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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / January 2004Cat with arthritis
Hello All, I've never posted to this group, but I need some input... One of my cats has arthritis and the vet gave me some drops to administer called metacam. He told me the drug is really for dogs, but they have had great results with cats. I did a little research on this drug and it sounds like the side effects could be worse than the arthritis. Has anyone had any experience with this? Thanks, -SS Hmmm. I don't believe I've heard of metacam being used for cats. Mostly vets nowdays give you Cosequin and I am just about to investigate Adequin (which is not "approved" for cats but seems to have a good effect). Hope to hear from others and may I suggest you post that to alt.med.veterinary to see if some of the vets there might respond? Karen > Hello All, > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > -SS Thanks for the response. My vet seems to think that metacam is the best bet, even though it's not really for cats...I'll keep checking before I administer it to my cat. He's very happy, even with the arthritis, and I would hate to make him unhappy with the meds. -SS > Hmmm. I don't believe I've heard of metacam being used for cats. Mostly vets > nowdays give you Cosequin and I am just about to investigate Adequin (which [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Karen <SNIP >From: "SS" ss@ss.com >Thanks for the response. My vet seems to think that metacam is the best >bet, even though it's not really for cats...I'll keep checking before I >administer it to my cat. He's very happy, even with the arthritis, and I >would hate to make him unhappy with the meds. Have you tried glucosimine condroitin? It is a supplement that can help animals with arthritis, plus it won't have any nasty side effects. Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm I haven't yet, but I'll look into it. Thanks, SS > >From: "SS" ss@ss.com > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html > Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm Hello All, I've never posted to this group, but I need some input... One of my cats has arthritis and the vet gave me some drops to administer called metacam. He told me the drug is really for dogs, but they have had great results with cats. I did a little research on this drug and it sounds like the side effects could be worse than the arthritis. Has anyone had any experience with this? Thanks, -SS I'm somewhat surprised that a vet prescribed a NSAID for treatment of arthritic pain. To my knowledge no NSAID is approved for use in cats. That said, they are using them for short term pain relief after surgery. I recently had occasion to ask my vet about this as my 16 yr. old was suffering with her arthritis before Christmas. She was so bad I really though we were losing her. She had stopped using the box, was hardly moving at all, cried every time I picked her up and wasn't eating.The vet prescribed prednosolone but that didn't seem to be giving her much relief and may have caused the loss of appetite. I took her up to see about acupuncture and the vet who does that recommended we try some homeopathic remedies to get her through the holiday and then if she wasn't doing much better I could bring her in and see what could be done. We have had Tigger on Cosequin, shark cartilage and arnica montana (as needed for pain). It's like night and day. Before she always had the fur along her spine standing up (vet said that was an indication of her being in pain) now most of the time it's down. She's jumping up on the bed and into chairs with me and she was even running around the house the other day. Her weight has stabilized and her appitite is back. We've had some really cold weather lately that I would expect to set her off and she's still doing well. She is even standing up straighter. Before her front legs were always bent at the elbow to shift weight to the front and off her hindquarters. I'd say the stuff was working. Wendy Thanks for the reply...looks like I have some more research to do. -SS <SNIP> > I'm somewhat surprised that a vet prescribed a NSAID for treatment of > arthritic pain. To my knowledge no NSAID is approved for use in cats. That [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Wendy I though it was worth giving the homeopathic remedies a try. If it hadn't worked we could have tried acupuncture or gold implants. Tiggy wasn't the best candidate for acupuncture because of her mistrust of all strangers. The vet was afraid she would stress out too much getting stuck so we probably would have had to try the gold implants (rather expensive). I'm sure there are different opinions about NSAIDS among vets. A woman with the local rescue group said there are vets giving Rimadyl to cats. That is approved for use in dogs only but apparently a local vet is trying it and the cats are getting relief. My concern would be the effect on the liver and kidneys particularly if there are safer alternatives to be tried first. I've lost two cats to kidney failure and it's not something I'd want to watch a cat go through again. Thanks for the reply...looks like I have some more research to do. -SS <SNIP> > I'm somewhat surprised that a vet prescribed a NSAID for treatment of > arthritic pain. To my knowledge no NSAID is approved for use in cats. That [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > suffering with her arthritis before Christmas. She was so bad I really > though we were losing her. She had stopped using the box, was hardly moving > at all, cried every time I picked her up and wasn't eating.The vet > prescribed prednosolone but that didn't seem