Pain Medications for Dogs and Cats

There are 83 million dogs and 96 million cats in the US. Twenty percent of adult dogs and 80% of dogs over eight years old have arthritis. The majority of older cats also have arthritis. To treat these pets with arthritis and to treat pets with surgical pain or inflammation, veterinarians commonly prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)  Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) accounted for $272 million in small animal drug sales in 2014. (For humans, the amount spent on NSAIDs exceeds half-a-billion dollars.

Despite the availability of NSAIDs for dogs and cats, including Rimadyl (carprofen), Etogesic, and Piroxacam, many small animals continue to experience arthritic pain. Tramadol and Gabapentin have been prescribed to help with this pain, but after a decade of their use, are no longer recommended because they have not provided effective analgesia.

There may be another form of pain medication available in the future—monoclonal antibodies (mAb) targeting Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). NGF promotes pain by sensitizing nerves so that they’re more responsive to stimuli. NGF affects nerves throughout the body, including central and peripheral nerves. Monoclonal antibodies targeting NGF will render NGF ineffective and nerves will not receive the extra sensitization kick.

Eli Lilly and Pfizer have a mAb targeting NGF in clinical trials. Their drug, Tanezumab, is reported to be better than placebo or other pain medications. Buoyed by Tanezumab’s success, the company Nexvet is working to develop similar products for dogs and cats. Because pain physiology is similar in small animals and in humans, Nexvet expects mAb targeting NGF to be an highly effective analgesic.  If Nexvet’s mAb becomes commercially available, it will be marketed as a monthly subcutaneous injection available to veterinarians. The advantage to pet families is that they won’t need to treat their pets daily, but only monthly. Families with arthritic cats will be especially happy about this.

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