Arthritis options beyond Adequan?

[MaryB & Chester]

Chester has been on Adequan for about three weeks now, getting shots twice a week. The vet thinks it's time to get him down to once a week shots...but I really haven't seen much improvement. I suppose it's better than doing nothing, but he's still limping noticeably. How long does this stuff usually take to make a difference?

What else could I do for him?
What should I avoid?

Of course, he's not making anything any better by continuing to act like a normal cat. I have kitty steps set up for him by the couch and the bed. Does he use them? No! Jump up to the back of the couch, run around the house, then limp like a little old man...I'm glad he's feeling so good and wanting to play and run and jump, but that can't help his bad leg!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

I use Cosequin for cats for MurrFee and it really helped. It takes a while and suspect Adequan will longer than three weeks to see much effect. There is also Desequin which includes cosequin.

 

[MaryB & Chester]

We tried him with some powder to sprinkle on his food, but he kept refusing it and only rarely would eat it. That's why we went with the injectable. Is Cosequin that much more effective than Adequan?
There really aren't any painkillers that are safe for cats, are there?

 

[Mitzelplik's Mom]

Hi Mary,
Mitz is on Adequan. It does take a while to take effect. I also give Mitz a supplement called Zobaline because she started walking low down on her hind legs and had trouble with her balance. This is from diabetic neuropathy. The Zobaline also takes 2-4 weeks to really start working, but between the 2 medications she's doing much better.
Hope this helps,
Joan

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

I had my GA kitty on Metacam for several years (3 or 4) and it seemed to help. It's a liquid that you can mix with food for easy administration. When I used it, Metacam was made for dogs and was used off label for cats. It looks like there is now a specific feline suspension available.

That said, I've seen a lot of claims on the web that Metacam causes kidney failure in cats so while my experience was very positive, I would definitely do some up to date research and weigh the pros and cons before using it again. I assume further more credible studies have been done at this point in time given they now make a feline suspension. My cat had no kidney issues at any time and passed away from other causes at 16.5 yrs. old.

 

[BJM]

Metacam has an FDA Black Box Waring against its use in cats due to its potentially lethal effect on the kidneys. (NSAIDS may cause renal impairment in humans, too)
You might see if giving some fish oil regularly helps; it has some natural anti-inflammatory effects.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

My Neko has arthritis due to her acromegaly. She is on cartrophen (Canadian equivalent to Adequan) as was a previous kitty. It does take around a month of loading doses before I started noticing a difference. We went to once a month after 4 weeks.

There are a couple of additional things you can try to help the arthritis itself. In addition to fish oil, Neko is on Hyaflex and Duralactin for inflammation. Talk to your vet before adding either of those. Neko also gets regular acupuncture treatments and I give her acupressure daily. For arthritic pain, Neko is on buprenorphine. Check out the 2015 AAHA/AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for other options.

 

[MaryB & Chester]

Thank you for your suggestions!

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

We have used a product called Synflex on our Taz for many years now. She also stopped eating food when we put Dasuquin (similar to Cosequin) in it. Synflex is a liquid that we just squirt into her mouth (they say some pet will lap it up since it is beef flavored). She had a pretty severe hitch in her giddy-up when we started. She jumps into and out of the top of the cat tree onto the bet and runs around like a kitten and not the 17+ yr old she is.

It takes some time for the chondroitin-glucosamine supplements to get up to an effective level in their system. Many of the products recommend a higher dose period in the beginning and then you can reduce later. Most say 3wks to a month and you should notice a difference. We noticed a difference with Taz on the Das and Synflex within the first week. My husband does not believe in this supplement because it did not help him, but he couldn't deny the difference it made in Taz.