- What is arthritis?
- Does my dog have arthritis?
- What is Cartrophen Vet and how does it work?
- How effective is Cartrophen Vet?
- How safe is Cartrophen Vet?
- Other arthritis treatments
- Tips for treatment
- Frequently Asked Questions
How safe is Cartrophen Vet? 
Find a Distributor
Cartrophen is registered around the world. To find out if Cartrophen is available in your country please contact your local distributor.
Cartrophen Vet has a history of over 20 years of safe use in the dog. Cartrophen Vet has a low incidence of side effects and of those they are mild and transitory. Based on commercial history, the number of adverse events reported on a per course basis (per 4 weekly injections) was 0.058% (Hannon et al., 2003).
Of total reported events, 50.9% were probably or possibly related to the administration of Cartrophen Vet. Hence the number of adverse effects reported that were possibly or probably related to a Cartrophen Vet treatment were 0.0296% or one adverse event reported per 3,300 courses (4 weekly injections).
Are there any side effects?
In very rare cases, 5-15 minutes after the first injection a dog might vomit or be a little quieter than usual for up to 24 or maybe 48 hours. These transitory effects are rare and are only seen in some dogs. Overall the safety of Cartrophen Vet is well respected and understood after 20 years of use in dogs.
Should your pet experience these or any other changes, consult your veterinarian immediately.
Is Cartrophen Safe to use with other medications?
NSAIDs
It is important to consult your veterinarian since there may be circumstances where they feel it is appropriate to use Cartrophen Vet and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) concurrently. However, it is generally recommended that NSAIDs not be used concurrently with Cartrophen Vet due to their conflicting modes. Additionally, the pain relief offered by NSAIDs can lead to greater activity earlier than should occur given the progression of the healing process. The premature resumption of vigorous exercise can aggravate the disease.
With pain responses between Cartrophen Vet and NSAIDs at one week following the commencement of treatment being similar (Smith et al., 2001), should immediate pain relief be required, a painkiller can be a better solution than the use of NSAIDs, which will not interfere with the healing process.
REFERENCES
Hannon RL, et al. (2003) Safety of Cartrophen Vet in the dog: review of adverse reaction reports in the UK. J. Small. Anim. Pract. 44(5): 202-208
Smith JG, Hannon RL, Brunnberg L, Gebski V, Cullis-HiII D (2001) A Randomised double blind comparator clinical study of the efficacy of sodium pentosan Polysulfate injection and carprofen capsules in arthritic dogs, Journal of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International, 9(b):S21-S22
