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  #1  
Old June 15th, 2011, 09:09 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Cartrophen Vet Injections for Senior Cat Arthritis

I posted earlier about our 18 year old, Ginger. Thought I'd update.

The liquid Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM is going fine. I found a substitute nozzle type thing to use from an empty container I already had. The drug store ones made for dispensing didn't fit.

I've also started kidney support supplements which are a powder. Ginger gobbles up her food with both in, but she always was a good eater.

She had her second Cartrophen injection yesterday and I see a difference. This morning instead of waiting for me to lift her down from her cat stand for her breakfast she hopped down the levels herself before I could get to her. Yay. We will do two more injections, each a week apart, then try boostering once a month. Then every two months to see how long we can delay boosters. I was really impressed with Cartrophen when we used it for our last dog and it seems it's going to work well for Ginger-cat too.

Last edited by Longblades; June 15th, 2011 at 12:33 PM. Reason: Typos. NOT spelling. :)
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Old June 15th, 2011, 09:31 AM
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mikischo mikischo is offline
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I wasn't even aware that Cartrophen could be used for cats. Had I known about this when my Mickey was alive I would have tried it. He suffered from severe arthritis particularly during the last two years of his life. I did use the liquid Glucosamine/Chontroitin/MSM but found its benefits to be limited.

that the Cartrophen works well for your Ginger-cat.
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  #3  
Old June 15th, 2011, 10:05 AM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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I am glad to hear Ginger is doing well.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mikischo View Post
I wasn't even aware that Cartrophen could be used for cats. Had I known about this when my Mickey was alive I would have tried it. He suffered from severe arthritis particularly during the last two years of his life. I did use the liquid Glucosamine/Chontroitin/MSM but found its benefits to be limited.

that the Cartrophen works well for your Ginger-cat.

You are right, it has not been approved for use in cats, but vets prescribe it anyways. It is metabolized in the liver and therefore regular blood work should be taken and liver functions should be monitored very closely. It should not be used for long term due to the possible affects on the liver.
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Old June 15th, 2011, 11:44 AM
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That's good news LB - for you and Ginger.
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  #5  
Old June 15th, 2011, 12:18 PM
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That's great news, Longblades!
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Old June 15th, 2011, 12:27 PM
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That's so good to hear LB. I hope Ginger continues to respond well to the shots. It's nice to see when they are more comfortable again.
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  #7  
Old June 15th, 2011, 12:28 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
I am glad to hear Ginger is doing well.





You are right, it has not been approved for use in cats, but vets prescribe it anyways. It is metabolized in the liver and therefore regular blood work should be taken and liver functions should be monitored very closely. It should not be used for long term due to the possible affects on the liver.
Can you provide a link to where you found this information? It does not overly concern me that I am using it on a cat. It is used mostly for cystitis in cats though. I myself use/used some medications for purposes other that what they were intended for. But I cannot find the same warnings for the liver in cats. As far as I can find the risks are very, very low and generally apply to animals, cats and dogs, with already compromised liver function AND if dosing information is not followed closely. It's also being used with success in horses, another "off label" use, according to the Cartrophen website. No medication is for everyone of course so if you, L4H, can help me out with the research it would be appreciated. I can't find it.
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Old June 15th, 2011, 12:46 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Longblades View Post
Can you provide a link to where you found this information? It does not overly concern me that I am using it on a cat. It is used mostly for cystitis in cats though. I myself use/used some medications for purposes other that what they were intended for. But I cannot find the same warnings for the liver in cats. As far as I can find the risks are very, very low and generally apply to animals, cats and dogs, with already compromised liver function AND if dosing information is not followed closely. It's also being used with success in horses, another "off label" use, according to the Cartrophen website. No medication is for everyone of course so if you, L4H, can help me out with the research it would be appreciated. I can't find it.

From:www.cartrophen.ca/pdf/FAQs.doc

9. What about Cartrophen Vet use in cats?

ELMIRON (pentosan polysulphate sodium) is the first and only oral medication that has been approved by the FDA for treating the pain or discomfort of interstitial cystitis (IC) in man. It’s available by prescription only, and is believed to help repair and restore the damaged bladder lining. Clinical studies show some persons may experience symptom improvement in as little as 4 weeks or as long as 3 months.

It has become fairly common practice to use Cartrophen Vet off label in cats for interstitial cystitis and hence we are providing the following information on its current use.

Cartrophen Vet use in cats is an off label use since the product has not been approved for this indication in cats. Information as to its efficacy is anecdotal. Our experience in Canada is that there has been a steady increase in the use of Cartrophen Vet for cats.

