Best remedy for feline arthritis

[kimouette]

My 14 year old cat is currently receiving Cosequin for her arthritis.

I have been giving her 1 capsule/day for almost a year and a half. Unfortunately, her arthritis is progressing, now she keeps licking her joints and I cant stand to see her like this!!

Since she has renal issues, I want to give her something that wont interfere with that disease (for example, I know that Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is bad for CKD kitties).

Is there something I could give her that contains :

• Glucosamine HCL
• Chondroitin Sulphate
• MSM
• Green Lipped Mussel
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Omega 3 (but not absolutely necessary cuz I can give her salmon oil seperately)

I know I can find all these ingredients in DOG supplements, but I cant find any that contains these ingredients WITHOUT vitamin C added...

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!

Kim and Titi

 

[ritz]

I fostered a two year old cat for about three months who limped periodically. (He was a stray cat living in my colony and I was afraid his limping would impede his ability to hunt for food. So I removed him from the colony to treat him.)
The vet prescribed Dasuquin . Either she or someone on this Site said Dasuquin was more bio-available than Cosequin. It seemed to help him, although the limping came and went often. (I have since returned him to the colony, see him every weekend, and haven't seen him limp since.)
If budget permits, you might try accupuncture. And permits a heating pad, set on low.

 

[stephanietx]

You can up her Cosequin dose to 2 pills a day.  That's what we did with my Callie.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Krill Oil is much better for arthritis than Salmon Oil, or so I've heard.

And you can actually buy the Green Lipped Mussel powder all by itself to give her, if you want.  Here is a link for that, if you're interested.  This is one place that I TRUST:  https://www.hare-today.com/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=292

 

[kimouette]

Thanks so much for the suggestions!

With my vet's approval I have up her Cosequin capsules to 1.5 per day and we mich go to 2 per day if that doesn't do the trick!

About fish oil though... I was wondering : Is there any fish oil that comes with the right amount of vitamin E in it?

Most of the products are preserved with Vitamin E, but there is not enough close to enough of that vitamin in this kind of products.

Has any brand thought of the balance of Vitamin E/Omega-3 for their product???

 

[white shadow]

 
About fish oil though... I was wondering : Is there any fish oil that comes with the right amount of vitamin E in it?

A couple of things for you:

- have a read here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/249063/natural-painkiller-for-cats-with-arthritis

- one of the posters in that thread, LDG, has written about additional Vit E when supplementing with Krill oil.......I don't have the reference handy but, my recollection is that she has determined it is not necessary.......if you send her a message, I'm sure she'll reply...ask her to join us here

 

[willma]

Have you considered a diet that contains many of these ingredients in supplemental levels?  I would highly recommend trying a food called Mobility Support.  It's at vet clinics. It has EPA/DHA, GLM, glucosamine and chondroitin, all in therapeutic levels.

I can say that this food has helped my friend's 13 year old cat out tremendously!!! She couldn't get up and down the stairs anymore until my friend fed her this food for a couple weeks. We were all astonished that she actually started leaping up and down the stairs again! 

 

[willma]

Here is a link... http://www.royalcanin.ca/index.php/...ary-Therapeutic-Formulas/Mobility-Support-Dry

 

[kimouette]

Whiteshadow : thanks for the info. It seems you're right about krill oil being better than salmon oil for that specific use. I just read that it contains less omega 6 than salmon oil. Omega 6 tends to make inflammation even worse for our kitties. And since most food contain much more omega 6 than 3, it's preferable to avoid salmon oil.
About vitamin E, I'm not too convinced though. I read on most of my trustworthy websites that vitamin E needs to be supplied when adding omega 3 to a cats diet.

Wilma, thanks for the suggestion but dry kibble is completely out of my house until I die!! If its not grain free then it can make things worse in terms of arthritis, but mostly, it is dry and high carbs... Which could kill my cat who is diabetic and CKD!
But I know you meant we'll so thanks for the suggestion!!

 

[goholistic]

My Boo is 13 and has arthritis that is noticeable, but it's not too severe. I'd like to attribute that to me noticing the signs early on and addressing it immediately.

At first, I had him on Cosequin for Cats, being told that was "the" joint supplement for cats. After his last checkup, the vet wanted me to give him Glyco-Flex II Feline Chews, which has almost everything you are looking for. Its a great product and Boo would eat the chews, but they are more expensive for what you get versus a capsule or tablet.

I ended up switching my cats to all human grade supplements because of all the fillers and flavorings in pet products. The dosage amount (in mg) is still equivalent to what they would get from their "cat version." I now give Boo a human grade glucosamine/chondroitin supplement with MSM that I put in his wet food. It does not have any other added ingredients except for rice flour (for flow), but Boo doesn't have a problem with rice flour.

