Cat arthritis - medication / pain killers?
Discussion
Hi all,
My old cat, Sqweek, has been suffering in this cold weather recently with his arthritis.
His hips are giving him quite a lot of pain nowadays, especially overnight when it gets cold. Also he's moving from bed to bed to cushion and turning round and swapping sides trying to find a position that reduces the pain.
I've had to give him a child aspirin twice now on very bad days (such as today) (same strength as prescribed by the vets a while ago) and these do make a huge difference after a couple of hours but I know you can't give aspirin to cats regularly.
What solutions are there?
I've got a heated pet bed cover, which he uses sometimes, but I guess the material isn't all that soft (to sore hips) and so he doesn't sleep on it all that much, and it hasn't improved his condition to any noticeable amount since I got it.
I wonder if I simply left the gas fire on very low in the living room all the time? It warms the room up by 5 ~ 10 degrees C which is enough to get rid of the cold.
Had a read about pain killers and there don't seem to be any that are safe to give on a long term basis.
Arthritic treatment things like cod liver oil?
Anything else?
My old cat, Sqweek, has been suffering in this cold weather recently with his arthritis.
His hips are giving him quite a lot of pain nowadays, especially overnight when it gets cold. Also he's moving from bed to bed to cushion and turning round and swapping sides trying to find a position that reduces the pain.
I've had to give him a child aspirin twice now on very bad days (such as today) (same strength as prescribed by the vets a while ago) and these do make a huge difference after a couple of hours but I know you can't give aspirin to cats regularly.
What solutions are there?
I've got a heated pet bed cover, which he uses sometimes, but I guess the material isn't all that soft (to sore hips) and so he doesn't sleep on it all that much, and it hasn't improved his condition to any noticeable amount since I got it.
I wonder if I simply left the gas fire on very low in the living room all the time? It warms the room up by 5 ~ 10 degrees C which is enough to get rid of the cold.
Had a read about pain killers and there don't seem to be any that are safe to give on a long term basis.
Arthritic treatment things like cod liver oil?
Anything else?
Meloxicam is the first choice anti-inflammatory pain killer for pets. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and whilst long term use can pose risks to kidneys etc. the benefits outweigh the risks on many occasions. Your vet may want to take a baseline blood test to check kidney values before starting the treatment so they can monitor any side effects. I'd have mine on it if they were arthritic OP.
Don't administer cod liver oil without speaking to a vet. It's rich in Vitamin A, which can cause other problems.
I'd suggest an electric heated pad, the like of which people put terrariums on. Or a folded up electric underblanket on a low setting. If he gets too hot, he'll move.
Also ensure a good quality diet - mine get half Lilys Kitchen wet and half Applaws dried with salmon. Friends joke that the cats eat better than I do.
I'd suggest an electric heated pad, the like of which people put terrariums on. Or a folded up electric underblanket on a low setting. If he gets too hot, he'll move.
Also ensure a good quality diet - mine get half Lilys Kitchen wet and half Applaws dried with salmon. Friends joke that the cats eat better than I do.
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