Use of Cartrophen Vet to treat arthritic conditions (e.g. cruciate problems) in cats is an off-label use. The same dosage as for dogs has been used by Veterinarians.


And from:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...=1&SourceID=52
How this Medication is Used

Pentosan polysulfate sodium can be used in the treatment feline idiopathic cystitis, as a preventive against future episodes. The jury is still out as to whether or not it is effective for this use. It is not effective in curtailing an active episode of lower urinary tract disease that is in progress. It is typically dosed twice daily which can be problematic for long term use especially in cats.
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Old June 15th, 2011, 12:53 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Sorry, I did not make myself clear. I found that first one. I think the second one too. I see it does warn against dosing twice daily, which I'm not. It does warn against use in subjects with already diagnosed liver failure but nothing about causing liver damage. What I can't find is information warning about causing liver damage/impaired function in cats. It's Sadie-cat who has liver problems already, not Ginger.
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  #10  
Old June 15th, 2011, 08:58 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Update

I was very concerned about the comments L4H made regarding the liver so emailed directly to Cartrophen Vet and have received a reply from Dr. Apse, who is the gentleman in the website video. Dr. Apse's answer is, "You asked about whether liver function tests are necessary for cats. My answer is simple: it is not necessary -- it is not done in dogs and the metabolism is the same. As with any drug caution should be exercised if the liver tests are abnormal prior to use..........Off label vets do not do liver function tests as a matter of routine unless there are good grounds to do so
"
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  #11  
Old October 8th, 2013, 05:13 PM
Rebecksa Rebecksa is offline
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Hi Longblades, this post is a couple years old so I just wanted to check and see how Ginger is doing? Is she still on the cartrophen? If not can you let me know how it went and why she isn't? My cat was just prescribed cartrophen for arthritis and my vet also told me that it is very safe, however after reading some articles online I am a bit worried. I'm sure I could find worrysome articles on any drug though so if you could give me some insight that would be helpful. Thank you.
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  #12  
Old October 8th, 2013, 06:13 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Ginger is as fine as she can be for 20.5 years old. The Cartrophen Vet every second week is still holding her. Her liver function is fine. Her early stage kidney failure has not advanced. She still eats, wants to be petted maybe a bit less but she is not an affectionate cat. She spent a happy summer lying out on the deck as much as we could let her. She no longer climbs to the top of her cat stand and hobbles a bit more but still ambulates, eats, toilets with nothing that concerns us overly. The only peculiar thing is her coat seems not to have shed properly and it is clumpy and thick looking. Ginger always did shed constantly and still does. We brush her as much as she will tolerate and I guess it would be worse if we didn't but her coat is funny. However I think thinning coat would be something to note and it sure isn't thinning.
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Old November 14th, 2014, 10:02 PM
Mezzaluna Mezzaluna is offline
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Cartrophen for kitties

My cat was diagnosed with intercystial cystitis. She was peeing blood and sooo un happy. We started her on a steady treatment of cartrophen after ruling out any infection and urinary blockages. As it turns out, she is a very nervous sweet little girl who gets stressed when I go out of town, furniture is moved, litter box is not fully cleaned. Anyway god bless my baby, because she is the nicest little cat ( she is 15 pounds) and so sweet. The vet recommended Cartrophen and she is so much better, playing, jumping, and happier. Also I combined this with Feliway diffuser in the houise to keep her anxiety down.... It seems to work.

One thing... I can actually see a difference in her need for the injections about 3 weeks in and usually book her appt for the next week.
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  #14  
Old November 15th, 2014, 09:43 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mezzaluna View Post
My cat was diagnosed with intercystial cystitis. She was peeing blood and sooo un happy. We started her on a steady treatment of cartrophen after ruling out any infection and urinary blockages. As it turns out, she is a very nervous sweet little girl who gets stressed when I go out of town, furniture is moved, litter box is not fully cleaned. Anyway god bless my baby, because she is the nicest little cat ( she is 15 pounds) and so sweet. The vet recommended Cartrophen and she is so much better, playing, jumping, and happier. Also I combined this with Feliway diffuser in the houise to keep her anxiety down.... It seems to work.

One thing... I can actually see a difference in her need for the injections about 3 weeks in and usually book her appt for the next week.
I"m glad it is working for your cat. One thing you might want to consider is giving the injections yourself. It's very easy, the Vet can show you how. And it's cheaper and less stressful on the cat to not have to drive into the Vet for each shot. My Vet sold me pre-loaded syringes which I kept in the fridge. Saved on gas and time too, not having to drive to the Vet, which was 20 to 30 minutes one way for me.
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