cosequin for bladder health?

blueandfrodo · Oct 16, 2010

does anyone here use cosequin for bladder health? blue was at the vet again yesterday and we have more antibiotics. the vet didn't want to give them because she said that usually it is stress that is causing the bladder pain and not an infection. but, last year she didn't give antibiotics and then 2 months later blue was supposed to get her teeth cleaned but she couldn't because she had an infection... i made her give them to me now because i don't want blue to suffer a second longer than she has to.

anyway, she also suggested that i give cosequin a try. she said that stress will continue to make blue's bladder sore and the cosequin could help heal the lining of her bladder. she said she has had a lot of success with it in other cats.

anyone want to share their experience with this? thanks!

momofmany · Oct 16, 2010

A recent study has shown that Cosequin by itself has absolutely no value for on bladder issues. When the first study on this topic was conducted years ago, they didn't do it right. Basically they made food changes at the same time as starting Cosequin, and therefore it appeared that the Cosequin was helping.

In a more recent study, they controlled the variables a little better. They gave some cats Cosequin with no other changes, changed the diets of others in the study, and used various medications to others. The cats given Cosequin had absolutely no improvement in their bladder health. The cats with diet change did.

I learned this from a cat specialist who was treating my Muddy for his chronic idiopathic cystitis. She said that the majority of vets out there don't keep up on current studies and therefore continue to push Cosequin for bladder issues.

My advice? Don't waste your money and if the vet pushes you, ask them to look up more recent studies on the topic.

Cosequin does well with joint issues, so it is not entirely useless.

blueandfrodo · Oct 16, 2010

so what do you suggest to help with blue's issues?

sharky · Oct 16, 2010

what is Blue eating?what supplements if any have you tried or are using?

carolina · Oct 16, 2010

Hi there,

I am on exactly the same boat as you... Stress induced bladder inflammation... Bugsy had a very bad scare this past weekend that landed him on ER peeing blood, a week of clavamox and the works...
My vet told me to put him on CD, but he will not eat, so I started him on Cranberry Relief... You give it 2x a day for a couple of weeks and then just give it twice a week from then on. It has a lot of positive reviews everywhere you look.
Some say it is not recommended if your cat has crystals though, but for inflammation/UTI it is great...
My vet was not familiar with it, but he approve it, and said to keep him posted so he can refer it to other patients if it works.
Aside from that, I am pushing lots of wet food...

monaxlisa · Oct 16, 2010

Chester is on W/D prescription food, it's the same as C/D but fewer calories because he's fat. He also gets one cosaquin pill (actually it's people glucosamine/chondroiton in the same dosage as the cos.) and two herbal pills in the AM. The pills are UT Tract Support by Pet Naturals of Vermont and you can look at them at PetHerbsDirect.com they're cranberry, marshmallow root, corn silk etc. And I also use only distilled water for my water dishes. Since Chester has been on all of these goodies he's been a-ok. This is after a four day stay in the hospital with a catheter, antibiotics, emergency trips and lots of $$. Good luck

carolina · Oct 16, 2010

I forgot to say... Instead of Consequin I am giving straight Hyaluronic Acid for Pets

MonaxLisa, Nice to know that Cranberry works for Crystals too!

blueandfrodo · Oct 16, 2010

thanks for the help guys

blue eats all canned food. i feed the go! grain free canned food, chicken turkey and duck flavour and fresh water trout flavour.

the only supplement she gets is l-lysine when her eyes get gooey from the uri she had about 4-5 years ago. it acts up about once every few months and i give the l-lysine 2 times a day for 3 days and it clears up.

should i get some supplements? i just don't know what to do. my vet suggested i go to some website (indoor cat intiative something or other) and i have provided everything on the list that i can. she has a heated bed that she barely ever leaves. our new house is double the floor space as our other house and she doesn't even seem bothered by the dogs anymore, in fact i usually find blue and brom cuddled together on the couch. well, she is on her heated bed and brom is cuddled next to her.

she really does seem much calmer and happier since we moved.

what do you think i should do? thanks

carolina · Oct 16, 2010

Originally Posted by blueandfrodo

thanks for the help guys

blue eats all canned food. i feed the go! grain free canned food, chicken turkey and duck flavour and fresh water trout flavour.

the only supplement she gets is l-lysine when her eyes get gooey from the uri she had about 4-5 years ago. it acts up about once every few months and i give the l-lysine 2 times a day for 3 days and it clears up.

