Cartrophen dosing, side effects?

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Bandit's Mom

Bandit's Mom

Member Since 2019
My civvie, Budge, has arthritis. She is almost 13 years old now. She has difficulty jumping onto the bed, sofa etc. and I've noticed that she now has a limp for a few seconds after she gets up from a seated/lying position.

She has been on joint supplements (Glycoflex) for a few years now but it looks like she needs more.

I can't seem to get her to lose weight. She is 13lbs and should ideally be 11lbs or so. I feed her only around 150 cals a day and I'm wondering if I should reduce that even further.

Anyway, I took her to the vet to ask about other options for arthritis and the vet suggested an injection which turns out is the locally manufactured alternative to Cartrophen. The vet has not used it for cats and is not even sure it can be used for cats. It is a newish product here and I don't think a lot of vets know about it!

The product literature says dosing of 3mg/kg for dogs (as 4 weekly injections) and that's what this link shared by @Bron and Sheba (GA) also says. Just wanted to reconfirm that.
http://vetbook.org/wiki/cat/index.php/Pentosan_polysulfate

Also wanted to ask if like insulin, a vial can be kept in the fridge and used for multiple injections?

@Wendy&Neko
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@thebigfuzz
 
It’s just Australia!
They are not nearly as liberal with medications or letting people give injections at home etc.and vet medications are very expensive here.
I asked my vet about giving Sheba subQ fluids at home and he said he had one other person who did them at home otherwise we went to the vet to do them. He was quite happy for me to give them at home. .
But on the plus side I think vets here are a lot more accessible to caregivers than in the US. We don’t have vet techs here, we have vet nurses who will sometimes pass on information but mostly, in my experience, and my family’s experience, the vet will always talk to you. If you have blood tests done, they will always ring you later that day or the next day and talk about the results, unless you have another appointment. And I used to email my vet about Sheba if I had a question which didn’t warrant a visit and they would always answer.
 
The vials for Cartrophen do not last as long as Adequan does once opened. Unless you have multiple cats on Cartrophen, or a large dog, it's not cost effective to buy a vial of it. It will go bad long before you use it up. Vets go through it often enough that it makes sense for them to have vials.

@thebigfuzz Get your vet to check with the manufacturer. Once the Cartrophen is loaded in the syringes, the syringes aren't good for long either, maybe a month? I can't remember, but I found out from another vet so my vet phoned in and found the same. It was best to get the preloaded syringe each month, and administer at home.

Cartrophen is used off label for cats, it says dogs and horses only on the package.
 
Thanks @Wendy&Neko, we get 2ml vials here and the manufacturer claims it will be stable for 6 months.

The other thing I forgot to ask was does the site of the injection affect its efficacy? The manufacturer says "We recommend the site of injection on the back but not too close to the spine". No clue what that means!
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Once the Cartrophen is loaded in the syringes, the syringes aren't good for long either, maybe a month?
Click to expand...
The pre loaded syringes we received were for the first month only, where we gave a shot once a week for 4 weeks. Now, we need to get a new filled syringe every month. I’m not sure if we will receive a vial yet?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Thanks @Wendy&Neko, we get 2ml vials here and the manufacturer claims it will be stable for 6 months.

The other thing I forgot to ask was does the site of the injection affect its efficacy? The manufacturer says "We recommend the site of injection on the back but not too close to the spine". No clue what that means!
Click to expand...
The shot is given subcutaneously, just like insulin :)
 
Anyone hear of or experience any side-effects of Cartrophen? Budge vomited this morning. I don't know if it is a side effect of the first Cartrophen (equivalent) shot she got yesterday. I read that some cats have experienced GI upsets after Cartrophen. She is fine otherwise - appetite, spirits etc

@Wendy&Neko
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Budge vomited this morning. I don't know if it is a side effect of the first Cartrophen (equivalent) shot she got yesterday.
Click to expand...
The Cartrophen website reports vomiting as a rare side effect in dogs:

In very rare cases, 5-15 minutes after the first injection a dog might vomit or be a little quieter than usual for up to 24 or maybe 48 hours. These transitory effects are rare and are only seen in some dogs​

Source: http://www.cartrophen.com/for-dog-owners/faqs/


Mogs
.
 
How is Budge doing?
Hopefully there is no connection to the Cartrophen. Tina has done remarkably well on Adequan, and paws are crossed for Budge. It took about a month to see changes, and after two months, she gets around better than in the last 3 years!
Hopefully no more vomiting?
 
Tina Marie and Jan said:
How is Budge doing?
Hopefully there is no connection to the Cartrophen. Tina has done remarkably well on Adequan, and paws are crossed for Budge. It took about a month to see changes, and after two months, she gets around better than in the last 3 years!
Hopefully no more vomiting?
Click to expand...

Took Budge to the vet for vomiting and vet said its gastritis/indigestion. Prescribed ondanestron and enzymes. Hopefully no link to Cartrophen. Let's see how she fares after the second shot!
Thanks for checking in! :bighug:
 
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