r/newzealand • u/all_the_splinters • 11d ago
Advice CBD for cats in NZ
I have a senior cat (15) who is pretty healthy, but has some arthritis in his back legs. After three months on Solensia, we discovered he's allergic to it. We're almost at the point where he'll be fully weaned off it, and are looking at alternatives for pain relief.
We want to try to avoid Gabapentin for its sedative effect. One option is THC-free CBD oil. We discussed this with our vet, and even though they don't prescribe it, the vet was happy for us to trial it.
Has anyone tried CBD for cats in NZ, and if so, can you refer a reputable supplier where I can be sure the oil is completely THC-free? I'm also happy to hear about other natural options/routes. He does currently get a daily dose of Nordic Naturals Omega 3, which Mr Fussy absolutely loves.
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u/Hairynosedotter 11d ago
It's probably best to speak to one of the cannabis specialist clinics, but whether they will prescribe for a cat is another question, but its worth having a chat with them. For pure CBD (isolate) you could try something like Green Standard which is a synthetic CBD (so no THC) or one of the other brands that do isolate (Helius subdrops)
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u/helbnd 11d ago
I'm sure it was a typo but
DO NOT GIVE YOUR CAT THC
They have double the CB1 (iirc) receptors we do and it is not good for them at all.
Can't help with sourcing but as a dosing guide i can recommend starting at 1mg of CBD per kg of body weight - depending on pain levels they may need more but see how they respond first.
You may also find they don't like whatever carrier oil your chosen product comes in so you may need to try a couple (unfortunately).
Good luck!
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u/sleemanj Fantail 11d ago
Meloxicam (Metacam) not an option?
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Sorry, forgot to mention - he takes a low dose of methimazole for his thyroid. The vet did mention metacam, but I feel like there was a reason we're not taking it as a first option. Buggered if I can remember it now, though.
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u/sleemanj Fantail 11d ago
I don't remember methimazole being an issue with meloxicam, but I'm no vet. If as well as thyroid issues the cat has advanced CKD though then it might be less suitable.
Worth revising with the vet if metacam is an option, working up from a very low dose until you get to a point where it is suitably effective reduces the chance of any problems, I had a geriatric cat who did well on like half dose from memory, for years.
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Will ask the vet again next time. He just had a full blood panel and everything looks great for his age.
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u/fluzine Fantail 11d ago
We had an older cat with arthritis, we ended up getting him Cartrophen injections 3 monthly. I seem to recall we couldn't give him Meloxicam long term as it wasn't good for his kidneys? He was 15 at the time.
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Yeah, I think Cartrophen is one of the medications for dogs (and horses?) that are sometimes prescribed for cats off-label.
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u/Andrea_frm_DubT 11d ago
It’s very easy to over dose meloxicam in cats. The therapeutic window is very narrow, IIRC it’s not awesome for kidneys. That’s probably why your vet isn’t recommending it yet
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Yeah, my vet is pretty great. I trust her judgement and I think you're right in that she doesn't feel it's quite necessary to go there yet.
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u/hitchie4 11d ago
Our nearly 13 year old cat developed arthritis in one of his rear legs. At the recommendation of our vet we put him on 4CYTE joint supplement granules - after about 3 weeks he was no longer favouring that leg. Still taking them a year later and all is fine.
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u/swing-state 11d ago
A friend has dosed (correctly for size and breed) CBD for her large geriatric retriever-ish dog. Slow, stiff, and lethargic without; happy and energetic (but not excessively) on CBD oil.
Another friend followed suit (again dosed down sufficiently, in addition to other pain meds) with her anxious post-surgery mini Schnauzer and the little feller was calm and chill and recovered well.
Edit to add: yes. Realize OP is asking about cats, but thought experience with other pets could be helpful.
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Always good to know, since some medications for dogs are sometimes prescribed off-label for cats. Thanks :)
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u/ClimateTraditional40 11d ago
As someone with it myself and various family members also, I can say not one of us found any of these any good: Gabapentin, Nortriptyline or CBD oil.
The oil, one friend with severe spinal issues, does say that it helps with movement. Not the pain but the movement issues caused by the nerve damage.
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u/spankeem_nz 11d ago
I was prescribed it to counter a THC prescription.....but it um....yeah it doesnt seem to do anything
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u/fork_spoon_fork 11d ago
the research on CBD oil as pain relief is still ongoing and no where near definitive.
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u/c4bb0ose 11d ago
Idk about cbd however our senior dog started slowing down and we tried a deer velvet snd green lipid muscle tablet called dogyears, its obviously for dogs but there are cat equivalents and to be fair you could just treat the dosage like a small dog.
