Cartrophen Vet

It is important to follow the directions for use and to follow through with the 4-week course of treatment for the best clinical response. If treatment is interrupted for a week and there is a two-week hiatus, it is not necessary to start a further 4-week course of treatment. In addition, the dosage set out in the package insert should be followed.

In some pets no additional injections are required for as many as 5 or 6 months. In other animals more frequent injections are required. In some cases, single monthly injections of Cartrophen Vet are sufficient to keep the lameness in check. The frequency may vary with the degree of arthritis, the age of the animal or the individual metabolism of the animal. Usually, single injections are sufficient. Where an animal has gone for an extended period without an injection, (6 months or longer) consideration should be given to a repeat of the series of 4 injections.

The client should be advised to monitor their pet for increased signs of lameness and should contact their Veterinarian as to the necessity of another injection of Cartrophen Vet.

Surgical intervention involves a recovery period during which there is an acute phase of pain from the surgical trauma. Veterinary surgeons often prescribe NSAIDs during this period for the acute pain and to assist in the immediate reduction of swelling and pain. Cartrophen Vet acts differently from NSAIDs in the reduction of pain and is slower acting but of longer duration. In contrast to NSAIDs, Cartrophen Vet is a disease-modifying drug and therefore its onset of action is somewhat longer than NSAIDs.

Is not recommended that Cartrophen Vet and NSAIDs be given together prior to surgery. Consequently, the administration of Cartrophen Vet a week prior to surgery is not contraindicated but generally, if other drugs are to be used to control the acute phase of pain, Cartrophen Vet should not be administered for at least a week prior to surgery.

Some Veterinary surgeons avoid the use of NSAIDs because of the delay in healing time (up to 25 %). NSAIDs are often used to take care of the acute phase of pain. Dosage instructions require the daily use of NSAIDs, and they are rapidly excreted. Cartrophen Vet may be administered a few days after surgery after the NSAIDs have been discontinued, often with very beneficial results without the possibility of the adverse reactions and delay in healing time exhibited by NSAIDs.

Some surgeons administer Cartrophen Vet shortly after surgery rather than use NSAIDs.

There is an unintended benefit from the use of Cartrophen Vet administered after surgery when compared to NSAIDs. The pet tends to be somewhat less robust in its movements than after the use of NSAIDs. The latter may increase a false sense of confidence and the analgesic effect may result in increased physical activity when the pet should really be resting. Cartrophen Vet, being a disease-modifying drug has a slower onset of pain relief and the animal will tend to rest, as it would normally do when recovering from trauma. In human medicine it is possible to instruct the person in conservative management of lameness recovery, but an animal requires some internal indicator (e.g. some pain) to instruct it to take it easy.

Cartrophen Vet is not an NSAID. It therefore does not have the adverse reaction profile of NSAIDs and does not have an adverse reaction profile for which a routine blood monitoring.

In the discussion above concerning the administration after surgery reference was made to the benefit of rest. In the treatment of arthritis, rest and avoidance of strenuous activity is part of the treatment regimen. Cartrophen Vet’s slower onset of pain relief together with its disease modifying action impose the natural tendency of the animal to rest rather than engage in strenuous exercise. NSAIDs, on the other hand by their immediate pain relief do not engage the natural inclination of the pet to take it easy.

Cartrophen Vet could be an interesting component to a geriatric health care program for pets. Older pets have aging body systems which make them more vulnerable to some undesirable effects from drugs with adverse reaction profiles such as those exhibited by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs are often administered daily for a long time, thus potentially causing increased wear and tear on aging body systems and increasing the chances for adverse reactions. Cartrophen Vet is a very effective drug with remarkably few adverse reactions and does not have to be administered daily.

Cartrophen Vet use for treatment of osteoarthritis in cats is an off-label use since the product has not been approved for that species. Information as to its efficacy is anecdotal. However, our experience in Canada is that there has been a steady increase in the use of Cartrophen Vet for cats.

ELMIRON (pentosan polysulphate sodium) is the first and only oral medication that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the counterpart to Health Canada in the United States) for treating the pain or discomfort of interstitial cystitis in human. It is available by prescription only, is believed to help repair and restore the damaged bladder lining. Clinical studies show some persons may experience symptom improvement in as little as 4 weeks or as long as 3 months.

Many veterinarians use Cartrophen Vet off label in cats for interstitial cystitis, hence we are providing the following information on its current use.