Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Meloxicam spray with tramadol eases arthritis pain in older cats
By Monteiro, Beatriz P et al.·Published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia·2016·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Analgesic efficacy of an oral transmucosal spray formulation of meloxicam alone or in combination with tramadol in cats with naturally occurring osteoarthritis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 15 older cats with osteoarthritis (OA) were given either a meloxicam oral spray or a combination of meloxicam and tramadol to see which worked better for pain relief. After 25 days, both treatments improved the cats' ability to walk and their overall activity levels. However, the combination of tramadol and meloxicam did not show any additional benefits over meloxicam alone, except for some increased sensitivity to pain in a few cats. Some cats experienced mild stomach issues, but these were temporary. Overall, the meloxicam spray was effective and well-tolerated.
People also search for: cat osteoarthritis treatment · meloxicam for cats · tramadol for cat pain · cat arthritis pain relief options
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of meloxicam oral transmucosal spray (OTMS) alone and with tramadol in cats with osteoarthritis (OA). STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, blinded study. ANIMALS: Fifteen geriatric cats weighing 4.5 ± 1.0 kg. METHODS: Healthy cats with OA were randomly administered a placebo (every 12 hours orally) and meloxicam OTMS (approximately 0.05 mg kgevery 24 hours) (group M, n = 7), or tramadol (3 mg kgevery 12 hours orally) and meloxicam OTMS (group TM, n = 8) for 25 days. Evaluations performed before treatment (D0) and at week 3 (W3) consisted of peak vertical force, motor activity and response to mechanical temporal summation of pain (RMTS). Data were analyzed with mixed models and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Mean ± standard deviation peak vertical force (percentage of body weight) increased significantly in both groups (p = 0.02), from 47.7 ± 6.5% to 60.5 ± 9.4% in group M, and from 51.8 ± 5.0% to 64.1 ± 6.5% in group TM, with no difference between groups. Motor activity increased in M (from 43 ± 12 to 56 ± 13; p = 0.02), but not in TM. The number of stimulations from RMTS increased in TM only. Cut-off values were reached in a larger number of cats (n = 5) in TM than M (n = 1) (p < 0.05). Gastrointestinal adverse effects were self-limiting in six cats, including five in TM. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Meloxicam OTMS had similar effects on peak vertical force, motor activity and pain sensitization as previously reported for oral meloxicam in OA cats. The tramadol-meloxicam combination provided no evident benefit over meloxicam alone, except for central hypersensitivity (assessed with RMTS). Further assessment of the potential toxicity of the combination is required prior to clinical use. Gingival administration was well accepted overall.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26913836/