My cat has to take steroids for the rest of his life.

[blue neen]

Is anyone else dealing with this situation? What side effects does it have?

Hendrix has something called Eosinolphilial Plaques. Apparently Prednisone is the only way to control it. He hates taking this pill.

[CC]

1. I don't have a cat on steroids but do have

a ferret that has been on prednisone for just over a year (liquid). He hasn't really shown any side effects at all even when his dosage was increased. He is a live because of the pred and if for some reason he misses a dose I can really tell.
I have never met a cat that will take pills but have found that pill pockets does make it easier to give both the cats or dogs pills when needed. More on them here http://www.pillpockets.com/index_fs.htm

Hope the prednisone helps Hendrix as much as it has Mojo.

[blue neen]

2. Thanks for the link!

What a great idea! I will definitely get some pill pockets. Anything to make this easier on the kitty.

[CC]

3. You're welcome

and having dealt with trying to pill a cat, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I have a diabetic cat and scared me to give shots at first but would rather shoot him with the needle than try to get a pill in him with out being able to sneak it.

[kestrel91316]

4. Steroids (prednisolone and such) are very NICE drugs to use in the cat.

They are miracle-workers for a lot of conditions, and we couldn't function without them. Cats are relatively resistant to bad side effects from them, unlike dogs and people.

For long-term use I always try to get them down to every other PM usage. This you can keep up a long time in most cats and they do great.

Regarding eosinophilic plaque - the eosinophilic granuloma complex of skin disorders are strongly associated with hypersensitivity to insect bites, PARTICULARLY FLEAS. Be absolutely sure you are using aggressive monthly flea control permanently. Advantage and Frontline are the best because they kill fleas so quickly, before they have a chance to bite. I have ALSO noticed an association with food allergy in some of these EG kitties, so I am always careful to make sure the cats NEVER consume anything with any fish of any kind, ever. Fish is the most significant food allergen in the cat. So you have to read the tiny fine print on your cat food and cat treat ingredient lists.

I also had a kitty with Eos plaque years ago that also had idiopathic (senior moment, forget the term) too-many-red-blood-cells. We couldn't control his EP with steroids, which was weird, but we controlled it for years with cephalexin (an antibiotic). I know, it makes no sense..........but that was the way it was. Not every cat reads the book.

[blue neen]

7. The articles I read said the same thing about fleas.

The vet checked him, and he definitely does not have fleas.

The food allergy could be a strong possibility. I got some new food for him today, but I bought the FISH and rice, rather than the lamb and rice. I didn't know about the fish allergens, so the lamb and rice sounds like a better idea. It's good to know that cats don't react as strongly to steroids as dogs. Once we get this under control, the vet did say we could switch to one every other day.

Thanks.

[kestrel91316]

8. NO FISH!! EVER!!!! LOL

I don't like lamb either. I see allergy problems with red meats. The least allergenic foods are those with poultry as their animal protein source.

Not finding fleas does NOT mean there is not a flea bite problem behind this skin condition. Cats are very efficient groomers and will on occasion remove every last trace of evidence of fleas from their skin, so the eosinophilic lesion IS the only evidence. Best to be 100% sure by using Advantage or Frontline monthly, at least until it clears up. Is this a strictly indoor cat? Do you have any pets in the home that go out? Is you home at ground level, or an upper apartment? Fleas get in easily, and it IS that time of year now.

If the problem is food allergy and the cat is still consuming the allergen, the meds will not help. Same if it's flea related and you don't control the fleas. There is no good test, other than taking measures to ensure that these cannot be an issue for the cat. GOOD LUCK!

[Steph13]

5. Steroids aren't always the answer..

..yet from looking up what your cat has, that may be the only answer. My cat was put on steroids for simple allergies. I believe she became diabetic after some time on the steroid pills. (Medrol) She's now diet controlled on low carb wet food, but just keep in mind that sometimes steroids CAN seemingly cause diabetes in cats (not sure if it's proven, but seen alot of cases.. one being my own cat). She's now on an antihistamine, and doing great. I've since switched vets and all my animals are doing great!

[kestrel91316]

9. Steroids do not CAUSE diabetes in cats, per se. They ARE known to

precipitate overt diabetes in a borderline case, however. It is advisable to check a urine dipstick for glucose before giving a cat a long-acting steroid injection like Depomedrol for this exact reason. Steroids are not a good idea for use in known diabetics because they really muck up the regulation of the blood glucose.

Most of the time they are perfectly safe, but should only be used when appropriate.

[Steph13]

10. I'm just saying to know the facts

..some vets give them willy-nilly to cats for any reason. My cat had a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic, and wasn't eating. I was having to syringe feed her, and took her to the vet. His answer was to give her a steroid injection (knowing she's diabetic too) and shove us through the door. Did it make her eat again? NO! I found out by doing my own reasearch on the net that her reaction could have been from the antibiotics. I stopped them, she started eating. I found a new vet, and she's doing great. I was going to my old vet for nearly 17 years with her! She's now 18, and I know just because you've been going to a vet for that long, doesn't necessarily mean you can trust them. I know he was a knowledgeable vet, but his practice got so big that he just seemed to either not care, or not pay attention anymore. Too bad, he's losing alot of business now!

http://www.homestead.com/Felinecompanions/Steroids.html

[radfringe]

6. There's more than one way to "PILL a cat"

sorry for the pun, couldn't resist

seriously - our 20 yr old cat is on pills (2x a day) for a hyper-thyroid condition. She's the empress of her domain, and severly objects to be any medication.

after a few days of battling with a "piller", wrapping the cat in a towel and nursing our wounds from combat... now I crush the pill and mix it in her favorite food. this means supervising her eating, but she just gets a tiny bit with the crushed pill in it, and when that's been eaten she gets the rest of her food

[Steph13]

11. Giving meds/supplements to cats

My cat that's on sub-q fluids is also on a potassium supplement. I get the powder form. A way to get her to take that without any sort of a fight is to mix it with a little bit of baby food (get any without onions). I mix it with a little baby food, then put it on top of her regular food. Usually they love the baby food (I get turkey or something), and eat that first. I have 3 cats, so at least I know they're not getting the supplement as well if she eats the baby food first.

[yy4me]

12. Because of many health problems, our kitty was on Pred and

another pill for years. In order to save her the trauma of having a pill shoved down her throat, we would crush the pills in a very small amount of her breakfast. She was always hungry in the AM, polished it off right away and anxiously awaited the rest of her food. It became second nature for her and us. Just crush the pill in your kitty's bowl with the back if a teaspoon. Works like a dream. My special kitty was with us 14 years and we miss her. She is my Avatar.

[Grateful for Hope]

13. Very sweet looking kitty, your "special kitty"

I know how much you must miss her.

[Princess Turandot]

14. You could also check to see if they can make a transdermal compound up..

for the medication, which suspends it in a liquid which is rubbed inside of the cat's ear. That method is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay less trying for all concerned.

[blue neen]

15. That's a good suggestion.

We'll give it a try. The poor kitty is getting traumatized! :(