Late-Night Cat Thoughts

[Rackonteur]

My cat is nearly 20 years old. She has been on Solensia injections for arthritis for about 18 months. Once a month we go to the vet for a shot by a vet tech.

Today and tonight she’s been off at trot. At least she does trot, but this off again on again lameness worries me.

Before Solensia she was on Adequan for arthritis. It is used off-label for cats, whereas Solensia is specifically for cats. The two products are different from each other. I could give her Adequan sub-cu shots myself, here at home.

Our next Solensia shot (tech appointment) is scheduled for the first of September. Our next vet appointment is not 'til November.

I’m thinking of stopping the Solensia and going back to the Adequan, for 2 reasons:

1. The Solensia is not completely helping the arthritis.
2. Going to the vet every month is stressful for us both and expensive for me.

I don’t want to risk any harm by using an off-label product when a cat-specific one is available. OTOH I don’t want to continue a treatment that might not be as effective as the off-label drug.

I don’t want her to be in pain. Sigh.

NB: She eats very well, grooms herself, demands food, sleeps most of the time, doesn’t play anymore.

[Fiesta01]

I’m sorry you’re having worries with your kitty. It’s awful to see them in pain and feel helpless or confused about what to do.

What kind of relief was she getting with the Adequan the first time? If she was showing no more lameness with the Adequan than she is now with the Solensia, it would be easier to do the Adequan as you said. I wouldn’t worry about it being off-label for cats, since there appear to be many different protocols for using it safely in cats. If it gives her the same (not less) relief, I’d go for it. If one of the protocols doesn’t seem to be helping maybe a different one would.

Stiff, Sore Cats: Taming Feline Arthritis - WSAVA 2015 Congress - VIN

My 9-year-old cat got her second Solensia shot a couple weeks ago. It’s working great for her, at least for now. No more limping, and she’s playing again. She’s also on Cosequin and Glycoflex (glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and antioxidants) which we started before the Solensia. If you’re the person who has to take your cat by bus to get the Solensia shot, I want to thank you. I only tried it because of your post.

[Rackonteur]

Thank you for the link. That is a very good article.
I’m glad your kitty is doing well on Solensia.
My kitty and I do take the bus to her vet appointments.

[Fiesta01]

Now that I know for sure it was you, a BIG thank you!!

[cilla1]

Hi @Rackonteur! My old dog did very well on Librela (the canine version of Solensia) for about a year and then it stopped working. At first the vet tried to shorten the time between shots (from 30 days to 27), then she tried a full dose (he was on half a vial). She said that if it wouldn’t work we’d stop Librela and go back to NSAID we were giving him before. Unluckily he died shortly after (not related to his arthritis) but this is to say I believe you can surely stop Solensia and go back to Adequan. Even if it is off label for cats I believe that your vet knows it is safe for them.
Hugs to you and to your furbaby

[beowulf]

I am sorry to hear that your kitty is sore. I know we’ve talked a bit about Solensia - I’m thrilled it worked for your kitty (until it seemingly didn’t). In your position, knowing how hard it is for you to bring the kitty to the vet and how stressful it is for you both, I do not think you’re making the wrong decision by considering discontinuing it. If you desperately wanted to keep her on it, you could mention these hardships to the vet and see if they’d allow you to bring it home.

A small, cheap thing that helps my older kitty is the Cosequin/MSM tablets you can buy on Chewy. I also would not worry about Adequan being used off label - but I do understand it can be a big expense.

Interestingly, this morning I was getting ads from Chewy for this - it is apparently Chewy’s best rated pain relief according to customer reviews. It’s cheap and may be worth a try:
https://www.chewy.com/medinatura-t-relief-arnica-12/dp/291211

[Rackonteur]

[Rackonteur]

Thank you.
I am sorry for the loss of your dog.

[Rackonteur]

Thank you. That arnica sounds interesting, and I like the fact that I can talk with Chewy reps about their products.
I will call the vet tomorrow and see what we can discuss.
Which reminds me, I better look thru Velvet’s file tonight and review her various meds thru the years …