Dasuquin question

[RussellsMom]

Hi all - I'm new to posting, though I've used this site for reference many times.

My sweet boy, Russell, has some new pain/stiffness in one of his back legs and, based on the good reviews I've read, I'd like to try giving him some Dasuquin sprinkle capsules for cats to see if that helps. I've been stalling because avocado and soybean are listed in the ingredients, and I've read that cats should avoid those. Is this a legitimate worry, or should I trust the great reviews and give it a try? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

 

[solomonar]

Only vets are allowed to recommend medicines to cats.
Self-medication is very dangerous.
From what I read, Dasuquin is for cartilages anyway.
No offence to the producer, but I doubt any medication can help to much the cartilages. There are barely blood vessels there and the formation is a very slow process.
So, well, better visit your vet and refrain giving any pill to the cat.

 

[LTS3]

What does the vet recommend? If the cat hasn't been seen by a vet, that should be the first thing to do. Stiffness in joints may not always be arthritis even in older cats.

If the vet recommends a join supplement, the company that makes Dasuquin also makes Cosequin which is the original joint supplement. Dasuquin is just the more "advanced" version of Cosequin with the avocado and such. My vet doesn't feel that Dasuquin works any better than Cosequin.

 

[AbbysMom]

Yes, please discuss this with your vet. My cat does take Dasuquin, but it was suggested by the vet. It has helped her a lot.

 

[RussellsMom]

Thanks for the replies! Of course we took Russ to the vet when he had his injury. I was just trying to keep my post brief. He had a luxating patella when he was a kitten and recently sprained his leg when jumping down from a very moderate height. We're assuming the slight lingering discomfort (limp is gone, but he's pushing his leg out a bit when he sits and lacks a bit of confidence when jumping) has some relation to the earlier luxating patella.

He was also severely burned all over his whole body before we rescued him seven years ago. He recovered beautifully - the vets were shocked. But I've always wondered if that trauma would haunt him later in life. At the very least, he's never been a big jumper because his skin is tight where it healed. He manages 3-4 ft. heights just fine but never attempts anything higher than that. It could be that, for him, he was too ambitious in the jump that led to his injury, causing him to land in such a way that caused the sprain.

Among other things, the vet said it was fine to try Dasuquin. My question was specifically about the advisability of giving a cat a supplement with avocado and soy-based ingredients in it.

On something of a side note: my natural position is to be on the fence about vet advice. Some vets seem sound, others don't inspire confidence, and I've been badly failed by others too many times to automatically trust everything they say or dispense, so I thought I'd turn to the expertise of the cat carers on the forum.

 

[LTS3]

I'm sure the vet would be ok with the plain original Cosequin. Just ask

Here's a comparison of the two:

http://[URL]https://pawster.com/cosequin-vs-dasuquin/

[/URL]

Dasuquin is prescription only Cosequin can be bought at any pet store or web site.

Edited. Looks like the web site I linked is incorrect in saying Dasuquin is prescription only.

 

[AbbysMom]

Dasuquin can also be bought on websites without a prescription.

 

[stephanietx]

There are different kinds of Dasuquin as well. My old arthritic girl takes Dasuquin Advanced chews that are only available from a vet as far as I've been able to find. There is an over the counter strength in capsules available through various retailers.

We have had good success with the chews.

 

[RussellsMom]

Thanks, everyone, for all the information and experience sharing! I might give the Cosequin a whirl first and see how we get on from there.