to be giving her much relief [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > up (vet said that was an indication of her being in pain) now most of the > time it's down. She's jumping up on the bed and into chairs with me and she > was even running around the house the other day. Her weight has stabilized > and her appitite is back. We've had some really cold weather lately that I > would expect to set her off and she's still doing well. She is even standing > up straighter. Before her front legs were always bent at the elbow to shift > weight to the front and off her hindquarters. I'd say the stuff was working. > Wendy > I'm sure there are different opinions about NSAIDS among vets. A woman with > the local rescue group said there are vets giving Rimadyl to cats. That is [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > lost two cats to kidney failure and it's not something I'd want to watch a > cat go through again. As I understand it, the kidney issue is largely because they metabolize it a lot slower than dogs, so you can't give it daily or every other day. My 16-year-old Maine coon is on Rimadyl (25mg, 16 pound cat). The vet who gave it to me said to give one pill every 3 days, but when I called back, concerned that the sample pack said dogs only, the other vet in the practice (who I am more familiar with) suggested seeing if he could go as long as a week on one pill, so I've been charting when he started to look a little stiff again. He goes either 6 days or 7 days, before he starts to look stiff. So I'm going to switch from weekly to every 6 days. Now my fluffy-old-man had walked a little bit stiff for a couple of years, but this fall when the weather cooled off, he started lurching like the zombie-undead-cat-from-Hell, so I took him to the vet. With the Rimadyl, he walks like he's not stiff at all. (It hasn't set off an Irritable Bowel flare-up, either, I was worried that it might).  Signaturejamie (jamiemck@newsguy.com) "There's a seeker born every minute." Wendy <wendypart@nospam.com> wrote: > I'm sure there are different opinions about NSAIDS among vets. A woman with > the local rescue group said there are vets giving Rimadyl to cats. That is [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > lost two cats to kidney failure and it's not something I'd want to watch a > cat go through again. As I understand it, the kidney issue is largely because they metabolize it a lot slower than dogs, so you can't give it daily or every other day. My 16-year-old Maine coon is on Rimadyl (25mg, 16 pound cat). The vet who gave it to me said to give one pill every 3 days, but when I called back, concerned that the sample pack said dogs only, the other vet in the practice (who I am more familiar with) suggested seeing if he could go as long as a week on one pill, so I've been charting when he started to look a little stiff again. He goes either 6 days or 7 days, before he starts to look stiff. So I'm going to switch from weekly to every 6 days. Now my fluffy-old-man had walked a little bit stiff for a couple of years, but this fall when the weather cooled off, he started lurching like the zombie-undead-cat-from-Hell, so I took him to the vet. With the Rimadyl, he walks like he's not stiff at all. (It hasn't set off an Irritable Bowel flare-up, either, I was worried that it might). Guess that's like the baby aspirin they can tolerate it but only if given time for it to clear the system. I wonder why some vets will try this and others not. Like I said a rescue group worker told me this was a wonder drug but when I asked two different vets I was told DOGS ONLY and was looked at like I was trying to kill my cat. All research I've done online states NSAIDS are not approved for use in cats (in the US - maybe they are elsewhere?) although they are used for short term pain relief after surgery. So obviously there are vets ignoring the lack of approval and trying this (long term)anyway. Quite confusing! Or maybe your 16lb old guy can tolerate where my 8 lb old lady could not? I have an "at least 8 year old" (we don't know how old she was when we got her from the shelter) older lady who has seemed stiff and less willing to jump up to her favorite spots lately. I took her to the vet and he gave her Cosamin capsules (they're premeasured amounts for cats) which I just open and mix with her food. She's been on it for about two weeks and I think she seems a little better. I know it takes a while for the glucosamine to build up, but maybe this might help your guy. Just a thought :) Judy F > Wendy <wendypart@nospam.com> wrote: > > I'm sure there are different opinions about NSAIDS among vets. A woman [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Now my fluffy-old-man had walked a little bit stiff for a couple of years, > but this fall when the weather cooled off, he started lurching like the > zombie-undead-cat-from-Hell, so I took him to the vet. With the Rimadyl, [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > the lack of approval and trying this (long term)anyway. Quite confusing! Or > maybe your 16lb old guy can tolerate where my 8 lb old lady could not? The Glucosamine+MSM will have definete benefit, however it won't happen overnight ~ as they say, it will help to rebuild the cartelage in the joints and make things much easier - but it takes time. http://www.nutritionfarm.com/products/petpycc.htm This link should also prove very very interesting as well, and having haD personal experience with Pycnogenol - I know it works! This site is just one of many, try your own search for even more information, pycnogenol + pets . <Gmxemail address disfunctional~ so don't use |
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