Is your cat on Solensia?

[Mac and Cats]

Hi,

Happy Friday. Our gal, Molly has had about 4 (maybe it's been 5?) Solensia injections. The first 3 months, it was amazing! She was more active and getting up in her old spots she liked to bird watch from, but the past couple weeks she seems to be back to the state she was before the Solensia. It was very obvious that she was feeling a lot better when she first started getting the shots. She is still jumping up on the bed/jumping down. But she seems really lethargic and just seems generally not wanting to move much. This is how she acted prior to Solensia. I saw a comment on here a few days ago, but I can't find it now. The comment said something about how they think the body can build up some sort of immunity to Solensia, but that you could reverse it or something by missing a shot? Does that sound familiar to anyone? Has anyone had this experience with their cat yet?

She has been having some constipation issues (small, skinny, hard poops) and I thought that was why she was acting this way. I started giving her 1/4tsp of Miralax twice daily and it does seem to help some. Not a miracle, but her poops are thicker and softer at least. I took her to the vet on Monday to check this out and make sure I was doing what I should be and doing everything I can to help her. The vet basically said that I was doing everything she would suggest already and agreed to give her fluids even though she didn't seem very dehydrated to the vet. She seemed to perk up a bit the next day (although, I could have just been having a confirmation bias moment on that), but only for that day. She is still interested in her treats, food and brushing (she loves to be brushed), still purring, still sleeping on me at night. She spends most of the day on a heating pad turned on the lowest setting. So, my only other thought is maybe the Solensia has stopped working. I know this is only newly approved in the US so there may not be many people, but does anyone else have any experience with this yet? In case this helps, she does have the following health issues: Hyperthyroid (treated with oral methimazole twice daily), pretty bad arthritis (treated with Solensia every 4 weeks and Gabapentin twice daily), CKD (on the slightly high-normal range at her last lab test the beginning of March). I do add extra water to her wet food daily (she does not eat dry any longer). Thoughts?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! I don't know if I should really be responding to your question. But I will tell you what I have experienced to date. Feeby, 18+yo, hyper-T, CKD, high blood pressure, & possible lymphoma has had 6 injections of Solensia - last one being early April. She is still moving about as much as is possible, given her other issues, but has experienced some excess itchiness and vocalization (howling), both of which started after the onset of Solensia.

I read that Solensia can become ineffective in some cats over time - but that it is generally considered reversible when the drug is stopped. I have not read how long the reversal takes nor if there is a shorter period of time for it to become less effective once started again, or even if that applies to a re-start.

You might consider one of her other issues to be causing a problem. You can also look into Adequan - another injection for arthritis that also contains a joint support supplement, unlike Solensia. But I have also seen other members who have added Solensia on top of Adequan because they felt the latter was not enough. There are also a few members who have used Solensia for as long as 9 months or more and have not seen it being less effective. I think it is going to be ending up being a cat specific situation.

 

[Mac and Cats]

Hi! I don't know if I should really be responding to your question. But I will tell you what I have experienced to date. Feeby, 18+yo, hyper-T, CKD, high blood pressure, & possible lymphoma has had 6 injections of Solensia - last one being early April. She is still moving about as much as is possible, given her other issues, but has experienced some excess itchiness and vocalization (howling), both of which started after the onset of Solensia.

I read that Solensia can become ineffective in some cats over time - but that it is generally considered reversible when the drug is stopped. I have not read how long the reversal takes nor if there is a shorter period of time for it to become less effective once started again, or even if that applies to a re-start.

You might consider one of her other issues to be causing a problem. You can also look into Adequan - another injection for arthritis that also contains a joint support supplement, unlike Solensia. But I have also seen other members who have added Solensia on top of Adequan because they felt the latter was not enough. There are also a few members who have used Solensia for as long as 9 months or more and have not seen it being less effective. I think it is going to be ending up being a cat specific situation.

Thanks for your reply! It may have been a comment you made that I saw. I tried to google it and came up with zero results, but maybe I'm not putting the right phrasing in. You're very right that it could be another one of her other issues. I have also considered that she may be older than we think she is. My parents adopted her several years ago and the shelter told them she was 3. We took her in when my dad was diagnosed with Parkinsons and Lewy Body Dementia. My dad started having weird outbursts and my mom could no longer handle my dad on her own. So, we took Molly in about 7 years ago. According to the shelter, she would be 13 now, but it's very possible she is a few years older. So, I am taking that into consideration as well. I guess we will just keep on trucking with what we are doing and I'll bring her into the vet/ER if things change. I will call our vet tomorrow and see what their thoughts are. Thanks again for your reply and have a wonderful evening!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am sure you've run across these articles/web sites, but just in case.
Solensia (frunevetmab injection) for Cats - Drugs.com
FOI Summary for the Original Approval of NADA 141-546 January 13, 2022 (fda.gov)
Solensia For Cats: Overview, Dosage & Side Effects - Cats.com

 

[Mac and Cats]

I wanted to come back and update this in case anyone was looking for something similar. Molly went in for her 5th (or maybe it is 6th?) Solensia shot at the beginning of the month. To be clear, the Solensia does still seem to be working for her. I think the reason she was behaving the way she was is because we hadn't fully gotten her constipation issues under control and hadn't quite figured out the proper dosing on the supplements I am giving her for it. She is feeling MUCH better and her constipation has cleared up. Here's what I'm giving her daily in case this helps anyone:
AM:

• 1/8th teaspoon Miralax
• 1/8th teaspoon pumpkin powder
• 1 Proviable DC capsule (probiotic)

PM:

