Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Mark on May 02, 2010, 22:46:25 PM
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I have been giving her Noractive but it contains Glucosamine Sulphate. I have read that Glucosamine Hydrochloride is more readily absorbed.
VetUK have it 20% off ATM 10 x 15 (150) sprinkle capsules for £32
I have also seen double strength so wondering if they might be better. She weighs just over 5kg.
Any ideas or suggestion for a better one to use. The tablets I bought her last month were a waste of money as they are huge - I have tried grinding them but she refuses to eat the food with them in.
PS - I saw trial packs of Cosequin on a US site and wondered if you can buy them here. I don't want to spend £32 if she refuses to take them. I would rahter stick to Noractive in that case. Naturally cost is irrelevant if they help her and she will take them :Luv2:
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Might be worth asking the vet if they can split a pack up for you to try? I haven't tried it for similar reasons, my two are fussy with most arthritis treatments.
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I know she won't take Seraquin - another stupid sized pill :evillaugh:
I asked the vet a while ago if it would be OK to use up Willow's Cystease and he said as it is Glucosamine it should be OK. I just googled it and from what I can tell, it won't be any good. I will see if I can find a small pack.
I could kick myself as last night, someone was selling 90 packs of Cosequin sprinkles with and expiry of June 2010. They were 99p with £5 delivery. The auction ended in 18 minutes with no bids. I wish I had ordered one :tired:
I also noticed how much cheaper it i in America so tried ordering from Amazon.com. when I sent to check out, the delivery was £40 :evillaugh:
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Since I posted, VetUK price has gone back up to £40
I have found another place that is charging £25 :evillaugh: - also 10% off first order ;D
http://www.vetmedsdirect.co.uk/products/Cosequin-DS-for-Cat-10-x-15-sprinkle-tablets.html
In the meantime, I have ordered more Noractive as I know she will take it in her food. Not only that, I have ordered a 30 sachet pack of medium dog size which will be split over 3 days - not bad £5.50 for 3 months treatment. :sneaky:
I have checked and the ingredients are exactly the same. Also, as it isn't a drug, giving slightly over won't do any harm.
I would happily buy Cosequin or anything else if I thought it worked better but I never waste money :evillaugh:
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Mark, Lexy has been using Cortaflex (liquid) for the last year. Christine sent me a bottle she had at home that Blip refused (Blip is on Cosequin), and it's been great with Lexy. As I can't pill her easily, the liquid is put into her food first thing in the morning, just 2.5ml. I'd recommend it for a cat like Alice. I didn't think Lexy would eat it at all since she can smell medication a mile off in her food, but she tok to it day one.
I have just replaced a bottle (I didn't use it for 3 months whilst Lexy had her surgeries as she was supplemented by Metacam and others) and I haven't looked back.
http://www.cortaflex.co.uk/catdogproducts.html
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Thanks Ruth. One issue I have is it will need to be something I can hide in Salmon as she never finishes a regular meal. Most of the time, she polishes her Salmon off overnight. I'm sure even the Noractive has helped her but because it is quite cheap, I have convinced myself that it can't be any good :evillaugh:
I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try another brand to see if there is any more improvement. I would like to see her more active - I have a feeling it is as much a mental thing as physical with her. She just loves her comfort and has little interest outside her beds - she sometimes has a stretch then changes beds.
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Mark - i have also heard Cortaflex is very good in liquid form -to be honest i was thinking of getting some myself for me as they do a human one too and it seems to be highly recommended and gets into your system better and quicker with it being liquid.
Might get some with my Purrs winnings -depending if i need to go to the vet tomorrow though with Fifi - its around £18-£20
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That's funny as I was going to ask you which one you posted about. I think I will use up the rest of the noractive that I ordered today then try the Cortaflex next time. I'm sure Noractive works so should be fine for summer months.
