Has anyone here used Cosequin?

[Medusa]

My vet told me a trick that works to keep a cat from eating too fast and thus overeating. Put a good sized rock in the center of the feeding dish. This forces the cat to eat around it, causing it to slow down. One of my cats eats too fast and therefore way more than she should and she also upchucks it right afterwards. This little trick prevents overeating and vomiting. I know you asked about Cosequin, sorry, no, I've not had to give it to any of my fur posse yet.

[emily_the_spoiled]

Cosaquin is used for the treatment of arthritis and stiffness in the joints. You can also get the same ingredients formulated as cat treats. I am using the treats for my 15yo foster and I can tell that he has an easier time moving. Before starting them he moved very carefully and slowly, now he is moving much more easier.

[Craftlady]

It's also used in treatment of and to prevent bladder infections in cats. Gave it to Skinny for several months. After awhile it was a real struggle to get him to take it, for prevention.
We havent had problems in years since.

In humans, I took it for 6 months. It didnt do squat for me. The gym and the equipment to strengthen my knees solved the problem.

[Catty1]

This was mentioned in the thread below. Sounds like a great idea...put your $$ towards this and not Cosequin:

Auto Pet Feeder



There is a 5-meal feeder also - just $9 or so more:



ALSO - my cats were getting kind of 'fluffy', and one needs a UTI preventative (though both are neutered males, so it will help both). My vet said that Hill's Dental cleaned the teeth, was great for weight loss, AND had just been shown to have UTI prevention.

Oscar went down to a good weight in several months!

[snowshoe2]

Thanks for the replies.
The rock trick sounds like a good choice, because I have noticed that Cocoa will eat out of the bowl until he has made a hole in the center of the food. Then he moves on to the next bowl, does the same and on to the next etc...
Not sure if the timed feeder would work for us, as Cocoa's brother Bandit is such a nibbler that I fear he would not eat enough. It's strange that two litter mate brothers can have such different eating patterns. Bandit barely maintains his weight at 12lbs. He will eat about 6 pieces at a time frequently throughout the day.

Emily, can you tell me what kind of treats have the Cosequin ingredients in them? I might like to give them a try, just to see if it benefits him any.

Thanks again,
Janet

[Catlady711]

I'm assuming your vet prescribed the Metacam for your cat?

Cosaquin is a MUCH safer product to be using in cats than Metacam. My Dusty had been on Cosaquin for several years and not only did it help her osteoarthritis alot but she loved eating it!! You have to understand Dusty was the pickiest cat on the planet preferring to litterally starve herself for 3 or more days rather than eat anything with meds in it she didn't like! That is not an exaggeration, she had baffled several vets with her unorthodox behavior in the past.

Cosaquin comes in nice capsules that you break open and sprinkle on the food (I put it on a bit of wet food for Dusty every morning). No pill splitting or crushing like with the Restor-a-Flex we had been giving. And Cosaquin worked much better for her. Cosaquin is a glucosamine/chondroiton supplement formulated specifically for cats (although there is a dog formula out there too).

Up until the last few months of Dusty's life when we had to resort to Metacam injections and Tramadol pills (neither of which are approved for use in cats) we had great success with the Cosaquin and I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Dusty was 17 when we had to have her PTS this past July.

As far as weight loss goes 25 lbs is a great deal of weight. While 10 years old isn't ancient as far as housecats go, the cat could be getting the start of arthritis particularly with that excess weight. Extra weight adds stress to the joints and seriously increases the risk of diabetes and other weight related diseases.

What kind of food/treats is the cat getting now? If you are gone long periods of time during the day and the other cat is a nibbler I'd highly recommend trying to keep the cats separated when you aren't home so the nibbler has access to the food but the fat kitty doesn't.

[emily_the_spoiled]

They are called Hip Action. Here is a link (I didn't not buy it from here but this explains the product).

http://www.doctordog.com/store/Produ...uctid=B-079045

Although the best thing for him is probably to lose some weight, that will take time and this might provide some immediate assistance.