Replying to Samanta A. 06/10/2022 - 13:51
Hello Samantha!
I hope you are well. Great question. Most cats with idiopathic hypercalcemia will respond to oral alendronate, at a dose range of 10-40 mg once weekly. I start with an initial oral dose of 10 mg per week, and then gradually increase the dose based on ionized calcium concentrations monitored at 4-6 week intervals. What does are you on at the moment? Is there room for increase?
This treatment protocol will restore normocalcemia in over two-thirds of the hypercalcemic cats treated with an average weekly dose of 15 mg. The other options would be dietary therapy (high fibre) and the possible addition of steroids.
The oral bioavailability of alendronate in cats is poor. In one study, the percentage of the drug that was actually absorbed when administered to cats was found be only 3%. This percentage fell about 10-fold when alendronate was formulated in tuna juice.
To maximize intestinal absorption of this drug, I recommend that the cats be fasted overnight (12-18 hour fast) prior to the administration of the alendronate. The medication should then be given with 6-ml of plain water (to ensure passage of the tablet into the stomach), and the fast continued for at least 2-4 additional hours.
Then if all else fails… Chia seeds!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32793647/
Hope that helps.
Scott 🙂
