Natural painkiller for cats with arthritis

ldg

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Then it shouldn't need to be refrigerated. :)

500mg is the daily dose. If you're going to try adding it to food, it's best to start small - a few drops, and see if he eats it, and doesn't have any kind of reaction to it. You can keep increasing it by a few drops a day until you're at the full 500mg. My Flowerbelle hated the stuff, and I can easily pill her, so I just pill her with it before her first meal of the day. :rub:
 
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Great!  My cat is a flavor hound.  He laps it up like there's no tomorrow.  Thank goodness.
 
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Uh, oh.  I went to the vet today and it appears that my Krill oil venture has to be shelved until further notice.  The vet is concerned that the oil will thin my cat's blood.  Puba is currently having some blood pressure issues that have caused what I hope is only temporary blindness.  The vet said that she saw a bit of bleeding behind one eye and doesn't want the bleeding to go on and on because of whatever blood thinning properties Krill oil naturally contains.  I am annoyed because Puba appeared to be moving with more ease as early as the second day of taking the Krill oil.  I see what this product can do for him.  So, I am at a loss right now.  Petwellbeing.com appears to have an alternative or two that looks to be compatible with the meds that Puba is on.  Perhaps that will help in the meantime.
 

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Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has high blood pressure? What medication is he on?

Flowerbelle has high BP, but it didn't progress to affecting her sight. I'm VERY thankful for that, because she's deaf and only has one eye. We're just monitoring her blood pressure more closely so we can adjust her medication if needed. She's on 1/4 oooo - don't know the mg of the whole pill - of Norvasc (amlodipine besylate). So far we haven't needed to adjust her med levels.
 

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Oh, I should mention - I did a lot of work on finding something that would help her joints but seemed would have the least impact on her BP. There seems to be issues with most of the supplements that may help. :(
 
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Yeah, that's the one Norvasc.  Puba has to take 1/4 pill twice daily.  I am hoping that all of this is just temporary.  Puba's thyroid levels were normal for months, then they went out of wack again.  It may not be my fault but I blame myself.  I put his thyroid meds in pill pockets in advance of administering them.  I then put the baggie of ten or so pill pockets in the fridge.  The vet said that this could have lowered the potency of the medication.  At first I was afraid that his kidneys were failing, but the blood test revealed that his kidney levels were well within normal limits.  So, now he's on methimazole and norvasc and I am now taking steps to prevent kidney damage as well.  I am just so grateful that my 18 year old kitty is so plucky.  With all that he is going through, he still holds his tail in a happy, optimistic arc.  His name is Puba, but he definitely has the heart and spirit of "Panthro."  LOL!
 
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Oh, I should mention - I did a lot of work on finding something that would help her joints but seemed would have the least impact on her BP. There seems to be issues with most of the supplements that may help.
Geez, that sucks.  You didn't like any of the choices at petwellbeing.com either?
 
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Please let me know how you liked the site.  I found their "ask the vet" and on-line chat to be very helpful when and getting a sense of what might and might not work.
 

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I only see one joint support product for cats? :dk: http://www.petwellbeing.com/products/cat-arthritis-1#ingredients

The turmeric I know is contra-indicated for high blood pressure. I just looked up Devil's claw, and found this: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/984.html

Heart problems, high blood pressure, low blood pressure: Since devil’s claw can affect heart rate, heartbeat, and blood pressure, it might harm people with disorders of the heart and circulatory system. If you have one of these conditions, talk with your healthcare provider before starting devil’s claw.
Same with sarsaparilla: it reduces blood pressure: http://www.livestrong.com/article/297751-benefits-of-indian-sarsaparilla/

Sarsaparilla has diuretic qualities and may help to relieve medical conditions complicated by fluid accumulation. Michael Castleman, in his book "The New Healing Herbs," explains that sarsaparilla contains compounds called saponins, which have diuretic effects when consumed internally. As a result, sarsaparilla may effectively treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure...

....llke I said, most everything I found that helps joints may affect blood pressure. :( I went for the least complicated one, and keep close tabs on her BP. :dk:
 
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Wow.  Thorny indeed.  Less complicated is definitely better.  Thank you for sharing your research with me.
 

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I'd discuss this with the vet again. The issue is high blood pressure... the krill oil may affect blood pressure, but not by increasing it, by lowering it. If you're able to keep pretty close tabs on the BP, since the krill oil clearly is going to help his arthritis, all that may need to happen (again, if the vet agrees...), would be to reduce his dose of Norvasc, no? That's the way our vet is working with us with Flowerbelle. So far we haven't had to adjust her Norvasc dose, and it's been over a month now, but you never know....
 
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I'd discuss this with the vet again. The issue is high blood pressure... the krill oil may affect blood pressure, but not by increasing it, by lowering it. If you're able to keep pretty close tabs on the BP, since the krill oil clearly is going to help his arthritis, all that may need to happen (again, if the vet agrees...), would be to reduce his dose of Norvasc, no? That's the way our vet is working with us with Flowerbelle. So far we haven't had to adjust her Norvasc dose, and it's been over a month now, but you never know....
Yes, I tend to agree with you.  But the vet is specifically concerned about the bleeding behind the eye and wants nothing to impede the coagulation process.  So, really, I am just biding my time.  The vet has asked me to stop all oils for a week so I will oblige.  Once she is satisfied with the bleeding issue, kitty and I will be back on the Krill oil track again.
 
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It's been a week and odd and the vet is pleased with the way Puba's eyes are healing.  The vet isn't sold on the idea of giving Puba krill oil, and is concerned about the dosage.  I want to start giving Puba krill oil again in a few days, but I want to know the acceptable dosage for a feline that is approximately 5 pounds.  Is 500 mg too much?
 
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I only see one joint support product for cats?
http://www.petwellbeing.com/products/cat-arthritis-1#ingredients
The turmeric I know is contra-indicated for high blood pressure. I just looked up Devil's claw, and found this: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/984.html
Same with sarsaparilla: it reduces blood pressure: http://www.livestrong.com/article/297751-benefits-of-indian-sarsaparilla/
....llke I said, most everything I found that helps joints may affect blood pressure.
I went for the least complicated one, and keep close tabs on her BP.
Meant to tell you just in case you didn't notice that the vets responsible for the company are readily available and can let you know if any of the supplements would be harmful in combination with other medications.  You can contact them through live chat or email or phone.
 
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