Glyco Flex Plus Is Not As Effective After 6 Months???

[FeebysOwner]

My question is really two-fold, but I will start with the first issue, and address the other potential issue later in this thread or via another thread.

Has anyone used this product and seen it's effects diminish over time?

I started Feeby (14+ yo) on Glyco Flex Plus in October. I was amazed how quickly she seemed to respond - as she began jumping up on all of her favorite spots that she had previously abandoned, and her slight limp disappeared. I was thrilled!

However, this product's effectiveness seems to have decreased for Feeby within the past month or so. She is not jumping up on her favorite spots as much, seems to be a little stiffer when getting up, and occasionally is demonstrating that old limp.

It is not the kind of product where you can up the dosage over time.

She has a vet appointment tomorrow for her full senior check up (and full senior blood panel), and perhaps something will show up that would explain these changes being related to something other than a loss of effectiveness of Glyco Flex.

But, I was hoping to be able to tell the vet that testimony shows long term good results with Glyco Flex or a diminished effect when used over time. Thanks!!

 

[basschick]

the same exact thing happened to HK with cosequin. we gave him a few weeks off, started it over and it worked like new.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Wow! Thanks. Do you have any idea why? Have you had to repeat this process multiple times?

 

[basschick]

no, i sure don't. our vet has very little idea why anything

when i looked up cosequin tolerance, i got no results. i suspect that those with pets and vets assume it's just that the arthritis got worse, so no one bothers to test it. but taking off that month or maybe 5 weeks was like a reset for HK.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Anybody else? Glyco Flex, Cosequin, etc.? Sorry, I posted late but was hoping to provide some info to my vet (on the assumption he needs it) for tomorrow's appt.

 

[Tobermory]

I haven't tried Glyco Flex so I can't comment on that, but I've had Lily (15 years old next month) on Cosequin Maximum Strength for a little more than a year. She had been limping badly and was uncomfortable squatting to pee. I followed the directions for the initial dose and then switched her to the maintenance dose as directed, and she improved quite a bit. The limping went away and she was able to squat with more comfort.

About a couple of months ago, she started to limp noticeably again. She also had been licking her tail constantly for a few months, and it suddenly dawned on me that it might not be stress, as I first assumed (she still doesn't like Mocha, even after a year and a half), but pain in her tail. And her tail clearly has arthritis in it; it's very stiff and she doesn't like me to touch it.

I was concerned about increasing her Cosequin without talking to the vet, and I wanted to see if there was anything we could do about her discomfort.

I took her to the vet two weeks ago, and he confirmed that her arthritis is getting worse. You can feel it all down her spine, particularly her lower spine, and in her tail. He said I could increase the Cosequin back to the initial dose, which I've done. After two weeks, she's better although she still limps a bit from time to time. She also doesn't lick her tail quite as much. So some improvement, but I know it's going to get worse again at some point.

He also gave me a prescription pain med called Meloxidyl (an NSAID) which I have not given her because when I got home, I started to read about it and was concerned enough to hold on it until I could see what the increased Cosequin would do. I didn't know anything about it when the vet gave it to me, but now that I know more, I'm going to call him to talk about it before I give it to her.

I plan to start a thread in the Cat Health forum to see if anyone has any recent experience with it. I've found a few mentions of it in various posts.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for your input. So sorry to hear Lily's arthritis has gotten worse. Tbh, I thought things like Cosequin, etc. were to help ward of some of the progression (like humans)?? Did the vet explain any of that to you?

Feeby's arthritis (at last x-ray in 2018) showed a small amount in one or two toes and one elbow, but she has two nearly fused vertebrae in her upper back - no one knows where that came from (maybe from an injury in her two years before I got her?) - and the vet wasn't even sure any med would do much for that. So, she would have had to had a serious progression in arthritis, or for some reason the vertebrae are worse somehow.

 

[Tobermory]

No, he didn't really talk much about it. Not my best vet ever but the best I could find when we moved here four years ago. I do think Cosequin has slowed the progression, but both Lily and Iris, her littermate, are showing their age much more than any cat I've had at the same age. Iris is arthritic as well but not quite as bad. Physically, they seem more like the 17-year-olds I've had in the past. We all age at different rates, don't we!

I hope the vet has some suggestions for Feeby tomorrow.

 

[Tobermory]

There is, by the way, an article here on TCS about meloxicam (Meloxidyl is the brand name): Metacam For Cats: The Pros And Cons Of Meloxicam For Pain Relief

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks! I am like you, and hesitate to put Feeby on any pain meds. First reaction - without any research, admittedly - would be to administer CBD oil.

Edit: maybe on and off steroids first - assuming that would help!!

 

[Tobermory]

I bought a product called Hemp Oil 330 by Pet Releaf at the recommendation of my local independent pet supply store. They know me, I know them, and they've been helpful and knowledgeable about a lot of things regarding my cats. They also said my vet has sent people to them before to buy it. So I felt okay trying it. The preference is to give it to the cat on an empty stomach because it absorbs better, but Lily is not an easy cat to handle, so I put it in her food. Generally, she'll eat anything I put in front of her, but she was a bit reluctant to eat her food with this in it. She finished her meal, but she wasn't happy about it, and I had to put it back in front of her a couple of times. So since I'm conflict avoider (), I haven't tried it again. But I will.

(BTW...I went to Ohio State. O-H...)

 

[FeebysOwner]

...I-O!!!

I wonder if they do transdermal CBD/hemp patches....

 

[Tobermory]

If you get a chance, let me know how Feeby’s visit went.

