Solensia for arthritic cat, has anyone tried it?

[Buggysleeper]

My 14 yr old cat has arthritis mostly in her 2 front legs. They seem to be bowing now too, which is very sad. Last week she tried to jump onto a fence and just didn’t make it which made her limp worse. Today I took her to the vets for her injections and she suggested a new treatment, Solensia. It’s a monthly injection which treats the pain. Has anyone else tried it? Or maybe the dog equivalent Librela? It looks like it will be around £50 a month.

Sultan, my 20 year old ragdoll, had his first shot of Solensia this week. He has been on subcutaneous injections 3xper day, I'm hoping to at least reduce them as he will be maxed out soon, then it will be "goodnight ".

I’m a week and a half into jab two and I am starting to see an improvement. She is moving around well and seems much more like her old self. I will definitely be continuing with the injections despite my initial concerns after the first one.

My elderly 18 year old cat is about 2 and half weeks into her first treatment. It is difficult to know if the solensia is the cause but she definitely seems more active. First time I have seen her up on the back of the couch in about a year. Not a miracle cure but she is more active. And saw her grooming a back leg which again is very unusual.
So definitely promising but complicated as she had various ailments recently and she had a variety of treatments. Booked in for vet appt soon for check up to discuss options.

Sultan is 10 days into his first injection of Solensia, and like SmudgCat there are little things that indicate slight improvement. Really too soon to tell, as weather is warming up in Australia, but it looks positive.

Dipping into his thread to say that my old boy (he's 13 or so, maybe 15, no one is sure) has definitely perked up after his second Solensia injection last week.

He's been going outside again today, wandering around the house, & asking for chicken. Like others, not a miracle cure for his back legs as such, but definitely promising. I've been paying for insurance on the little bugger for so long that I'm delighted. Will keep him on it.

My cat has now had 3 injections of solensia, her reactions have been different each time. On this last one her behaviour is very out of character, she is subdued not meowing at all (she normally does a lot), she doesn't move much she chooses to sit or lie in one spot, in my opinion its made her arthritus worse. She has taken to drinking excessive amounts of water and often vomits pure water out, I have to take her water away from her as she becomes obsessed and then wees a huge amount. She's not eating much either and has lost a lot of weight. I'm concerned this drug is very new and has not had a huge amount of tests.

That’s concerning @Philipamy , sorry to hear you think it’s not working. Could it be a really unfortunate coincidence? My old ‘un has hyper-thyroidism which makes him drink excessive amounts of water too; lots of common old age diseases in cats like kidney disease can cause this. Has she been checked for any other underlying diseases?

My baby girl had her first shot two weeks ago. She is a Siamese mix 13 with severe arthritis and benign tumors in her knees due to a severe autoimmune response to mold.. ugh.. it’s everywhere. Anyways it’s so far been a positive experience for us. She was walking, stopping, walking stopping. She now is much more chipper and can walk further for sure. She looks better and she definitely chats more. I’m looking forward to more shots for her. These things are always hit and miss due to each cats immune response. Keep your eye on mold in air vents and furnaces.. by air quality testing because our poor babies are suffering silently causing autoimmune illness. But as for Solensia as a treatment, for us.. one shot in.. we are happy! I’m also not a fan of over medicating people or pets. This however has shown good promise!

My 13 year old Daisy has been suffering from arthritis which has been getting progressibely worse. She received her first injection of Solensia yesterday morning. My vet explained that it may take a few injections to see any real benefit from the drug. I am writing this less that 24 hours from her injection. The transformation is incredible. She is like a new cat. I am so impressed. It hurt so much to see her in so much pain. I got my little girl back. I can't thank them enough.

Hi,
Yes my 17 year old cat was on the verge of being put to sleep because of the pain her arthritis caused but the Solensia has given her a reprieve. She still walks very stiffly but better than before and even has the odd frisky moment.
She started taking it monthly in spring this year but we have had to increase it to every 4 weeks because otherwise I would have had to have bought 2 vials of the drug so double the price. The manufacturers don't sell different doses for cat but they do for dogs. I think this a big oversight on the part of the manufacturers.

Hi All, well it's been several months since Sultans first jab, I think he has had 4 now, I'm seeking a marked improvement. I am slowly reducing his other pain relief and he is going well. He is 20 going on 21, pity the vet can't do anything for dementia!
Good luck everyone, give Solensia time.

