We’re excited to talk to you about a new option for arthritis pain in dogs and cats! Up until now, we’ve done our best to manage arthritis pain with joint supplements and anti-inflammatory pain medications. Joint supplements are hit or miss in their effectiveness, and pain medications aren’t always tolerated well and can be risky to give in patients with liver or kidney disease.
Librela and Solensia are injections of monoclonal antibodies given monthly to block arthritis pain in the joint. They are species-specific, so Librela is for dogs, and Solensia is for cats. They have been available in Europe for a couple years, with great success and minimal side effects. Now they are available in the US, and we’re thrilled to offer it!
Monoclonal antibodies are a new avenue of treatment in both human and veterinary medicine that is being used to treat an increasing variety of health issues. They use the body’s immune system to treat diseases in a very targeted manner, limiting the side effects we see with more traditional medications that affect the entire body. For arthritis pain, Librela and Solensia target nerve growth factor (NGF), which plays a big role in creating inflammation in the joint. Once the antibodies bind to NGF, the inflammation goes down and the pain goes away. These antibodies do not affect the liver or kidneys, so they are safe to give to pets with those conditions. It can take 2-3 injections to see the full benefits of these medications, so we recommend committing to 3 injections before deciding whether to continue it.
Here are some videos of one of our patients after each of his first 3 injections of Librela.
After the 1st injection:
After the 2nd injection:
After the 3rd injection:
The most common complications we see include increased drinking and urination, and injuries from pets that feel better and suddenly over-exert themselves. If the pet has lost muscle mass from arthritis, they aren’t ready for this action and pets can injure themselves, so we may provide a plan for slow reintroduction to activity to build those muscles up again. Occasionally we will also see pets with pain or irritation at the injection site, and sometimes skin or urinary tract infections. Overall, these injections have been very effective and well-tolerated. Let us know if you’re interested in giving one of these a try!