 

[Kieka]

Link has advance arthritis in one leg from breaking it twice and he is only 5. I put him on CBD oil and it has been a real miracle treatment. He went from holding his leg away from his body and difficulty getting on a chair to almost back to preinjury activity. I can tell when it is close to his next dose because he starts to look uncomfortable.

I went with CBD after trying cosequin with much the same results. Link does not handle pain medications well at all, he gets very loopy and agitated. The last time I did anti-inflammatory and pain medication we ended up with more complications then it was worth. So I knew I needed an alternative. I was looking at every holistic option and even accupuncture. When I came across a study saying CBD showed promise to not only relieve pain but possibly reverse the progress of arthritis I knew that was the one to do. If Link already had this bad arthritis at age 4 (at the time) how bad would it be by the time he was 10? 15? 20? Would I have to consider amputation to relieve his pain since it is all in the one leg? Extreme but where my mind went and why I went with the one the arthritis foundation is currently doing a study to confirm if it does reverse the progress of arthritis.

I use CBD from a dispensary because not all CBD is created equal. I did research online purchase options and if I switch to a non dispensary source I would use CBD for Pets - cats - IMBUE. This thread goes more into the why's on that Cbd Oil: Anyone Else Have Concerns?

Vets in California are prohibited from suggesting or condoning CBD so I can't talk to my vet about it. I have mentioned it in passing and she hasn't warned me away from it. She seems pleased that it has helped Link and really that is what matter. I do dose home at 0.2ml for approximately 0.8mg of CBD with him being 14 pounds. CBD oils do have different concentrations but all seem to say "0.5ml per 10 pounds" type of instructions. I'd definitely say start low and go slow to increase until you see desired results. I found a lot of advice on this site regarding dosage when I was researching Cannabis 101: CBD for Your Cat.

Edit: I give Link a small dish with some fancy feast broth juice and the oil. Once he laps up all that he gets the rest of dinner. He was a little stubborn at first but after 9 months he's gotten in the routine and cooperates. Rocket gets a tiny bit in her dish too for anxiety. Since she eats all her food regularly I do the base food then the oil with part of the same fancy feast brotha over it making a CBD sandwich and she eats it without complaint. If I put the oil on top she refuses the food, it has to be in the middle to blend together.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Feeby's back from her senior check up. Overall (sans blood/urine results), she is doing well; teeth/lungs/heart/abdomen/ears/eyes/etc. all look/sound good.

Of course the vet still would like to see her lose weight, especially with the slight recurrence of the arthritic symptoms. She is holding steady at 17.5 pounds, after her 19.1 pound weigh in back in 2016. So, I need to go back to putting some effort into this aspect.

As far as arthritis, he said to continue with Glyco Flex Plus (it can't hurt anything) and see if she improves, stays the same, or gets any worse. He thought it could be a temporary thing, and to 'keep the course' for now.

He said he wasn't sure he was ready to put her on anything else just yet; but, to consider the idea of Adequan. He said that among the vet organizations/groups he is involved with, the consensus is that it is the treatment with the best results. He is not a fan of oral arthritic meds - I guess in his mind they are not nearly as effective. Of course the Adequan is a once a week shot for the first 4 weeks, and then quarterly thereafter. Ugh! Could be worse I guess - especially if something else would show up in her blood work.

I asked about CBD oil - he said he is not opposed to it, but that if I want to entertain it to I need to do my due diligence on it first. He said there is 'a lot of junk out there'.

Blood/urine test results might be as early as Thursday. I'd like to have her be lucky and have arthritic issues be her only ones!!

 

[Tobermory]

Good news on Feeby! I hope the results from the blood and urine check out well, too.

Adequan. Well, that's definitely something I'll ask my vet about. From my reading, it looks safer than the Meloxidyl. Thanks for sharing that! Although, in fairness to my vet, he said he had just returned from a conference where he attended a session on Meloxidyl, and vets are very cautiously using it for arthritis pain in cats with successful results. The amount to be given is much, much smaller than in the past. He calculated the dose three times before he showed me exactly how much to give, and it's a tiny amount. Still, I'm hesitant.

Yes, my concern about CBD oil is that it's the trendy thing now, and I live in Oregon where there's a dispensary on every street corner. I have no idea how to ensure I'm getting something legit unless I go back to my holistic vet and get it from him. He did give me hemp oil last year when we were trying to reduce Lily's scratching and stress (for which it did nothing). Thank you, Kieka , for your comments and for the link.

 

[FeebysOwner]

There are other members on here who have talked about using Adequan, maybe another thread??

As far as Meloxidyl, I know it is an non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. I didn't even remember to ask about Meloxidyl - but yeah, he would have probably said what I have read (and you know) about renal issues.

Steroids of any kind are a 'no go' because they can kick off diabetes - and with Feeby that would certainly be an issue.

 

[Kflowers]

Cortisone can also kick off diabetes. One of my cats took it for a couple years no problem until it caused her to develop Cushings - that's fatal. Another took the pills for the last six months of his life, he was 18, pneumonia got him. The third one one shot of cortisone and diabetes. She was lean, active, shouldn't have developed it, but she did. Insulin dependent, which is doable, but better to not have to. After two years the diabetes went into remission. a couple of months later she died of cancer. The vet said the diabetes took too much of her strength and immune system so she couldn't fight off the cancer.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The vet said the diabetes took too much of her strength and immune system so she couldn't fight off the cancer.

 

[Kflowers]

It was kinda rough. she was 6 years.