I’m five months in now and I agree that it does make a difference to mobility. My cat has just had a brain tumour identified so any of the symptoms I may have initially attributed to Solensia were clearly unrelated. She’s having surgery to remove it in January so hopefully all will go well with that and she can continue the Solensia and a pain-free existence! She is 17. I would always suggest to get what may appear to be side effects checked out for other things before stopping the Solensia, given my experience.

My cat has had one jab of Solensia 3 weeks ago following an accident when Metacam not working. Main thing I’m noticing which is new is a gravelly voice and it’s like he has been tranquillised. Anybody else notice this? PS the limping has stopped but his character seems to have changed.

Hi Beverley MJ
My old boy hasn't shown any side effects at all. Thank goodness.
His pain and mobility has improved out of sight.
He is 20 and was almost maxed out on pain meds.
I have reduced his daily dose by more than half, and about to reduce it again. My wonderful Vet and I are thrilled with the improvement, this really was his last chance.
Good luck with your fur baby.

Same happened to my cat. Which meant she couldn't eat or drink because she had what can only assume was a sore throat, this then lead to my other problems because unknown to us we think she had diabetes so went into a diabetic shock. Please take them to the vets and get them checked out. If they stop drinking they may need a drip. I hope they are OK. Sadly my cat died but I think she had lots of other problems but it started with arthritis and the croakey throat caused by solencia.

Don't do it. It was refused FDA approval for humans and the actual adverse effects (not the "most common" always referred to) are double in the actual Solensia group. I just gave to my 18 yr old and he is clearly suffering. I feel terrible for not doing adequate research.
Bottom line: new drugs aren't really tested and there's no way to reverse it. Stick with other options.

Never take water away. Nature dictates intake and outtake

I disagree @Catsarelove. If the only other option is to PTS surely it's worth a try. Some people/animals are sensitive to certain drugs, others aren't. My old boy had a bad reaction to gabapentin a couple of weeks ago and we nearly lost him. He's also reacted badly to ketamine in the past when after an operation. Other cats have no problem with them.

My 18 year old Smudge is doing well on it. Not a miracle cure but she definitely is more active after her injection. Even saw her on top of a small wardrobe which is very unusual for Smudge. Think on about injection 3. She is still an old lady cat with other pre-existing medical issues but getting about more easily.

I'm going to keep an eye on Harry's legs and if they get worse I'll talk to the vets about Solensia. He's got heart failure and kidney failure so I'm not sure if it would be suitable for him or not. Thankfully at the moment his legs are only stiff when he first starts moving and then he seems fine.

Yes my cat had slipped 2 discs and her vet suggested solensia .After some research I decided to let her try it. Best decision I made she has been getting her jab for 7 months and she is soo much better. Takes couple jabs on to get full affect also she is11 yrs old and very active once again .😻

Our Maincoon Caspian Has been having back trouble and partial paralysis of his rear legs for almost a year. He has been getting monthly injections of Solensia. Here they are at €87 per injection. Hee seems to do well, eats well and is his normal obnoxious self, despite being very wonky when he walks to fast.

Hi I’ve had my boy Totter on Solensia now for 7 months was helping but not great it’s $90 in Canada where I live. He’s almost 17 perfectly healthy except his back legs are giving out too . The vet diagnosed arthritis in his back & both legs/hips. I just went for a follow up & he saw a different vet she was way more experienced with cats. My guy has been getting worse walking wonky too slipping & sliding his little legs out from under him. After the exam his arthritis is good from the drug great range of motion in both legs but very sadly his condition is neurological hence the wonkiness stumbling collapsing. Nothing can be done for it it’ll get worse & incontinent too. I’m so heartbroken as his time is very near. Please have your Caspian checked over as his walking is similar. Good luck & please let me know how you make out 🐾❤️

The exact same thing happened to my cat, she went wobbly, she eventually died from it. She had 3 shots of solencia, I'm convinced it was the solencia that did it. Don't give your cat any more. The vets are clueless. But the pharmaceutical is to blame, it was bought to market un tested and pushed out. I'm convinced you will see it retracted at some point. In the meantime we watch our babies die.

I'm sorry to hear about your cat @Philipamy. However in Harry's case I think it would be a risk worth taking if the metacam stops working or affects his kidneys. He's nearly 18 and the vet said if that happens the only options would be solensia or PTS. I'd have to try the solensia to know I'd done everything for him.