Arthritis dd

[Ron454]

Hello, have not posted in a while . I have a 16 year old cat, and for the past month or so he has not been himself. He has slowed down quite a bit and I can see in the past few weeks he looked as though he either had arthritis in his legs, hips or both. He also stopped pooping for 3 plus days, He eats and drinks and pees o.k just the lethargic symptom and the poop problem and surely pain. I took him to the vet thurs he checked for constipation and blockage, and he seems to be o,k in those areas .Took x ray his intestines look good but the vet did say arthritis and gave us gabapentin. .05 to start and up the dose in 7 days, he also says to give 1/4 teaspoon of MiraLAX twice a day . Well, that was Thursday no poo Friday no poo but this morning explosive diarrhea Poor thing was so loaded he feel in it,lucky me,,oooh well. We cleaned him up but now the vet is gone till Monday and i wonder if i should give more laxative or wait till vet is in on Monday to ask? also he seems to be really doped up, i am worried about upping the dose he is already not walking very good with the arthritis and dose he is on. Do you think hold off on the laxative till Monday? Just wondering. Thanks,,,,

 

[Tobermory]

I have an 18-year-old with extremely bad arthritis. She gets a 1/2 capsule (50 mg) of gabapentin in the morning and a full capsule (100 mg) in the evening per the vet’s instructions. It did make her kind of dopey until her system adjusted to it. She doesn’t show any of the sedative effects now.

She also has trouble pooping at times. She gets 1/8 tsp. of Miralax with her morning meal and 1/8 tsp. with her evening meal. It softens her poop just enough that she doesn’t have trouble pushing it out. She generally goes every one or two days, but it’s not completely uncommon for her to wait three days. I just keep a close eye on her litter box habits.

Her arthritis is so severe in her spine that she has trouble holding what I call the “poop position” (but not to pee; different set of muscles, I guess). The softer stool helps her push it out faster so she doesn’t have to squat as long.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - regarding his arthritis, you might ask them about these.

There is also Adequan (an injection as well) that helps with arthritis, but it does contain joint supplement/support properties that Solensia does not. Adequan has been on the market a lot longer than Solensia.

Since he's having diarrhea the suggestion usually is to decrease the dose.

 

[Ron454]

Hi - regarding his arthritis, you might ask them about these.


Since he's having diarrhea the suggestion usually is to decrease the dose.

Thanks for the replies, do you think the MiraLAX is causing the diarrhea or the gabapentin?

 

[Furballsmom]

Probably the miralax, - I'm not a vet, but I don't recall seeing much mention by members who use it that the gaba causes diarrhea (although that is listed as a side effect, but not really common).

 

[Ron454]

Probably the miralax, - I'm not a vet, but I don't recall seeing much mention by members who use it that the gaba causes diarrhea (although that is listed as a side effect, but not really common).

O,k sounds like a plan, thanks, and thank you all for your help.I will also be asking on this adequan.

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go for you

 

[Ron454]

Let us know how things go for you

Yes,thank you all. I will give you the news, hopefully good news, he is a great cat,,,,Thank you.

 

[Ron454]

Hi everyone, i just had one more question, our cat slim has been on gabapentin for 4 days now, do you know how long it takes for them to get used to the drug, or does it depend on weight age and things like that? Thanks.

 

[Tobermory]

I think the usual adjustment period is the first 5-7 days, but you should always check with your vet to be sure everything is going okay.

I hope his diarrhea is improving, poor guy.

 

[Ron454]

I think the usual adjustment period is the first 5-7 days, but you should always check with your vet to be sure everything is going okay.

I hope his diarrhea is improving, poor guy.

Wow, thank you, Yes he had another bout in the middle of the night with diarrhea and again fell in it, This time worse as i did not get to him till i woke up, i passesd out watching him. So needless to say it was dried and really hard to clean this time. Thanks for all the great info,

 

[Tobermory]

Yes he had another bout in the middle of the night with diarrhea and again fell in it,

Hard for both cat and person. Did you cut back a bit on the Miralax?

 

[Ron454]

Yes, I did last night, its a little more hard but i think he has a little more of it still in his system so hopefully the net time or two it will be easier..hopefully..

 

[Furballsmom]

really hard to clean this time.

If this occurs again, try combing out as much as you can first

 

[Ron454]

great idea, i just found a good comb for the task...

 

[iPappy]

great idea, i just found a good comb for the task...

Is he long haired or short haired? If you have a slicker brush, this can help loosen things up and the comb can finish the job.
There are some dry shampoos on the market but I don't use them, a towel with warm water (once he's been cleaned up with the comb/brush) will help get any smell out and you can gently pat the area dry with a dry towel. I hope he feels better.

 

[Ron454]

Hi, he is a short hair, i do have a brush i can use, that makes since to break it up first then comb out. He does have a bit of smell to him so i will keep washing and dabbing him off. I do think this morning he is looking better; I think he is just now starting to get used to the medicine, you all were right! 5 plus days. Thanks for your concern...

 

[Ron454]

This is our Slim

 

[Tobermory]

What a handsome guy! I love black cats. I hope he’s feeling better. Iris really struggles with her arthritis, and it makes me feel so bad to watch her.

 

[Ron454]

Thanks, We have had him for many years now and love him, we got him from a rescue when he was 8 years old. I think he is feeling a little better, I guess day to day...Thanks....