should i get some supplements? i just don't know what to do. my vet suggested i go to some website (indoor cat intiative something or other) and i have provided everything on the list that i can. she has a heated bed that she barely ever leaves. our new house is double the floor space as our other house and she doesn't even seem bothered by the dogs anymore, in fact i usually find blue and brom cuddled together on the couch. well, she is on her heated bed and brom is cuddled next to her.

she really does seem much calmer and happier since we moved.

what do you think i should do? thanks

first thing cut the fish...
I don't think we can TELL you what to do... That's ultimately with you and your vet... but we can share our experiences and if you notice from my reply and monaxlisa, both of us are using Cranberry supplements... It is very commonly and successfully used...

blueandfrodo · Oct 16, 2010

i just ordered 2 more cases of the fish food. i have no other choice but to feed it until it is gone. and, if i cut the fish then i will only be feeding the one flavour of food. they don't make any other flavour. the place where i order the food from only carries go!, orijen, and canidae. orijen doesn't make canned food and the cats really hate the felidae food. is it ok to feed only one flavour of food, ie only fowl as a protien source?

i did notice that you guys are giving a cranberry supplement. do you know if i can give a human supplement? i don't have access to a pet store here and ordering anything online means at least a 3-4 week wait. (i am still waiting on something i ordered online at the end of september)

i know that you can't tell me what to do. i was looking for other people's experiences with this disease. i have already consulted my vet and she wants me to give the cosequin so i am at a dead end there. i would like to explore all the options before committing to something my vet suggests, especially after just finding out that it probably doesn't help.

sharky · Oct 16, 2010

yes one flavor is fine.. my rb Kandie only ate 2 for her first 12 yrs

carolina · Oct 16, 2010

Originally Posted by blueandfrodo

i just ordered 2 more cases of the fish food. i have no other choice but to feed it until it is gone. IMHO you do have a choice, and that is not feeding... I too have 30lbs of very expensive food here - Orijen and EVO, mixed and out of the bags, which makes it impossible to return... But with Bugsy's UTI I immediately stopped it. $100 in food that I will donate to a friend that is in need at the moment is still cheaper than hundreds in vet bills... and, if i cut the fish then i will only be feeding the one flavour of food. they don't make any other flavour. the place where i order the food from only carries go!, orijen, and canidae. orijen doesn't make canned food and the cats really hate the felidae food. is it ok to feed only one flavour of food, ie only fowl as a protien source? That is absolutely fine... have you tried other things like rabbit, venison, etc? Just throwing Ideas... But I would really cut the fish...

i did notice that you guys are giving a cranberry supplement. do you know if i can give a human supplement? i don't have access to a pet store here and ordering anything online means at least a 3-4 week wait. (i am still waiting on something i ordered online at the end of september) Yes, you can give human, but the problem with that is getting to the proper dosage. If you give too much you can get the urine too acidic and risking going to the other side - crystals. This Cranberry Relief, I have seen is several stores... Let me check if they carry close to you

i know that you can't tell me what to do. i was looking for other people's experiences with this disease. i have already consulted my vet and she wants me to give the cosequin so i am at a dead end there. i would like to explore all the options before committing to something my vet suggests, especially after just finding out that it probably doesn't help.

.................................................

carolina · Oct 16, 2010

Here is a place that sells it in Canada: Petacular

blueandfrodo · Oct 16, 2010

it might be a choice for you to have $100 of food laying around and not feeding it but honestly, i can't have $80 of food going to waste. i just can't do it. i can call the place tomorrow to see if they placed the order yet to see if i can change it.

i can't get venison or anything other than the go! food that i am getting since there are no other stores to get it from. i already have to drive 2 hours one way to get this food. there is no other choice.

that place charges almost the same for the shipping as it does for the product! it is 17.99 for the product and 15 for shipping. holy cow! i am going to toronto next week, i will check if i can find it at a store there and then i can continue to get it by asking my mom to mail it down to me.

carolina · Oct 16, 2010

Originally Posted by blueandfrodo

it might be a choice for you to have $100 of food laying around and not feeding it but honestly, i can't have $80 of food going to waste. i just can't do it. i can call the place tomorrow to see if they placed the order yet to see if i can change it.

i can't get venison or anything other than the go! food that i am getting since there are no other stores to get it from. i already have to drive 2 hours one way to get this food. there is no other choice.

that place charges almost the same for the shipping as it does for the product! it is 17.99 for the product and 15 for shipping. holy cow! i am going to toronto next week, i will check if i can find it at a store there and then i can continue to get it by asking my mom to mail it down to me.