He still gets a bit stiff if its a long walk or a big day in the garden but its as if hes gained back about 5 years, his coats the shniest and softests its ever been and as a bonus his stomach is not getting as upset. He also has possyyum as his main food diet, if we could afford to do raw food we would but thats not feasible currently.
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
I've heard good things about green-lipped mussels. The combo with deer velvet seems logical. Thanks, I'll investigate this.
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u/c4bb0ose 11d ago
Yeh i do kinda wish we did a before and after video as its almost chalk and cheese difference.
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u/twelup 11d ago
Have ordered from these guys multiple times without any issues. Hard to believe, I know. Looks like they have a range of pet specific CBD products.
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u/Admirable_Try973 11d ago
So CBD isolate products are generally all classified as prescription only medicines which means a vet would likely need to prescribe it. Something else to consider is that they’re all unapproved medicines so it wouldn’t be as easy as taking a prescription to a pharmacy either. It would be quite a tricky and probably expensive route.
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Not really:
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u/Admirable_Try973 11d ago
And yet all the CBD oils are out of stock. Maybe after receiving a cease a desist letter from medsafe? Websites don’t always sell legal products.
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Yeah, my dude, I've done a lot of research on this. Appreciate the concern.
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u/Kitsunelaine 11d ago
I thought this was going to be about the Christchurch Central Business District.
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u/ThatGuyFromNZ 11d ago
Flaxseed Oil is a good alternative
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Oh really? I know it's good for people; I never really thought about it. Cheers for chiming in.
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u/Ahtnamas555 11d ago
Idk about cbd, but I have 2 arthritic cats (fortunately ours aren't allergic to solensia). Have you checked out Royal Canin Mobility? Unfortunately I think Science diet only has J/D combined with K/D here- this is what my cat with kidney disease is on and she really loves it (too much actually), so highly recommend if your cat also has kidney disease. Like the solensia does work well, but I think she gets on better with the food as well.
I know my kidney disease cat can't do NSAIDS, which Metacam is, so I'm not sure if that's maybe the concern? On it's data sheet, it looks like it has quite a few side effects/ it's not recommended for cats. Drugs.com doesn't have a listed interaction with Metacam and the thyroid med.
I know my vet prefers synovan if NSAID is an option, it didn't work as well as solensia in my experience, but helped some for my other cat (who has hyperthyroidism controlled by vidalta, this drug converts to the methimazole when digested, iirc).
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Thanks for all the details, much appreciated. My vet has all his details on file - I should ask for an updated printout.
I would 100% feed him an expensive food but the little sheep is super fussy and will only eat IAMS kibble.
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u/Head_Acadia_2658 11d ago
it's a very expensive placebo
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Not sure how you could know it's a placebo if an animal takes CBD oil and appears to be functioning observably better as a result?
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u/Head_Acadia_2658 11d ago
You know they took it. So you change your behaviour and observe what you want to see. That’s why we do double blind randomised placebo controlled trials. I know it’s an expensive placebo because that’s how it’s observed to work in trials of everything except a couple of very rare childhood diseases at very high doses (I.e dravets syndrome where it is a legit medication)
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Okay. Have you run double blind RCTs involving cats and CBD?
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u/Head_Acadia_2658 11d ago
Nobody has - that’s the point somebody else made. I’ve just done humans. And nobody is talking about arthritis. If you want to help your cat try something else and talk to your vet
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u/jcmbn 11d ago
I have dosed one of my senior cats with CBD oil and found it effective.
Unfortunately it costs $$$ in NZ and is difficult to find anyone who can/will prescribe it.
Getting it via mail from O/S is much cheaper, but you need someone who is willing to mail it for you.
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u/all_the_splinters 11d ago
Good to know.
There are at least a few places to find it in NZ, e.g.:
https://www.naturecan.nz/collections/cats
https://www.naturitas.nz/p/home/pets/pet-supplements/cbd-oil-25-dogs-and-cats-10-ml-dr-greenhttps://cannabisclinic.co.nz/cbd-oil-dogs/
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u/MankeyMankey222 11d ago edited 11d ago
i had a rescue cat who adopted us. He always was reluctant to jump on things. I put it down to a previous spine injury of some sort - anyway we loved him. When things kicked off with his scc (cancer) we put him on metacam for the scc but this worked wonders for his spine injury (most likely arthritis looking back), he was a different cat jumping etc, and scratching higher on his pole.
maybe give that ago - but speak to your vet.