitment. However, I'm sure the difference that it makes will be more than worth it. Since my Betty is younger and still gets around well enough and willingly takes gabapentin capsules, I'm not signing us up for Solensia just yet. She's taking gabapentin for suspected dental pain. She eats better with the stuff than without. Her vet offered us Adequan instead which is something she said I can learn how to give her myself at home. It's a subcutaneous injection. That's also something I've put on the back burner for Betty right now. But I certainly believe your Slim would benefit from one of these. Third on the list which Betty might try soon enough was Dasequin Advanced.

 

[Ron454]

Hi, thank you, I will run these two by the vet, do you know if they are the same price? and if one is better than the other? sorry for all the questions. We have given injections to our cats at home before so that would not be a problem, but it sounds like the one med they would need to do at the vets office,.

 

[Tobermory]

I find that 1/8 tsp. of Miralax twice a day works well for 18-year-old Iris. It keeps her stool soft enough that she doesn’t have to spend a lot of time squatting on her poor little arthritic back legs while she’s pushing. Her arthritis is also at the base of her spine, so the muscles in her back end are really stressed. Less than 1/8 tsp. and the poop is just hard enough that she can’t squat long enough and ends up sitting on it (and then dragging it out of the litter box, stuck to her fuzzy butt). Thankfully, peeing doesn’t seem to be a problem for her.

It took awhile to find the right amount for her, but it has definitely helped. I’m sorry the gabapentin is not working out. That’s been such a benefit for Iris.

 

[Ron454]

Thank you, I will surely after hearing from this board i

I find that 1/8 tsp. of Miralax twice a day works well for 18-year-old Iris. It keeps her stool soft enough that she doesn’t have to spend a lot of time squatting on her poor little arthritic back legs while she’s pushing. Her arthritis is also at the base of her spine, so the muscles in her back end are really stressed. Less than 1/8 tsp. and the poop is just hard enough that she can’t squat long enough and ends up sitting on it (and then dragging it out of the litter box, stuck to her fuzzy butt). Thankfully, peeing doesn’t seem to be a problem for her.

It took awhile to find the right amount for her, but it has definitely helped. I’m sorry the gabapentin is not working out. That’s been such a benefit for Iris.

Thank you,hopefully we can balance all this out and get it right so he can get somewhat stable.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi, thank you, I will run these two by the vet, do you know if they are the same price? and if one is better than the other? sorry for all the questions. We have given injections to our cats at home before so that would not be a problem, but it sounds like the one med they would need to do at the vets office,.

Back in Post # 2 of this thread, I shared with you articles on both injections. I don't know about the pricing comparison, but I do know for me, here in FL, the Solensia is close to $100 per injection.

 

[Ron454]

Back in Post # 2 of this thread, I shared with you articles on both injections. I don't know about the pricing comparison, but I do know for me, here in FL, the Solensia is close to $100 per injection.

Thank you, I Just checked with my Vet, they don't have this medication yet they have seen a rep on it but still looking into it at this point.

 

[Mac and Cats]

Hi, I have posted a few weeks back on our cat Slim and his struggle with arthritis, He is still having a hard time with pain and walking. He still has pain with using the cat box and trying to poop. Right now, we have him on gabapentin, but he gets so dopped up, walking is even harder for him as he really has not got used to the medication. We also have him using MiraLAX to try to help things along. What i was wondering if anyone knows of an alternative to gabapentin we may try? injectable? new drug? maybe a steroid? we are willing to try anything at this point to help him, He has been having a hard past 2 months, if anyone has anything we can try, any info. to help him we would be greatful,anything we can suggest to our Vet,,,Thank you all,

So sorry if someone already chimed in on this. I'm not sure where you live, but Solensia is a newly approved in the US (my understanding is it's been available in other countries for some time now) monthly inject-able arthritis treatment. We just started our 13 year old cat on this and she goes in for her 3rd treatment this coming weekend. She has improved SIGNIFICANTLY. She also takes gabapentin twice a day. The gabapentin use to make her pretty wobbly, but for some reason it isn't making her wobbly any longer. I'm not sure why. She was diagnosed with arthritis a couple years ago (before Solensia was available here) and we tried her on a muscle relaxer and gabapentin for a time. We didn't think they helped much and she was a real jerk about taking pills. So, we eventually stopped. Several months ago she was diagnosed with hyperthyroid and so she got better about taking pills since I had to give them to her twice a day. She really stopped grooming and even moving from her bed except to eat/drink/use the litter box. She wasn't jumping up on anything any more and wasn't even doing things she use to enjoy like looking out the window at birds. She just slept on one of the beds that is on the floor. She's never been one to be super social, but she did like to talk a lot and would ask for pets. She stopped talking much and never asked for pets any longer. I had to take her in to get her T4 re-checked and we give her gabapentin for vet visits. I mentioned all this to the doctor and she was really excited to tell me about Solensia. I said yes immediately and she was given the injection before we left. I decided to try to continue the gabapentin since she has gotten better with meds. It can take several weeks to notice a difference in your cat (assuming it will work for your cat), but we noticed it around week 2. She started jumping up on things she again, including our bed to sleep with us at night. She's now back to sleeping on me and asking for pets and talking to us. She has never ever liked having her back pet and I suspect it is due to a little "hump" she has in her spine that an x-ray revealed and just got worse and worse with arthritis. Now that she has been on the injection and the gabapentin, she allows us to pet her down her back. It's the craziest thing since she didn't even allow that when she was young. It's not cheap, but it isn't insanely expensive either. I pay $80 per injection. To me, that is worth it so that she can have her quality of life back. Our vet said that we may be able to go 6 weeks instead of every 4 weeks eventually, but it's just something we have to try and if that turns out to be too long between injections, we can bump it back to 4. Hope that helps and good luck!

 

[Ron454]

Thank you, i am glad it is working for you, i may look at some other places to find it if my vet cant get it yet. It is great that it does do wonders in kitty's when there are not a lot of this type of meds directed toward the cat world, good luck to you and all the people and there kitty's who replied...thanks. Ron

 

[Ron454]

Hi, thank you all for your replies, I took our slim in today as he still has not pooped 5 or 6 days but as soon as i got in they checked him out and found he was real dehydrated ,lost a pound of weight, temp was cold and has lost muscle mass on his back spine. His eyes were a little sunk in and gums dry, so they put liquid or fluid into him for the dehydration and did bloodwork. The vet told me he would call me tomorrow or Thurs. on results, I always get worried with labs, hopefully it will be good news, again thanks for all the replies i will let you know how it goes.