These medications help reduce pain but have no effect on inflammation.
Cat arthritis pain relief medication.
If your cat s arthritis pain becomes chronic your vet may prescribe opioids.
Meloxicam is currently the only licensed pain relief medication for long term use in cats.
Your vet may prescribe the.
It should always be given with or after food just as you shouldn t take aspirin on an empty stomach because this risks gastric ulceration.
Side effects of nsaids include vomiting diarrhea and loss of appetite.
Treatment for arthritis in cats.
Non steroidal anti inflammatories help reduce pain and inflammation.
Cats are extremely sensitive to the side effects of nsaids.
Several classes and types of prescription medications can ease a cat s pain.
This type of medication is often given every day.
Your vet will help you to decide on the best treatment for your cat.
Options they may recommend include.
Opioids will likely need to be injected.
Common examples of this are codeine or morphine.
Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs nsaids when used carefully neuromodulating drugs like gabapentin.
Arthritis also known as osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease causes pain and inflammation in a cat s joints.
Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs nsaids are sometimes prescribed for feline arthritis which is similar to how the condition is treated in humans.
An over the counter option includes acetaminophen tylenol others.
Veterinarians often prescribe a variety of medications to treat arthritis but these often aren t well tolerated by cats.
For more severe pain opioids might be prescribed such as tramadol ultram conzip oxycodone oxycontin roxicodone others or hydrocodone hysingla zohydro er.
This means that your cat will need to regularly attend a clinic.
Veterinarians will occasionally prescribe the forms of nsaids that are formulated for people such as aspirin and ibuprofen for specific conditions but you should never give them to your cat for pain relief without veterinary guidance.
Although fairly uncommon in felines arthritis tends to affect the elbow joint when it does strike but many joints can be afflicted.
The fda hasn t approved any nsaids for long term pain management but certain ones are cleared for short term use in cats.
It comes in a specific cat formula that is easy to give.