From subtle tail twitches to silent yowls, cats have mastered the art of hiding their discomfort, leaving us humans scratching our heads feeling somewhat purr-plexed when it comes to decoding the mysteries of recognizing and managing pain in this stoic species. In this episode, we are going to sink our claws into feline osteoarthritis pain management by discussing the newest drug to hit the market designed to diminish feline osteoarthritic pain: Solensia. Solensia (frunevetmab) is a monthly injection administered at a veterinary clinic that can help control pain from osteoarthritis in cats. Our guide to understand this new and revolutionary medication is Dr. Kristin Kirby-Shaw, a board-certified veterinary surgeon and animal rehabilitation specialist who currently serves as a Pain and Osteoarthritis Specialist at Zoetis. Together with host Dr. Bonnie Gatson, they will discuss tools that can help veterinarians and pet owners recognize osteoarthritis pain in cats, summarize how Solensia provides pain control in this population of cats, and review important clinical trial and safety information to ensure we are using this innovative drug efficaciously to its full potential in our feline companions. Listen now to learn how Solensia helps our cats feel-ine good!

 We want to inform our listeners about important safety information regarding Solensia (frunevetmab). Solensia is for use in cats only. Women who are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding should take extreme care to avoid self-injection. Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, could occur with self-injection. Solensia should not be used in breastfeeding cats, or in pregnant or lactating queens. Solensia should not be used in cats with a known hypersensitivity to frunevetmab. The most common adverse events reported in a clinical study were vomiting and injection site pain. Review important safety information and prescribing information on the Zoetis website. 

Resources mentioned in today’s episode:

Learn more about Solensia.

Screening tool for osteoarthritis pain in cats.

If a patient experiences an adverse event associated with use of Solenia, or if inappropriate human exposure occurs, please contact product support at Zoetis at 1-888-963-8471.

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If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].

All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.

The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.

Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.