I have a 19-year-old obese cat who has hip pain. I’m aware that pet medications and human medications are often the very same, only with fewer safety protocols for the pets.
What can be given, in what doses?
Talk to your vet. In the specific case of pain medications, humans and cats are vastly different, both in dosage and biochemistry.
Note: Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is extremely (and usually fatally) toxic to cats at any dose.
Yes. You really need to talk to a vet. People meds can be toxic to cats. Some medications are the same, but many aren’t.
I would also put kitty on a diet. Being obese is not helping the hip pain.
When my old cat had hip and joint pain, the vet started him on Meloxicam. It helped BUT it led to eventual kidney disease, which is what took him down in the end. So please DO NOT let your vet give your cat that stuff! (I have a new vet now).
But what I found that worked best for my cat was to make some lifestyle changes for him - I put a ramp near the bed so he could walk up, and made a small ramp for his favorite chair. I cut out the front side of a big litterbox for him so he could walk right in. Best of all I got him a heated pad to lie on and placed it ontop of a low chair cushion on the floor - he spent a LOT of time there. So consider doing stuff like that to make your cat’s life a bit easier for getting around and he won’t hurt that hip as much with straining to jump or climb etc.
Also as others have said, take him to your vet for a checkup to make sure it is just the hips, and the vet will be able to give you some tips on helping the kitty to lose weight. It isn’t good for cats to lose weight fast.
NOTE: I did also try using chondotrin/glucosamine supplements made for pets, but I don’t know if they really made any difference or not. Good luck! Give your kitty some pets from me!
After calling the vet, I got some of those. Unfortunately, the vet technician advised taking “one pill” which is not precise as dosing goes. How many mg would you say?
Did you get glucosamine for pets? there’s usually a dosing schedule based on weight on the bottle.
If not, let me know (with cat weight), and I’ll go look at my bottle and get you the details.
Unfortunately, it was gotten at a human drug store.
The cat’s weight is 11lbs. Thank you.
Your advice to make him lose weight is well founded. I’ve been trying to make him lose weight for years but I think he’s genetically predisposed to being big. I called him Sam, short for Samson, because even when he was 2 weeks old, it was obvious he was going to be big.
I also have an electric blanket I’ll turn on at night.
I’m also considering giving him 1/100th (50mg) of a dose of kratom.
OK. My “for pet stuff” has the following per tablet:
-600mg glucosamine
-300mg Chondroitin
-250mg MSM
-3mg Manganese
It recommends half a tablet for an animal the size of your cat, so just split all of those numbers in half. I don’t know exactly which ingredients are in your tablets, so I just listed them all.
As far as the kratom, I’d Google the heck out of that one to make sure it’s ok for animals.
11 lbs doesn’t seem too large for a cat, unless he’s incredibly small, actually. Here is a chart that can help you assess if your cat is really overweight or not.
You need to buy cat-specific supplements, as ones intended for humans or other animals may contain things that are toxic to cats. They will also be flavored to be pleasant tasting to the cat so you don’t have to wrestle them over it. Do not give any pet any human medication without consulting a veterinarian first.
Not a cat but I took my 14 year old lab mix dog to the vet in Feb after 2-3 weeks of distress from arthritis. She was in obvious pain from the simple act of laying down and the signs were bad enough that my wife and I took her together as we had a fear that there was no reasonable solution to the problem with a possibility that our dog would not make the trip home…
The vet confirmed the arthritis and did not offer a lot of long-term hope but did give us Rimadyl with instructions to give her 1/2 tablet twice a day. We had a 30 day supply with instructions to come back in a month.
The turn-around was remarkable. Within 2 days she was more active then she had been for the last few months. I took her back to the vet who pretty much expected euthanasia upon her return. He was clearly as delighted as I was at the results and we’ve been keeping the meds up since then resulting in a dog who is happy, pain free (or as pain free as us old people can get!) and active.
I have no idea if Rimadyl is suitable for cats nor am I advocating the med. I truly believe, however, that my dog is still alive because of it.
This was the stuff I gave my cat: Cosequin/Glucosamine
That info says it contains 125mg of Glucosamine and 100mg of Cosequin.
EDIT: My cat was at that time around 12 lbs
Yet another long story from USEDTOBE - how unusual!
I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in 2005. My PCP (v. good Internal/oncology), concerned about my used f heavy opioids, suggested Cosequin/Glucosamine.
For me (very few drugs will control pain) it made a slight but noticable effect.
Shortly after we went back to narcotic drugs the FDA/DEA - some federal agency - released its findings in clinical trials.
Their conclusion was that any effect encountered was the placebo effect.
before you clear out the Supplements aisle, please get the critter to the vet - a quick phone consultation should steer you in the right direction.
last chance - use only if the first three vets (got the idea that this is a last ditch?) there are mail-order vet supply houses (I"m on the mailing list for one).
Before ANYONE goes running to these shops, be aware that, while the rules for “script required”, there are drugs available OTC for human use, a real live script is required for veterinary use.
That alone tells you not to play with OTC (human) stuff for a critter.
The aspirin toxicity is best know (it is not all that healthy for humans).
If this was a feral cat - sure! play all you want - a few dead cats are unimportant.
This is a pet - treat its health and comfort as you would a child’s
Vet said it was likely hyperthyroidism. Waiting on blood results to know for sure.
I guess I should have asked the question when I was there but any idea what can be done to maximize comfort/minimize harm for hyperthyroidism until we get to the medication/radioactive iodine?
I read it was possible to have a diet that minimized iodine to cut down hyperthyroidism but I don’t know what a low iodine sufficient diet looks like.
Nope, bloodwork is back and it’s kidneys. Anyone have experience or knowledge of that?
An older cat with kidney problems? Would surprise me if every cat owner doesn’t speak up.
Yes, I am one of many owners of cats with kidney disease.
Your vet will probably recommend a specific type of food that is easier on the kidneys. Your cat needs as much moisture as he’ll take. Soft food is one way to accomplish increasing their water intake. Some cats will drink more with one of those water fountains that constantly move the water instead of a water bowl.
Other than that, it depends on how far the damage has progressed. Some cats need IV fluids on a regular basis. Some cats will tolerate this, and some cats hate it.
I’m sure others will be along to add to this and to share their experiences.
Excellent advice,
Go for the “mini” model - kitty loved the small; the large (sized for dogs) sat unused.
She would touch still water only under extreme stress
I’ve also had a senior cat w/ kidney disease. An easy way to get extra water into kitty is to feed them wet food w/ an additional can of hot water mixed in. Extra gravy makes kitties happy, IME.
Kidney disease can be tricky. Follow your vet’s instructions, try to sneak in extra water in the form of canned food and/or soft treats. Water fountains are great, as mentioned. Absolutely do not give your cat any medication that hasn’t been ordered by your vet, OTC or otherwise.