Hi all. I wanted to post and share this info/story to
assist others who may be dealing with senior felines
suffering from arthritis.
My senior, Diablo (14 yrs) was hit
by a car when he was 11 years old.
Though he miraculously survived - the vet
told me in later years he'd have arthritis.
Which of course he does. He also had some
tissue trauma which we were never able to
determine fully - the right front paw / femur
was slightly twisted - tho Xrays showed no
problems...
So now we come to the tough part - treating
arthritis in cats.
Pain meds well... cats just
don't DO that, ya know? all of them have
side effect etc. etc.
So, I searched for non toxic methods to help
my cat.
that's when I learned about Adequan - an
injection of glucosamine basically. Used in
dogs and in horses.. it has a pretty good
track record. On some of them, it just
helps, period. Others.. not so much.
It is like with people taking glucosamine orally,
so it helps, some it doesn't.
Adequan seems to reduce pain and perhaps improve
joint function in horses and dogs and maybe cats too...
It has no side effects (other than making my
hands shake when I have to give an intra muscular
injection once every 4 wks!!) so to speak.
I combined that with Accupuncture and something
called VOM - basically chiropractic for cats, LOL!!
My vet does both for me. Which is pretty great!
The results have been amazing. Diablo can jump on
beds and chairs again. (formerly
he had given this up, he could no longer jump
you see..) He limps less. He climbs stairs
better. He has given up running "bunny style"
and the hind legs are moving independently as they should.
There is more ROM in the hind legs.
He doesn't growl or meow or yeowl when
picked up (due to pain) or petted anymore.
and He purrs again!
The vet said that basically about 50 percent of the
time she sees improvements in the pets - dogs/cats/horses
who get the accupuncture and the adequan. She
says the VOM is useful, but then again, depends upon
the type of injuries the animal has had in the past etc.
Although the cost of treatment has been a bit steep -
I do think it is worth it in the long run.
Initially it is 35 for each session of accupuncture and
VOM - 6 sessions minimum then 1x every
4/5 weeks. Glucosamine injections 2 a week
for 3 weeks and 1x month after that. ...
Once on maintenance however, the visits are every 4/5
weeks for VOM and/or accupunture. I have just started
the VOM, and am waiting to see if it will help w/ ROM
in the rear legs and/or muscle strength...
The Adequan is cheap tho.. cat sized dose vial
will last 20 doses.. so for about 80 dollars for a year plus
that's NOT bad at all!!
Our last resort in case of pain is asprin, though
that has to be given VERY carefully and will only
give him 1 out of 3 pain free days. Still, better
than nothing and less risky I think than the alternatives.
Anyway, if anyone wants info on this, I will be happy to
share the details etc. I just wanted to let folks know about
this option, as many vets aren't using the Adequan for cats -
yet. Also many don't know about VOM and/or accupuncture.
I think they will be doing more of it soon however, esp for
cats as there are no good other alternatives out there. And
from where I'm sitting the cat really IS doing / feeling better...
assist others who may be dealing with senior felines
suffering from arthritis.
My senior, Diablo (14 yrs) was hit
by a car when he was 11 years old.
Though he miraculously survived - the vet
told me in later years he'd have arthritis.
Which of course he does. He also had some
tissue trauma which we were never able to
determine fully - the right front paw / femur
was slightly twisted - tho Xrays showed no
problems...
So now we come to the tough part - treating
arthritis in cats.
Pain meds well... cats just
don't DO that, ya know? all of them have
side effect etc. etc.
So, I searched for non toxic methods to help
my cat.
that's when I learned about Adequan - an
injection of glucosamine basically. Used in
dogs and in horses.. it has a pretty good
track record. On some of them, it just
helps, period. Others.. not so much.
It is like with people taking glucosamine orally,
so it helps, some it doesn't.
Adequan seems to reduce pain and perhaps improve
joint function in horses and dogs and maybe cats too...
It has no side effects (other than making my
hands shake when I have to give an intra muscular
injection once every 4 wks!!) so to speak.
I combined that with Accupuncture and something
called VOM - basically chiropractic for cats, LOL!!
My vet does both for me. Which is pretty great!
The results have been amazing. Diablo can jump on
beds and chairs again. (formerly
he had given this up, he could no longer jump
you see..) He limps less. He climbs stairs
better. He has given up running "bunny style"
and the hind legs are moving independently as they should.
There is more ROM in the hind legs.
He doesn't growl or meow or yeowl when
picked up (due to pain) or petted anymore.
and He purrs again!
The vet said that basically about 50 percent of the
time she sees improvements in the pets - dogs/cats/horses
who get the accupuncture and the adequan. She
says the VOM is useful, but then again, depends upon
the type of injuries the animal has had in the past etc.
Although the cost of treatment has been a bit steep -
I do think it is worth it in the long run.
Initially it is 35 for each session of accupuncture and
VOM - 6 sessions minimum then 1x every
4/5 weeks. Glucosamine injections 2 a week
for 3 weeks and 1x month after that. ...
Once on maintenance however, the visits are every 4/5
weeks for VOM and/or accupunture. I have just started
the VOM, and am waiting to see if it will help w/ ROM
in the rear legs and/or muscle strength...
The Adequan is cheap tho.. cat sized dose vial
will last 20 doses.. so for about 80 dollars for a year plus
that's NOT bad at all!!
Our last resort in case of pain is asprin, though
that has to be given VERY carefully and will only
give him 1 out of 3 pain free days. Still, better
than nothing and less risky I think than the alternatives.
Anyway, if anyone wants info on this, I will be happy to
share the details etc. I just wanted to let folks know about
this option, as many vets aren't using the Adequan for cats -
yet. Also many don't know about VOM and/or accupuncture.
I think they will be doing more of it soon however, esp for
cats as there are no good other alternatives out there. And
from where I'm sitting the cat really IS doing / feeling better...