Well... Fish is a very poor choice for UTI, but if you want to feed, it is really your choice.
As far as what you said about "being a choice for me to have $100 of food laying around... that is kind of a bad choice of words IMHO... I am trying to prevent pain in my baby who went through a horrible experience just last week, that cost me just in ER alone $310, plus $50 at the regular vet, plus a bunch with meds... My vet said that I need to take all precautions possible as this WILL happen again in his future, and this CAN KILL him and his diet is of upmost importance... So with that in mind, $80-100 is really much less than the hundreds of even thousands that I could (or you, of that matter) end up spending if he eats fish.

sharky · Oct 16, 2010

Originally Posted by blueandfrodo

it might be a choice for you to have $100 of food laying around and not feeding it but honestly, i can't have $80 of food going to waste. i just can't do it. i can call the place tomorrow to see if they placed the order yet to see if i can change it.

i can't get venison or anything other than the go! food that i am getting since there are no other stores to get it from. i already have to drive 2 hours one way to get this food. there is no other choice.

that place charges almost the same for the shipping as it does for the product! it is 17.99 for the product and 15 for shipping. holy cow! i am going to toronto next week, i will check if i can find it at a store there and then i can continue to get it by asking my mom to mail it down to me.

Many folks live in and around Toronto on here and I know there are MANY stores to choose from... Petco and Petsmart both have bottomless bowl discounts...

I can sympathize with the $$$ out to food you cant use ... I have donated it to the shelter in the past or like now I trade food with a friend ....

Many many wet foods have no fish and little grain

blueandfrodo · Oct 16, 2010

i would donate food to a shelter except there are none here. also, there might be a lot of choice for canned food but not when you live in the middle of nowhere in a town of 1200 people, mostly seniors. i only know 2 other peoples with cats and they feed the worst of the worst dry food from the grocery store, i can't trade with them.

i am not trying to be difficult or rude or whatever. i also would like the very best for my cats, otherwise i wouldn't be spending more than $40 for 12 days worth of food for them. i will call tomorrow to see if i can change my order. i just don't think that you guys understand what it is like to live in a place where i live. there are NO choices at all here for me. i will look for the cranberry stuff in toronto next week and if i can't find it there i will either get a human supplement or i will order the stuff online.

blue's health is very important to me and i don't want her to hurt anymore. she is on 14 days of orbax right now. hopefully i will be able to change my order and i won't get anymore fish.

sharky · Oct 16, 2010

Originally Posted by blueandfrodo

i would donate food to a shelter except there are none here. also, there might be a lot of choice for canned food but not when you live in the middle of nowhere in a town of 1200 people, mostly seniors. i only know 2 other peoples with cats and they feed the worst of the worst dry food from the grocery store, i can't trade with them.

i am not trying to be difficult or rude or whatever. i also would like the very best for my cats, otherwise i wouldn't be spending more than $40 for 12 days worth of food for them. i will call tomorrow to see if i can change my order. i just don't think that you guys understand what it is like to live in a place where i live. there are NO choices at all here for me. i will look for the cranberry stuff in toronto next week and if i can't find it there i will either get a human supplement or i will order the stuff online.

blue's health is very important to me and i don't want her to hurt anymore. she is on 14 days of orbax right now. hopefully i will hopefully be able to change my order and i won't get anymore fish.

I do understand... As I have lived outside of town( ie county) for years of my life... For you it sounds like online is your best bet ... Maybe someone who does that can help, I do not as the small town I live in has a feed and a pet store both of which can order nearly anything

mybabies · Oct 16, 2010

Cranberries are not always good for cats as they can make the urine very acidic.

My boy has blocked too many times and is on CD canned and dry. He also had to have a PU operation.

There is a group on yahoogroups called flutd (Ihttp://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FLUTD/) and they are a great help.

carolina · Oct 16, 2010

Originally Posted by MyBabies

Cranberries are not always good for cats as they can make the urine very acidic.

My boy has blocked too many times and is on CD canned and dry. He also had to have a PU operation.

There is a group on yahoogroups called flutd (Ihttp://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FLUTD/) and they are a great help.

I have read that Cranberry is not recommended for cats with history of calcium oxylates crystals or urate stones. In those cases the use of products like cranberry or vitamin C, causes acidification of the urine and can possibly increase the risk of developing these other type of crystals. For inflammation and UTIs and preventing UTIs (non-crystal related), it can be very good though...

cosequin for bladder health?

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