Has anyone here used Cosequin?

[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.

[snowshoe2]

Yes the Metacam was prescribed by the vet, but I don't want to give it to him long term. That's why I was wanting to try the Cosequin. As far as I know there should be no ill effects from it, right?

I feed all the cats the Purina Indoor formula. After much trial and error, this is the one food that they actually eat and don't toss up afterwards.
An exception is that Bandit tends to get allergies with vomiting spells and occaisionally has to eat Hills Prescription Diet i/d and Cocoa will finish off what is left in the bowl. This is only occaisionally.
Treats are few and far between and are Whisker Lickens, at the most one or two a week. I was giving Cocoa one after his Metacm, just to help him get it down and relieve any after taste he would have from it. Oh, I should mention that when I say one treat, it is actually a half, because I break them in half so they are easier for him to chew as he has no molars for chewing. But he can still eat dry food...go figure.

The vet had me try him on Purina Prescription Diet O/M canned, but he would vomit that quite often. I have to say these two Snowshoe cats have been the most challenging cats I have ever had when it comes to finding a food that agrees with them. So he said as long as they are doing well on the Purina Indoor, lets leave it alone.

I have been feeding less through measuring and trying to set scheduled feeding times, so hopefully this will help get him to loose those extra pounds.

Both these Snowshoes are tall cats and Cocoa is just a big cat, big head, big shoulder and paws, but he still needs to loose about 10lbs according to the vet.

Here is Cocoa in his bed, as you can see he really fills it up.


And here is Bandit in his bed, he only takes up about half of the bed.

[columbine]

Smudge has been getting Cosequin for a little over a year, mashed into his wet food twice a day, although he gets it to protect his urinary tract, not his joints.

As with humans, Cosequin (glucosamine/chondroitin) is a supplement, not a quickie cure. Its bioavailability (the amount a cat or human absorbs out of the amount they ingest) is low, so it has to become a routine part of the diet, and it's more for preventing further deterioration than repairing extant damage (although it does a bit of the latter as well).

If Cocoa's appetite is out of control, you can try giving him Vitamin E. Just puncture a capsule and let him lick it off your finger once or twice a day. It's totally safe for cats, and its only known effect is diminishing appetite. (Smudge says "and tasting really good.")

[Vermontcat]

Snowshoe2, I don't have an answer to your question about Cosequin but I just wanted to say that I think all 5 of your cats are just gorgeous!
I would love it if you could post some photos of them in Cat General and tell us more about them.
Cocoa and Bandit both look so cute curled up in their beds.