I need some advice for the rescue kitty we've had for ten years (we have no idea of her age) developed CRF four years ago. She has been great at keeping her weight on, even though diagnosed about a year ago with hyperthyroidism!) She is on meds for that now, but recently she began losing weight and dropping hair. My favorite animal communicator told me she is not feeling well, pains in her kidneys and arthritis in her lower hips and spine (which I knew about the latter but we haven't given her meds to date) and her teeth are bothersome but the other stuff is worse (but surgery is risky with her kidney's)
The vet has made four suggestions and I'd love some input on what she wrote below. I'm leaning towards #4 and#5 but maybe doing the #3 drug for pain until we give the supplements and/or injections time to kick in. Your thoughts?
I'm so appreciative of your input.
Lauri Smith
Options for kitties and pain relief are much more limited than in dogs. Here they are:
1. There is a new NSAID that came out very recently that has been approved for cats, but it is just approved for post-operative pain, to be given for just 3 days in a row. So it's not a drug that a kitty can take every day like rimadyl. Maybe for short term acute pain from an accident or surgery, but not really arthritis pain. Also, it is something that I would be reluctant to use because of Hootie's kidneys. (It is called Onsior, if you were wondering).
2. Sometimes we use tramadol for pain in cats. It tastes bad, so it's not something you can crush and put in food because there is no way she would eat it. You could get it formulated into a liquid suspension with a flavor of your choosing at a compounding pharmacy. This is not inexpensive, and you do take the risk that she might not like it. Side effects: she might seem spacey. No problems with the kidneys or liver.
3. Buprenex is an opioid medication that we prescribe all the time for cats. It is a liquid given orally, and it doesn't have to be swallowed. You squirt it into the mouth and it gets absorbed through the gums. It works GREAT for pain. Side effects: cats get very "happy", and they seem "high" on it sometimes. Of course we can tweak the dose to make it effective hopefully without changing Hootie's personality!
4. Adequan injections can be given to cats and can be very effective. Adequan is glucosaminoglycan, which is a building block of joint fluid. I have lots of senior patients on these injections, and often there is a very noticeable difference. The schedule is two injections per week for 2 weeks, then decrease from there, ending up with an injection once per month. Clients buy it one bottle at a time, then either give the injections at home or bring the pet in for us to give the injection.
5. Dasuquin supplement. I would start dasuquin no matter what. It is a glucosamine supplement with a soy product in it that helps with inflammation. It comes in a capsule that you open up and sprinkle onto the food once daily.
