The following is an excerpt from the Petscaretip.com.
Dr. Lauren Brickman writes a pet health and care column for Petscaretip.com.
QUESTION: Our 10-year-old cat has developed severe arthritis in the top joint of his right leg. The vet gave him a liquid glucosamine, which didn’t help much. Are there other options?
ANSWER: Arthritis is a very painful disease that affects cats just like it affects dogs. Unfortunately, there aren’t as many options out there with regards to medications for arthritic cats.
Is the arthritis in the hip joint? If so, there is a surgical procedure that can be done that removes the hip joint and the cat will form a false joint. If not, medications may be the only answer.
You should definitely keep your cat on the glucosamine liquid, but other things need to be added. Ask your vet about Cosequin injections. Steroid shots may help, but only temporarily. When used long-term they unfortunately have bad side effects.
If you have questions about your pet’s health, especially your cat, you can submit them to Dr. Lauren at drlauren@petside. Read all the Q&As she’s shared with Pets Care Tip here.