Cartrophen in cats

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Julian Earl — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:09:55 GMT

A lot of this is news to me. I understood that the reason not to use cartrophen at the same time as NSAIDs was because of the increased activity of the dog/cat due to the latter would somehow interfere with the increased blood flow to joints and the swelling of the articular cartilage caused by the pentosan?

Also re. the thrombocytopaenia effect of NSAIDs: is it not just salicyclic acid that has this effect and other NSAIDs act on different pathways, or is my pharmacology data out of date?

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:25:04 GMT

[quote user="Busybee"]

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"] The thrombocytopaenic effect has been utilised to benefit by some in cats with thrombo-emolic disease[/quote]

what is the frequency of treatment in these cases? I seem to have 'every 6 hours' in my head from somewhere!

[/quote]

Sorry I don't know the answer to this as I've never tried it but it was subject of a discussion on this very forum a while ago.

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Jon Bray — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 01:45:34 GMT

I listened to a Duncan Lascelles lecture recently (I think it was an MP3 of one of the BSAVA lectureson feline analgesia from the last 3-4 years if you want to look it up) - he uses it a lot in cats and thinks it works better than in dogs.

I've used it a few times at the same dose rate as I do in dogs, but as a locum feedback can be a bit of a problem. If using NSAIDs at the same time I withhold them on the day of the injection.

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Busybee — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:17:44 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"] The thrombocytopaenic effect has been utilised to benefit by some in cats with thrombo-emolic disease[/quote]

what is the frequency of treatment in these cases? I seem to have 'every 6 hours' in my head from somewhere!

Re: Cartrophen in cats

KathW — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:50:48 GMT

Have used it a lot in dogs and just stopped NSAID 24 hr either side of cartrophen inj. No problems seen with that. Sometime just used the NSAID for 1-2 weeks into a course of cartrophen and then tapered them off/stopped altogether as cartrophen alone helping enoigh. Have also used in 1 or 2 cats for osteoarthrits and it has seemed to have helped ( in 1 case alsonside metacam cat - again stpped metacam 24 hrs either side of cartrophen inj)

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Joyce Whitehead — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:00:35 GMT

We had one cat that vomited within half an hour of her first cartrophen injection - and was then sleepy for the rest of the day. This was put down as a possible reaction, but I wasn't sure if it could just be the travelling, so didn't repeat it.

Unfortunately, about a year later, the lady decided to seek a second opinion about this cat's arthritis (it didn't tolerate metacam either), and persuaded the vet she saw not to phone for the history as she didn't want to upset us. The other vet gave (you've guessed it) cartrophen, which induced a prolonged period of vomiting, and a phone call to us for the history... The cat did recover though.

Sigh.

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:47:39 GMT

A confession: one rabbit case had several recurrent bouts of upper respiratory tract disease treated with antibiotics - normally Baytril oral, after several course I decided (another confession) to give it a shot of Convenia because despite all the controversy on this - it works. I accidentally gave a shot of Cartrophen by mistake (they live besides each other in the fridge). The rabbit got better and its snuffles never recurred. I've never had the courage or opportunity to repeat the experience in another rabbit.

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Laurence Webb — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:41:03 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"] The thrombocytopaenic effect has been utilised to benefit by some in cats with thrombo-emolic disease.[/quote] I have tried it for that, although I thought it was a fibrinolytic effect, so it worked synergistically with the platelet inhibition of NSAIDs to stop clot formation.

Re: Cartrophen in cats

james herriot lied — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:58:31 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

Some success for treating chronic upper respiratory disease in rabbits also due probably to some immuno-modulatory properties.

[/quote]

What's your opinion on the effectiveness of this? Anything not completely incidental and/or anecdotal - as in, non-responsive, but then sudden improvement. Rats at all?

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:50:41 GMT

I've used it quite extensively for OA in cats with dramatic benefits in some cases but no side effects. Indeed, the only side effect I've seen in a dog was one with severe CKD which got worse but improved again when no more Cartrophen was given. The thrombocytopaenic effect has been utilised to benefit by some in cats with thrombo-emolic disease. I don't use it for idiopathic cystitis in cats because Cystaid is licensed for that, is well tolerated by most cats and works well. I only use it for OA in cats to avoid using NSAIDS which IME have caused some serious side effects - renal failure. Some success for treating chronic upper respiratory disease in rabbits also due probably to some immuno-modulatory properties. The rep says it is fine to use 24 hrs after or before NSAIDS but I play a bit safer than that and give it a couple of weeks.

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:03:59 GMT

I've used it a lot-also for chronic cystitis-no probs

I think the NSAID contra-indication came in the early years when someone used it with phenylbutazone in dogs(which can cause blood dyscrasias by itself ) so they played safe and said not to use it with any NSAID

Wynne

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Laurence Webb — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:46:27 GMT

The only time I've seen side effects was in a cat that had suffered a suspected thromboembolus a while back so had been receiving Plavix since. It was then given Cartrophen by a collegue for OA and it bled from the injection site for a few hours. It's been fine since (but not had that particular combination again)

Re: Cartrophen in cats

Neil Wheadon — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:57:15 GMT

Oops sorry

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