 

[vball91]

I too am a big believer in adding pure single human grade supplements to the best wet food you can afford/make. It's just easier to control the content, dosage, and quality control that way in my opinion. In addition to the above suggestions, there is another option that hasn't been mentioned yet. It's pretty expensive and not readily available in all areas, so I hesitate to mention it, but physical therapy using an underwater treadmill has been known to help both dogs and cats with arthritis.

 

[ldg]

I know from experience that krill oil is better for arthritis than salmon oil. My cat Flowerbelle has almost no ball joints left. I put all the cats on salmon oil, and it made no difference for her. I switched to krill oil, and within three days she was moving better. I don't know how long it took to fully work, but she's jumping again!

As to the vitamin E needed per omega 3, it appears several things influence its need (or lack of need for additional supplementation): the amount of selenium in the diet (relatively high in commercial foods), and the quality of the supplement. It is the oxidation of poor quality oils that create the need for the levels of vitamin E recommended for use with omega 3s by the AAFCO. In this study, vitamin E supplementation was found to be not necessary with the use of omega 3s, but they note the quality of the oils was high.

Here's a study that is as definitive a source as it gets: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/6/1613S.full

Hendriks et al. 2002. "Vitamin E Requirement of Adult Cats Increases Slightly with High Dietary Intake of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids;" J. Nutr. June 1, 2002 vol. 132 no. 6 1613S-1615S.

...but read the whole thing. It's short. It's not difficult to supplement with vitamin E if you feel more comfortable doing that. You can buy the Solgar liquid Vitamin E, and give 1 drop every other day.

I use NOW Neptune Krill oil. Flowerbelle hates it; I just pill her with it, even though it's a bit large. She's little, just 7 pounds, but it goes down easily enough.

****************************************

Other things to consider: hyaluronic acid works in conjunction with chrondroitin & glucosamine. I don't know how to use it, but the combination may improve results. I know there are different concentrations - or different molecule sizes or something. It was contra-indicated for Flowerbelle because of her asthma or high blood pressure, don't remember which one. But I never did research on it. I do know at least one member of TCS has used it in the past with good success.

 

[ldg]

OK - found some info.

This is written by Dr. Jean Hofve: http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/arthritis-in-cats/

Here's Dr. Messonnier plugging his book, "The Natural Vet’s Guide to Preventing and Treating Arthritis in Dogs & Cats," which might be worth a buy... ? http://www.newworldlibrary.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/230/ArticleID/221/Default.aspx#.UlXu1hBWnu0

Have you discussed Adequan injections? That's basically hyaluronic acid delivered to the site...

I also bookmarked this, from another discussion about arthritis on TCS somewhere. Maybe ask your vet about it? http://www.cetylmyristoleate.com/Product_Dogs.html

OH! And if you can afford acupuncture (and there's a vet trained in it that you can get to), it will likely really improve your kitty's comfort. You can search to see if there's someone trained in acupuncture for animals here: http://www.ahvma.org (if you're in the U.S.)

 

[kimouette]

I think a found something!! But there's one ingredient that I'm not too sure about :

Cetyl Myristoleate

Anyone knows if it could be bad for a kitty with kidney failure or diabetes??

Here's the product I'm talking about :

http://olympusbrands.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=23

Cetyl Myristoleate	...150mg
Glucosamine HCL (Shellfish Source)	...150mg
Chondroitin	...100mg
MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane)	...100mg
Manganese Ascorbate	...8mg

It's just like Cosequin, but with added MSM and WITHOUT Vitamin C added.

Edit:

I just found this one too: http://www.calvetsupply.com/product/Chondro_Flex_Sprinkle_Caps_For_Cats/Joint_Health_Cat_Products

But it has a little less MSM :

Glucosamine HCl 99+% - 125 mg
Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate - 100 mg
MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) 99.9% - 50 mg
Ascorbate (as Manganese Ascorbate) - 8 mg
Manganese (as Manganese Ascorbate) - 1 mg

And this one has it all :http://www.vetuk.co.uk/joint-supple...de-plus-hyaluronic-acid-for-cats-150ml-p-3136

but I'm not too sure about the "extra vitamins" added :

Every 2.5ml contains:

Glucosamine HCl 417 mg,

MSM 250 mg,

Chondroitin Sulphate 83 mg,

Hyaluronic Acid 1833 mcg,

Aspartic Acid 4.12 mg,

Serine 2.47 mg,

Glutamic Acid 3.02 mg,

Glycine 2.19 mg,

Iso-Leucine 0.82 mg,

Leucine 0.82 mg,

Phenylalanine 4.94 mg

Maybe I could use one of the products above, and add the Hyaluronic acid separetely.. But now what is it with salt?

http://uk.iherb.com/Hyalogic-LLC-HyaFlex-for-Cats-Oral-Hyaluronic-Acid-HA-1-oz-30-ml/38445

Serving Size: 1 ml (Full Dropper)
Serving Per Container: 30
Active Ingredient Hyaluronic Acid	2 mg
Inactive Ingredient: Normal saline.