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One thing the vet told me about Lexy the other week is that when they have a struggle of some kind, like Lexy does (arthritis in her hips and stiffness from her knee injury and surgeries), they have learned responses. Caroline thinks that Lexy has learned that she needed to limp to avoid pain, not put weight on her leg, so even when she's not feeling pain she limps anyway since she knows to avoid pain like that. She has the most amazing muscle tone on that leg now after having none after her three surgeries and cage rest, that Caroline thinks the Cortaflex helps keep the stiffness at bay, and that most times the limp is forced.
Then again, I have to believe a little of this, as Lexy will fake a limp when she wants attention, yet when she thinks I'm not looking, the limp is barely noticeable :evillaugh:
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Then again, I have to believe a little of this, as Lexy will fake a limp when she wants attention, yet when she thinks I'm not looking, the limp is barely noticeable :evillaugh:
:rofl:
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Mark -this is what i was looking at too -this seems good or better than Cortaflex
http://synflexforpets.co.uk/index.html
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Thanks Gill,
So many to choose from :Crazy:
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I might give that a go, I tried ArthriAid, which was a liquid, but the girls could pick up on that in their food.
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Des - I can happily send you a couple of sachets of Noractive to try. Just PM your address if you want to try them. I am intrigued about Cortaflex & Synflex saying they are smaller molecules that can pass through small capillaries to where they are needed. It sounds impressive but I'm not sure if it isn't BS - We were told that the smallest capillaries are just large enough for a single red blood cell at a time to pass through - which is obviously bigger than any molecule.
Synflex etc seem to have additional ingredients as well as Glucosamine and Chondroitin.
I seem to have a collection of things the cats refuse to take.
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Have used Noractive, it worked for a while, but Zi doesn't eat half a pouch at a time, so there was just too much powder.
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That is my problem. Alice rarely clears a dish. Tinned red Salmon and sometimes tinned sardines in springwater are probaly the only things. Even then she finishes them overnight.
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I *think* i have cosequin caps nearing shelf life if either of you wish to try them, its a big capsule to pill with but iv found them easy to sprinkle into food, 1 capsule is the loading dose then half so not too much powder to hide.
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I wouldn't mind trying a couple if you do find them. I have some Seraquin upstairs if anyone wants to try them. I will have to check the date though as I bought them over 2 years ago.
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Oki doki i shall have a look ;D
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I also have a large collection of supplements that the cats will not take! First brand I tried were the size of horse tablets, too big for me to take let alone my tiny little 7lb Nellie. I have used Cosequin ( very expensive ) but am now using Cortaflex powder and it does seem to be helping. All of my cats are expert at eating around any medication added to their food. So...I mash the dose into a small pat of unsalted butter and most days she will happily lick it direct off the spoon...if she tries to play clever i just smear it down one of her front legs and she then has to clean it off. :wow:
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Mark/Desley i have got cosequin to send out if either of you still wish to try them ;D taken me this long to remember :innocent:
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Thanks - I wouldn't mind trying a few. Ironically, the day before her bed arrives, she decided to go up the basement stairs which are steep. After a nose around the dining room, she then decided to go after Clapton who was sitting on the stairs going up to the 1st floor :evillaugh:
OH said it isn't possible but he ran into the dining room and I found a big cat log by the door :sick: - I said to Dennis he must have evacuated as he ran :evillaugh: - he said that isn't possible :evillaugh:
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Yes please - do you want me to pm my address?
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Have read this thread with interest. Just wondering, have any of you looked into rosehip powder in addition to/instead of the glucosamine?
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Is there any medical evidence that it helps? - I haven't heard of it being recommended. I have heard of MSM and Devils Claw which I am looking into.
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There have been a few studies in the past few years - some of which are outlined here: http://blog.bodykind.com/2010/03/29/can-rosehip-be-useful-for-sufferers-of-osteoarthritis-and-rheumatoid-arthritis/. Other sites are also more frequently mentioning rosehip powder now. All the trial so far have been with humans.
I have seen the recommended daily dose for cats to be 0.5g to 1g for an animal weighing up to 10kg.
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Yes please - do you want me to pm my address?
Yes please, i try not to save them ;)
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I would be interested to read about anything that might help. I know rosehip is high in vitamin C