• 1/8th teaspoon Miralax
• 1/8th teaspoon pumpkin powder

It took awhile for me to figure out the correct dosage for her. I started out with the 1/8th teaspoon of Miralax and pumpkin powder, but since she was actively constipated, I'm not sure it was enough. So, I bumped it up to 1/4th teaspoon. Then once her stools were better, after a few days the 1/4th teaspoon seemed to be a little too much. So, I bumped it down to 1/8th and left it there to see how she would do on it. She is now doing much better and enjoying life. She shocked me by deciding to go back to eating her pills in pill pockets all on her own! She did this when I first started pilling her, but stopped once she accidentally bit into a Gabapentin (bitter). Now, she is careful to not chew them. I think the whole reason she does this is because a) she would rather eat them on her own than have me shove it down her throat and b) she gets her liquid treat afterwards. She's a smart girl. She's been enjoying going out in the back yard with me when I water and is back to her old self from a few years ago for the most part (albeit a little slower).

Anyway, just wanted to update in case someone else is ever looking for someone with a similar issue.

 

[orangie]

Thanks for the info! We deal with some chronic constipation (albeit intermittent still), and just received an arthritis diagnosis today with a recommendation to start daily joint supplements and then start Solensia. I’m nervous about the Solensia … so appreciate the update very much

 

[abunaione]

Sandy, 19yo, has been on it for almost a year.
I'm not sure if it's working, but she's not getting worse.
Some days are better than others, but she does walk around.
She is also on Adequan.
So maybe it's helping her to NOT get worse, but it's not like many stories I've heard/read.
Also giving her CBD oil.

 

[neely]

I’m nervous about the Solensia … so appreciate the update very much

FYI, There is another Solensia thread with additional posts about some of the member's experiences with the injection here:
Solensia! - new arthritis injection

 

[FeebysOwner]

I'm not sure if it's working, but she's not getting worse.
Some days are better than others, but she does walk around. She is also on Adequan. So maybe it's helping her to NOT get worse, but it's not like many stories I've heard/read. Also giving her CBD oil.

Of those three, Adequan is the only one that contains a joint supplement that might help her to not get worse. the other two are mainly for pain control.

 

[ProMeower]

We have an 18y/o cat with hyperthyroid and CKD, who has been on Solensia for about 5 months and we haven't had constipation issues. As part of her kidney regimen, we give subq fluids every other day (per vet). We were also concerned about constipation, and actually had been giving Miralax per vet before the diagnosis, but after the CKD diagnosis we were told that miralax is not the way to go for her because it can dehydrate the cat a little by moving fluid into the colon. We give psyllium with extra water in food and it seems to work. Pumpkin worked for her when she was younger but she's gotten so picky about her food that it's sadly not a good choice anymore.

The constipation might not be a result of the new drug so much as a coincidence. Just letting you know of our experience. Solensia has helped our arthritic girl move around with seemingly less pain. She makes jumps she didn't want to make before, and runs more than she used to. She's not back to jumping on counters, but she used to have a limp and no longer does. For us, it's worth the expense and hassle and (the cat's) stress of being at a clinic once a month.

 

[abunaione]

She has no problem with constipation.
She has been on medication for IBS for years, plus I giver her Laxitone every 4 days.
She seem to be happy.
It's just that when she walks, her back side is hunched down, lightly drags the back legs, and sometimes stumbles.
Just want the old girl to be happy.

 

[Mac and Cats]

Thanks for the info! We deal with some chronic constipation (albeit intermittent still), and just received an arthritis diagnosis today with a recommendation to start daily joint supplements and then start Solensia. I’m nervous about the Solensia … so appreciate the update very much

I have stopped giving her the pumpkin powder and only give her 1/8th teaspoon of Miralax twice a day now. She has not had any problems with constipation for over a year.

We had her on Solensia for about a year and it really did help her. She ended up getting swollen joints after about a year of monthly injections, which the vet thinks is an auto immune response due to the injections (not necessarily the Solensia, but the act of the injection itself.) She was on steroids for a bit to help reduce the swelling and she has been off Solensia for a couple months now. There is a noticeable difference now that she isn't getting the injections, but we don't feel that we can move forward with the Solensia any more. Our vet did report it to the company, but neither myself or my vet has heard of any other cases like this. As I said, I don't think it was necessarily from the Solensia itself, but more from the act of the actual injection. Here is a post about it that I made if you want to read more. She is doing ok, but she has a weird ankle thing that I mention in that post that is still present. I believe that since the Solensia made her feel better, she felt like she could do things like jump off the bed instead of using her stairs and thus she injured her ankles. She still gets around and seems to be doing ok for now. My intention is not to dissuade you from Solensia as I truly do think it is helpful to many cats and was helpful to my cat for a year, but please do keep an eye out for swollen joints or other injuries.

 

[orangie]

I can totally see how that can happen - they’re not really better but they feel a lot better and so they can easily injure themselves.
Orange is currently on a short course of metacam and we are having to restrict him so much so he can heal and he’s so grumpy about it cause on the meds he’s feeling great.

thanks for the info

 

[Mac and Cats]

I can totally see how that can happen - they’re not really better but they feel a lot better and so they can easily injure themselves.
Orange is currently on a short course of metacam and we are having to restrict him so much so he can heal and he’s so grumpy about it cause on the meds he’s feeling great.

thanks for the info

Is your cat's name Orange? We have a kitty named Orange too. Well, legally, his name is Benji, but we call him Orange. He came with the name Benjamin, but that is also my husband's name, so we shortened it. And then it just morphed into Orange.

 

[orangie]

Yep! It’s not very original as he is a flame point Siamese but he was 5 when we adopted him and that’s the handle he came with lol