 

[ldg]

In answer to the last question, the hyaluronic acid is usually administered as a liquid - it's just in a saline solution.

As to the Cetyl Myrisoleate, basically they're just (a specific type of) esterified fatty acids

Helpful info:

http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hn-2825006#hn-2825006-uses
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-suppl...me=Cetyl Myristoleate (CETYLATED FATTY ACIDS)

Given they're basically just esterified fatty acids, I would think there would be no problem with diabetes or kidneys. But there's apparently not much in the way of safety studies in them - though there are also no known reported side effects.

I'd probably try the first one, and just add the hyaluronic acid myself.

 

[kimouette]

LDG, I will do as you suggested : I will order

- Nuviflex

* And by the way if you live outside the States, you really want to order from here : http://www.puuttypower.com/servlet/the-370/LubraFlex,-Hip-and-Joint,/Detail

Cuz it's the only seller that will ship outside the US for a decent shipping fee.

- Hyaflex

*  From this website : http://uk.iherb.com/Hyalogic-LLC-HyaFlex-for-Cats-Oral-Hyaluronic-Acid-HA-1-oz-30-ml/38445

* But before I order this one, I wrote an email to the company cuz I need to know the sodium content of their product. CKD kitties need to eat a low sodium food, so I dont want to increase that amount because of a supplement!

- Dr. Mercola Krill oil for pets

* From this website : http://ca.iherb.com/Dr-Mercola-Krill-Oil-100-Pure-Antarctic-for-Pets-3-92-fl-oz-116-ml/45518

* But I just sent the company an email to ask about the content of Vitamin A + E (cuz their website mentions it does contain these 2 vitamins) + Omega 3 and omega 6

Unfortunately they dont mention these information anywhere (or atleast I couln't find them), and this is the only Krill oil I could find that comes in a container that will help to keep the oil fresh and use pumps instead of a teaspoon or gel caps that are are big mess (and my cat is almost impossible to pill!), so this is the only alternative I found that matches these criterias!!

 

[peaches08]

LDG mentioned Adequan, and I used it on Grey who had arthritis not only from my horse stepping on one of her paws as a kitten but also declawing (now I know better). I honestly feel that it is better than most feedthru supplements, but the canine version of it does mention that it should be used with caution with renal impairment. My Grey had advanced CRF but the benefits outweighed the risks so we used it. We also believe that the dry kibble did more harm in the end (kibble head) than the Adequan might have. It is certainly worth discussing with your vet though. Lower dosages might be the ticket.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

 
- Dr. Mercola Krill oil for pets

* From this website : http://ca.iherb.com/Dr-Mercola-Krill-Oil-100-Pure-Antarctic-for-Pets-3-92-fl-oz-116-ml/45518

* But I just sent the company an email to ask about the content of Vitamin A + E (cuz their website mentions it does contain these 2 vitamins) + Omega 3 and omega 6

Unfortunately they dont mention these information anywhere (or atleast I couln't find them), and this is the only Krill oil I could find that comes in a container that will help to keep the oil fresh and use pumps instead of a teaspoon or gel caps that are are big mess (and my cat is almost impossible to pill!), so this is the only alternative I found that matches these criterias!!

If you haven't already ordered the Mercola Krill Oil, you might want to know this.  It only contains 50 mg of Krill Oil per pump! (and the cat dosage is 1 pump)   So it is no where near the equivalent of a capsule of any other Krill Oil that I know of.  I ordered some and am very disappointed.  TRUE, it is very convenient.  But my little one that loved Krill Oil and would eat all his food with an entire 500 mg capsule of NOW Krill oil on it doesn't like even 50 mg of the Mercola, let alone if I try to put more than one squirt on his food

  

I ended up giving  away 2 of the pump bottles of Mercola to my friends with dogs, and am going back to the Now Krill Oil capsules and will just open them with a paring knife and squeeze them over their food.  On the plus side, one of my other cats seems to like the Mercola, and he didn't care for the Now

.  But I don't think he's like 10 pumps worth!  (haven't tried that because I don't want to waste his raw food, just in case)

 

[kimouette]

Mrsgreenjeens, I completely hear what you are saying! It's true, seems like Mercola krill oil doesn't contain enough omega 3.

But there's one problem with Now krill oil that makes me want to avoid it : it's very high content in phospholipids. If I understand correctly these are the same as choline. An adult cat requires 45mg of choline per day, if I use one capsule of now krill oil, I would be giving my cat no less than 200mg of phospholipid that would need to be excreted by her kidneys... And with my cat's CKD, this is not a risk I'm willing to take.

Geez now I'm back to square one with that krill oil!!

I want something convenient, a substance as pure as possible that could only help with my cats arthritis without risking to worsen her kidney.
The miracle product HAS to exist somewhere!

 

[kimouette]

Or maybe I'm wrong!
Phospholipids are not simple to understand ... I need to read a little more about them!