My cat Puddy is 12. Has had a slight limp on front right paw for some time. Limp got worse after I stepped on his tail and he flew up the steps. Hiding alot and not coming out. I took him to the vet check up was fine vet stated arthritis and took blood. Labs came back normal. At a vet appt a year ago Solencia was discussed. During this visit I decided to get him the Solensia shot. Nothing changed other than his limp got to a point that he would not put pressure on his paw/leg. He got out of the house and ran into woods behind our house so wasn't sure if he hurt it or was from the injection. Took him to emergency vet and they gave him onsior for 3 days which he did well on and could put weight on his leg again. I wanted opinions on off label onsior low dose, Adequan and Solencia. Also can you give a cat homeopathic drops for liver/kidney support while on onsior? Any additional information on these items would be helpful or other suggestions on what to do for arthritis in cats.
Hi, and thank you for posting your question here. A slight limp for a long period of time could certainly be arthritis. I do think considering an x-ray of the foot wouldn't be a bad idea, since it's the only foot you see this problem with and could help to rule out some other cause of pain besides osteoarthritis.
The response to Onsior is good but unfortunately it's only labeled for 3 days. I have never used it beyond that period of time and I have not had any discussions with any vets who have. The risk for long-term NSAID use in cats is well-known and many of us just feel the risk is too high.
The benefits of homeopathy are solely anecdotal and not widespread. It's just not something I could comment on specifically. But in a similar vein, the liver protectant supplement Denamarin, often used as part of a treatment approach for liver disorders, is not something you can just start next to an NSAID and expect it will counteract an NSAID's effects on the liver if you're seeing them. The only choice really is to stop the NSAID if it's causing liver issues. No kidney support supplement will counteract the COX 1 effects of NSAIDs that can affect kidney function.
For Solensia, it can take up to 3 injections to see improvement. While injection site discomfort is reported, acute worsening of existing arthritis is not. If arthritis is not the cause of the pain, worsening of signs could continue. Or, as you mentioned, your kitty may have injured himself outside.
Other strategies to address arthritis in cats that could be discussion points with your vet include joint supplements (a couple that clients have reported success with to me include Dasuquin, Flexadin, and ElleVet), acupuncture, therapeutic laser, and adequan injections. A steroid like prednisolone carries its own risks that would need to be discussed with your vet, but pred can be used long term in cats at its lowest effective dose. Although it doesn’t address arthritis inflammation, many vets will prescribe the lowest effective dose of gabapentin that relieves pain without causing sedation.