Loxicom for arthritic cats

kimbyanne

Our older cat (14) has quite bad arthritis in her back legs, she can still quite happily climb and jump from the top of our three storey cat tree and run around like a loon but when she has been laying down for long lengths of time, she is quite stiff.

We have tried loxicom before in the liquid but she wasn't falling for me hiding in via treats or her food and trying to syringe it down her throat was a no go as she clamps her jaw down. She isn't afraid if biting or scratching either so it became impossible through fear of losing a finger.

She is at the vets today being groomed as she won't let us brush her (never has, 2 minutes a day is all we can manage before she runs off hissing like a snake). The vets want to put her back on Loxicom, I think it's a waste of time as she won't take it. They also suggested the injectable version but I believe that is something that is required fairly regularly and isnt cheap (anyone know the cost? I am thinking £25/30 per injection?)

Does anyone know of an alternative to loxicom that we could try? Obviously I want to do my best to keep her pain free but if she won't take anything, I don't know what else I can offer her!

Griizelda

This may be worth a shot:

http://www.lintbells.com/products/yumove-advance-for-cats

It's sprinkle capsules, so mix it in with her food and hope she doesn't notice!

HTH

cally6008

You could try Metacam and see what she's like with that.

Other than that, if she's refusing medication, that's her choice and it will be less stress for the both of you

Hillbilly1

Our cat is on Metacam. It's flavoured with honey and she takes it easily.

However she gets the best results from acupuncture for her arthritis. It stops the muscles tightening and spamming and reduces pain. We get a home visit for £50 a session.

teddysmum

I would recommend the Lintbells, mentioned above, as their Yumove for dogs has turned my 11 year old cavalier, who used to struggle after lying for some time, into a dog who moves with ease, quickly on walks and even chased a pigeon last week.


The company is very generous with free samples, giving 30 tablets for dogs, but sent a friend double as he has large dogs. If you can't find a samples link, you can get some by giving them a call.

Shoshannah

cally6008 wrote: »

You could try Metacam and see what she's like with that.

Other than that, if she's refusing medication, that's her choice and it will be less stress for the both of you

That's a strange analogy. I would imagine the vast majority of cats would not choose to take any medication - but they're not the ones who understand if and why they need it. We are.

cally6008

Lucy has 3 years of blood tests, regular weekly/monthly vet visits and 3 lots of tablets
Her last blood test - she scratched the vet and drew blood, she never scratched anyone.
She went completely off her food when it had got tablets on it, nigh on starving herself (which for a 3.6kg cat that was 15+ was not a good thing)
You couldnt get near her if she even thought you were going to catch her to give her tablets or to put her in the box for a vet visit.

In the end, easier and less stressful for everyone to say, right enough is enough she's an old girl who's only got a few months left so we'll let her be and spoil her whilst she's still here.

===

We had Poppy put down about a month ago.

It was a choice of putting a 18+ yr old cat through blood tests and messing about with tablets to see if they would stop any seizures (she had had 2 in 2 nights), plus she had kidney failure and weighed less than 3kg

Or know when enough is enough and let her go peacefully.


So no, not strange to me.

Shoshannah

Imagine my cat broke his leg. He would need pain relief medication. Imagine I found it difficult to give him the medication. I wouldn't just say: "oh well, your choice," and leave the poor creature without pain relief. I would persevere or look into alternative options of administration that made it easier on the both of us.

Cats can be difficult to medicate. It can be stressful. I'm not suggesting otherwise. But to shrug it off as the cat's 'choice' not to receive medication that could help it recover or improve its quality of life is a little unfair to the cat, who obviously has no understanding of the matter. It would be more responsible to at least speak to the vet - for the time it takes to make a phone call, one may as well.

However, making a rational, carefully thought-out decision based on the prognosis of the cat and the ease of medicating for long-term conditions etc is a completely different matter and completely understandable. But I didn't like how flippant such a decision was made to sound in the previous post.

cally6008

A broken leg can be mended.

Renal failure can not be cured.

My comment was based on My experience. My vets agreed with me and respected our decision with both cats. We know we did the right thing for each cat at that time.

If you don't like my decision then that's your problem.

Shoshannah

cally6008 wrote: »

A broken leg can be mended.

Renal failure can not be cured.

My comment was based on My experience. My vets agreed with me and respected our decision with both cats. We know we did the right thing for each cat at that time.

If you don't like my decision then that's your problem.

Read my post.

I didn't disagree with your decision. I didn't like the way it was portrayed as flippant on a thread read by potentially hundreds of people possibly in the same position.

There are options - in some cases - for medicating cats that can be less stressful. Asking your vet is the way forward. Saying 'oh well never mind' is not.

I know all about renal failure, and seizures, in cats.

Shoshannah

Kimbyanne, in answer to your original post you could ask your vet about transmucosal buprenorphine (Vetergesic). You need to syringe it into the mouth, but it is generally easier than Loxicom/Metacam because:
a) it's a very small amount (a few drops)
b) you're not aiming to get it down the cat's throat, just onto their gums or tongue. So a quick squirt does the job.

Buprenorphine can also be injected under the skin if you feel confident doing this.