Anyone have a cat on Prednisolone long term?

[kittylyda]

Hi Everyone.  I'm wondering if anyone out there has or had in the past a cat who was on prednisolone long term.  If so, dosage and how often, etc..
I would also be interested in hearing about any side effects that you may have encountered.  Tig is on pred to help keep her mast cell tumor, which we think is benign, under control.  As some of you may remember it's right next to her eye and can not be surgically removed without damage or eye loss.  Each time I wean her off the pred it really starts bothering her and she scratches and rubs at it and it ends up irritated and bloody.  Mast cell tumors release histamines so I think it itches and that's why she messes with it.  She is also on an antihistamine but that does not seem to work as well.  I've done a lot of research and tried many, many different things but pred seems to be the ONLY thing that helps keep this thing under control.  I recently became a little concerned because her creatinine levels were slightly elevated, up to 2.4.  This might be because of the pred, might just be because she is getting older.  If anyone has any insight on cats on a steroid long term I would appreciate it.

PS--currently I'm looking into some herbal topical remedies to help as well.

[3catkidneyfailure]

kittylyda, one of my crf kitties was put on pred for brief period (3 doses)
and came up diabetic. Implicated causes were prescription diet food and pred medication, and
I don't to this day know which or both it was. I know there are problems with long term administration, but I really don't have the experience you're looking for. It sounds like a necessary medication for your
Tig, but please keep an eye on blood sugar/glucose, too.

[Fizzy1]

Scooby has been on various dosages of pred since June 2009.  She is currently taking 10mg a day, split morning and night.  When we decrease it she has her IBD flare-ups.  The vet understands the concerns for side effects, but doesn't want to decrease the dosage anytime soon.  We might try in a few months when she's been stable longer.  Her blood sugar has been good.  Going without the pred is not an option for us right now.

Have you tried Zyrtec as the antihistamine?  The Dolittler vet likes it for cats:

http://www.dolittler.com/2009/11/04/Why.I.love.Zyrtec.for.pets.especially.in.cats..html

Hope you can find something to make Tig more comfy!

[Spartycats]

I'm sure this is not what you want to hear, but it's my experience.

My mother's cat, adopted at about 9 mos. old, had chronic diarrhea.  She was turned in as a stray, at our local shelter.  In hindsight, I think she had owners, who didn't want to deal with the diarrhea.  She was diagnosed with probable IBD, but my mother was not really interested in diet changes or definitive testing.  She was very pleased when her cat responded so well to prednisolone.  After higher dosing, her maintenance dose was 5 mg every other day.  I insisted on every other day, to rest the adrenal glands (her vet had never heard of this). Worse than the diarrhea, she simply would not eat, when we attempted to withdraw the prednisolone.  My mother's cat died at 8 years old, from chronic renal failure (diagnosed and treated at our university clinic).  

She was never a good eater, but ate better on the pred.  She drank a lot, and urinated a lot. She was tested, but did not have diabetic problems.

She was a beautiful and very loving cat, and we miss her.

[kittylyda]

Thanks for all the input.  Right now Tig's blood sugar/glucose is fine, but of course I'm concerned about that with the long term use as well as the effect on the kidneys.

Fizzy1, is Scooby a cat?  Just want to make sure.  If so, are her kidney values OK right now?  I'm so glad to hear that her blood sugar is good.
The antihistamine that Tig is on right now is Chlorpheniramine.  I think it's the same as Chlor Trimeton which is an OTC allergy med, but I get Tigs from the vet.  I will certainly ask about giving her Zyrtec.  That would be easy enough as that's what I take for my allergies! 

[Fizzy1]

Yes, Scooby's a kitty!  Her kidney values are high normal.  That's about the only chronic disease she's not dealing with right now   She has hepatic lipidosis, pancreatitis, hyperT, and IBD and/or lymphoma.  She's on many other meds besides the prednisolone such as methimazole, chlorambucil, denamarin, melatonin, pepcid, actigall, and probiotics.  So we are keeping an eye on her labs, but if something bad were to show up, who knows which med caused it, or maybe none of the above.  We're thrilled that she has finally responded... she has just recently gained back all of the weight she had lost in the last few months.

I take Zyrtec also.  Have you checked at Costco?  They have an incredibly low price for it, and offer coupons a couple of times a year.  I think it's $32/75 pills, and even less with the $5 coupon.

[kittylyda]

Yes, Scooby's a kitty!  Her kidney values are high normal.  That's about the only chronic disease she's not dealing with right now   She has hepatic lipidosis, pancreatitis, hyperT, and IBD and/or lymphoma.  She's on many other meds besides the prednisolone such as methimazole, chlorambucil, denamarin, melatonin, pepcid, actigall, and probiotics.  So we are keeping an eye on her labs, but if something bad were to show up, who knows which med caused it, or maybe none of the above.  We're thrilled that she has finally responded... she has just recently gained back all of the weight she had lost in the last few months.

I take Zyrtec also.  Have you checked at Costco?  They have an incredibly low price for it, and offer coupons a couple of times a year.  I think it's $32/75 pills, and even less with the $5 coupon.

High normal isn't bad.  I'd take high normal for kidney levels if Tig needs to continue on the pred.  I'm happy to hear Scooby is doing well despite all her troubles.  Tig has taken pepcid in the past as well as probiotics but the pred seems to have helped all those digestive issues so I stopped all the stuff I felt she didn't need to be taking.

I do buy the Kirkland brand of Zyrtec at Costco!  It's like 3 times cheaper than the name brand and the ingredients are the same.

[lesliek]

I have a friend whose cat Marie has really bad arthritis. She takes 1/4 tab twice a week with [so far] no bad side effects. All test results are good & it makes her more agile for about 3 days. I think she's been on it for almost 2 years now. I think you need to look at overall quality of life. If the prednisolone makes life better for Scooby , its probably worth the risks. Even if it causes a problem later, in the meantime Scooby will be happier. Sometimes quality is more important than length of time.

[JJ]

Like what leslie said about quality of life. That is what we all want for our pets. To see them happy, eating, without a lot of pain and keeping the weight on makes for a happy furry ones and happy pet parents.

[kittylyda]

I definitely agree about the quality of life.  I can't have Tig scratching all the time and making that tumor bleed and get infected.  I think what I need to do at least until I find an alternative is figure out what the lowest dose that works for her is and keep her on that.  I think I can get her down to 1/2 tab every other day and still keep her comfortable.  I might be able to get her down to a 1/4 tab every other day but that might be pushing it.

[wicked fate]

Angelus was on Prednisolone daily for a few years, between 5mg and 10mg a day. It was the only way we could keep him stable, and control the vomiting, however, in the end he suffered liver and kidney failure, thought to be attributed to the Prednisolone.

Sadly it's a balancing act in order to help the animal and not do further damage.

[lesliek]

I would try the lower dosages & see if it works. If not, as you said better she has some good quality of life. It is a balancing act and all you can do is your best for them. And hope its the right choice.

[JJ]

Would be nice if there was a natural food or supplement that would keep the kidneys  & liver strong for any animal that has to remain on Prednisolone.

[Sandi K]

kittylyda, I cant offer any help in the steroid department, I just wanted to add my prayers for you and Tig and everything you are going thru.  I know how frustrating it can be when you are trying to balance everything, it can be so hard!

[lesliek]

There's milk thistle,SamE or denamarin for the liver but I don't know of anything for the kidneys. There are a lot of supplements that aren't rcommended if there is a kidney problem though. Glucosamine & chondroiten among them. Maybe we should start rsearching them & start a thread on it .