Has anybody tried Solensia to treat arthritis pain in cats? It’s a monoclonal antibody treatment that is injected monthly. My vet mentioned it as a possibility for my oldest cat that also has kidney disease, because Solensia would not harm the kidneys like NSAIDS. So I’m curious if anybody has experience with it–how effective is it, what are side effects, how much does it cost, and anything else you can tell me.
Don’t know if it is helpful at all, but I have a friend in Europe that has been using the dog version on her elderly dog for over a year, and she sees a big difference. He even carries his tail differently since he has been on it. He hasn’t had any noticeable side effects.
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It’s still relatively new to the US market but having friends still in the vet tech business, they are swearing by it. They’ve reported things like “life altering” differences and “night and day”. It’s geared towards cats but I’m already hearing it’s being used off label for horses.
It’s still on my list to try for one of my older cats who isn’t so sprightly anymore — but at $200/mo (which is what I was last quoted by my vet) it’s up there with Adequan in terms of cost. I’m waiting for it to go down in price once generics hit the market. For now we’re using Cosequin with okay results.
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OUCH!!!
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My vet mentioned it to me for my boy but I’m a little anxious about trying it. My kitty was diagnosed with scl 4 years ago and I worry if it upsets his system and he stops eating or has a bad rxn to it. My boy’s been doing good for the most part and still jumps up on things and skitters around fine… just don’t want to mess too much with him.
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How long ago did they give you this price? I first knew of the canine version a couple of years ago and it was really expensive, now I’m using it for my elderly dog and it’s way more affordable. I pay 40 Euros per month (he’s responding well to half dose, full dose would be 80)
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This is a wonder drug for my cat (age unknown, somewhere from 10 to infinity). Her movement and attitude were drastically improved within 24 hours of her first shot. She is back to jumping on furniture and galloping through the house. A shot lasts between 6-7 weeks and is $90. I’m so glad the vet suggested it.
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A client started it on her older cat (maybe 18?) and it has returned her to a playful kitty! She runs and can jump on the bed again, after about 2 years of not being able to. It isn’t cheap, but it seems to work.
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My dog had her first dose on October 17th and I can’t say I’ve noticed any difference at all. I’ll try another dose this month, but for us it doesn’t seem to be the miracle drug that I was hoping for.
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Solensia has made a difference for my two sixteen-year-old kitties. I noticed that they can crouch in the litter box better, more like when they were younger, rather than just standing and spraying the sides of the box. I live in a rural area and my vet charges about $90 each per injection. I have gone 4-6 weeks between injections without much of a difference (that I’m able to tell, anyway). But much beyond 6 weeks and they stop being able to crouch as well. YMMV!
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Me too. This drug has only been on the market a short time, so no one really knows yet how often side effects occur or how cats react to the drug long term. Both the FDA and the European counterpart refused to authorize a monoclonal antibody treatment for humans because of adverse effects (more frequent knee and hip replacements in people taking the drug), and this concerns me. Also, some owners have reported that their cats developed dementia symptoms after taking the drug. Others have reported that arthritis symptoms worsened or the drug lost its effectiveness over time. Also, less ominous complications such as itching and diarrhea are fairly common. I want to see how the benefits and adverse effects play out after the drug has been on the market longer.
Here are two links to one veterinarian’s blog about Solensia:
https://vetspace.2ndchance.info/solensia-a-new-approaches-to-arthritis-pain-in-cats/ (scroll down a little for the article)
https://vetspace.2ndchance.info/the-cat-owner-solensia-feedback-page/
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Last summer. I believe it was $90/dose, but my small animal clinic charges an office fee and an “administration fee”, making each visit $200 round trip. At re-injection every 4-6 weeks, I just can’t afford that.
The injection is typically done sub-q.
I asked if I could buy a whole vial from them and administer it myself; the answer was no. I am so used to horse vets, but my relationship with them is very different.
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That’s too bad. My vet has allowed me to give the injections at home.
Unfortunately Minnie wasn’t able to stand up this morning for the first time. I’ll definitely do the second shot in the next couple of weeks if she doesn’t deteriorate further, but I don’t think these injections are going to prolong Minnie’s life.
I’m glad that some of you are seeing improvement and I would give the medication another try with other pets when needed.
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My 15 y/o has been on it a year and it has really given him a new lease on life. It is monthly, and costs $100 a month (I am in a HCoLA) . It’s billed as a ‘tech visit’ so the shot itself is $90 and a $10 tech fee. So yes, it is pricey, but worth it. The IM injection is pretty quick, so we can zoom in and zoom out.
We opted for Solensia since gaba just zombied him out and he was so uncomfortable and living in daily pain. I took the gamble hoping that it would give my cat more time with an increased quality of life, and it has. We did x-rays and a full senior blood panel before putting him on it, so we knew what underlying chronic conditions we were already dealing with.
In short, it is working out really well for him. His other conditions are catching up with him (heart and renal) but those were in play before we started Solenia, so my vet and I do not think they are related.
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Noel (my scl kitty) must have known I was talking about him. He was demonstrating his counter surfing abilities last night 
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My Ursala just had the kitty crazies, attacking the edge of the area rug. She’s on the prowl now looking for another victim. She wouldn’t have been able to do that a year ago.
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I manage a vet clinic, and though we’ve only had Solensa (and Librela, the canine version) for a short time, we’ve had many happy clients who say that it has made their cat feel like a kitten again. It’s been very well tolerated and usually starts working with the first or second injection. Clients love it because they don’t have to worry about giving joint supplements or NSAIDs every day and it seems to be more effective. The antibodies reduce the pain signals, and it can also be used as an adjunct to more traditional therapies like NSAIDs, gabapentin or other pain medications, laser therapy, joint supplements, etc. These monoclonal antibody therapies have only recently been approved in the US, but they’ve been used in Europe for years- millions of doses of each given after extensive and ongoing testing, and they have very few side effects, since it’s an antibody rather than a drug. The side effects we were warned about were vomiting and injection site pain, but only a small percentage of study patients experienced those. We usually tell people to try it if they can afford it, even just a few doses, and if it’s working, great, if you don’t notice much of a difference, then you don’t have to continue.
https://www.zoetispetcare.com/products/solensia is the manufacturer’s website about it if you want to learn more.
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Do you know of any studies in progress on long-term side effects? Like nerve damage? Or someone upthread mentioned dementia?
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My 19yo kitty has been on Solensia for a year. She gets 1 shot a month, and I pay $75 for the tech visit and injection. I would think that after a year the manufacturer would let us give the shot to our own pets in our homes, but not yet. I hate taking her (and me) to the vet every month.
I honestly don’t know how much the Solensia is helping her arthritis. My vet has told me about at least one elderly cat who became like a kitten on it, but my girl is still just old. She does get around OK, walking, and once in a rare while she will come cantering out of the bathroom, but she isn’t playing like a kitten or jumping like a kitten, and I have a 2yo niece-cat whom I visit regularly and the contrast in their behavior is amazing, and sad to me.
My kitty does have a good appetite. She takes an interest in whatever is going on out on the lawn (we live in an apartment building out in the country and have deer and birds who visit regularly).
I plan to keep taking her in for the shots as she could be worse off without them. She does not seem to be in pain.
I am worried to read here about the mention of dementia. I don’t know if she has that, or if she is just old. But she meows A LOT, and sometimes she sounds desperate even though she doesn’t act upset. She does want me to be with her all the time, even when I am just in the next room.
Thank you for posting those links to the vet’s website. I read his post and also some of the messages from his patients’ people about their cats’ responses to Solensia.
I think I may take my kitty off Solensia for awhile and see what changes manifest.
