cat taking prednisolone

planetX

Has anyone had to give this to their cat, and what side-effects did it cause? From what I've read it should be causing increased appetite and thirst, but my cat is the opposite - will not eat or drink, and hasn't done for 24 hours now which I know can become serious if it goes on any longer. I'm trying to decide whether I should give her the pill due tonight, instinct says no until she starts eating again.
We're a week into a 2 week dose.

Stheno

I have for several cats and it varied to be honest on their illness.

Mine was for infections in their mouths.

Given it's 24 hours, I'd be giving your vet a call to be honest?

planetX

it's not that unusual for this cat to not eat for 24 hours though. I just wondered if the drug upsets the stomach - I was expecting her to be putting on weight this week:(

Stheno

planetX wrote: »

it's not that unusual for this cat to not eat for 24 hours though. I just wondered if the drug upsets the stomach - I was expecting her to be putting on weight this week:(

Not sure if I'm crossing the boundaries of medical advice, but I don't remember it upsetting any of my lots stomachs. (had three on it at varying times)

If it's not unusual for her to eat then it may be nothing to do with it and it can take a couple of days to take effect, given how early you are into the treatment.

ISDW

Sorry, not a cat, but one of my dogs is on it at the moment and he definitely has increased thirst, he could have an increased appetite, but he's on crate rest, so he's on less food to compensate.

I would contact the vet for advice.

SillyMangoX

It MAY cause ulcers if not taken with food but in saying that I never gave it to my cat with food and nothing bad ever happened with her. When Peach started on it she was a bit off form for a day or 2 then absolutely started savaging down her food as if she had never been fed in her life. She settled down after about a week of this, still eating loads but not as ravenous. But since she started on them in June/July she's put on a kilo Diet time for her!
Whats your cat being given the steroids for? If its something to do with her tummy in the first place I would ring the vet to be sure before giving it.

planetX

SillyMangoX wrote: »

It MAY cause ulcers if not taken with food but in saying that I never gave it to my cat with food and nothing bad ever happened with her. When Peach started on it she was a bit off form for a day or 2 then absolutely started savaging down her food as if she had never been fed in her life. She settled down after about a week of this, still eating loads but not as ravenous. But since she started on them in June/July she's put on a kilo Diet time for her!
Whats your cat being given the steroids for? If its something to do with her tummy in the first place I would ring the vet to be sure before giving it.

She's in pain in her lower back, probably caused by her gait (hip dysplasia, luxating patellas). The steroids don't seem to be helping the pain as much as I thought they would, that's probably what's killed her appetite. I guess it's the vet tomorrow then for something stronger, it's not looking good

SillyMangoX

Oh dear that sounds painful Hope she gets well soon, but the one thing with pred is if she's been on it for a few days you can't stop it suddenly it can have very bad withdrawal effects so I'd say you should give it tonight just to be sure then ring the vet tomorrow for advice!

planetX

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Oh dear that sounds painful Hope she gets well soon, but the one thing with pred is if she's been on it for a few days you can't stop it suddenly it can have very bad withdrawal effects so I'd say you should give it tonight just to be sure then ring the vet tomorrow for advice!

I wasn't told that - was sent home with 2 weeks worth, so she would be in withdrawal next week anyway. But then I was told there was no need to give it with food too:mad:

DBB

planetX wrote: »

I wasn't told that - was sent home with 2 weeks worth, so she would be in withdrawal next week anyway. But then I was told there was no need to give it with food too:mad:

Sorry to hear about your poor cat PlanetX You'd have to think the pain has as much to do with the inappetance as the preds, wouldn't you?
Have a chat with your vet about taking her off the preds: it might be because she's only been on them a short while that withdrawal time won't matter, but sudden withdrawal of steroids can cause the adrenal glands to malfunction in dogs and humans (Cushing's Disease). But your vet presumably has a rationale for advising what they did, and I only have experience with longer-term steroidal treatment for dogs.
For the record, I know people who've been on long-term steroidal treatment, and they make them feel crap: extreme tiredness, weakness, sleeplessness, as well as increased thirst and hunger. I wonder if they make animals feel the same?

SillyMangoX

planetX wrote: »

I wasn't told that - was sent home with 2 weeks worth, so she would be in withdrawal next week anyway. But then I was told there was no need to give it with food too:mad:

Normally it's spaced out coming towards the end of the dose, like give it once a day, then every second day before stopping but maybe its not so bad in short doses. Nothing like when humans are on it and have to wean down from 8 tablets, takes weeks! But maybe because of it being such a short dose it's not the same. We didn't have to do any weaning of the pred because she went from it straight to ovarid which we are now weaning and will take about 3 more weeks to get her fully off it.

DBB, I didn't find any effects with Peach like that when she was on the one the vets gave, but when we started giving her human ones (under vets advise, divided correctly etc) she seemed to sleep a whole lot more. Maybe there is slightly different ingredients.. never thought about it before!

ISDW

DBB wrote: »

For the record, I know people who've been on long-term steroidal treatment, and they make them feel crap: extreme tiredness, weakness, sleeplessness, as well as increased thirst and hunger. I wonder if they make animals feel the same?

Diesel's only been on them since Sunday, but I'm hoping they are making him feel tired and weak, as he has to stay in the crate. He is very quiet, and sleeping a lot, although when he saw the other dogs going out for a run today he got very irate.

boomerang

Boo was on prednisolone recently when she had kennel cough. I did notice that she was very quiet, tired and thrown down in herself for the duration but never occured to me that it could have been the prednisolone. Josie had kennel cough at the same time and was on the same meds but was in her usual good form. Neither dog lost their appetite. I think DBB's suggestion that her lack of appetite may be related to the pain she is in is a good one. Regardless of what you decide I definitely wouldn't stop giving her the preds without consulting with your vet. You do always have to taper them off.

ETA: Is your cat elderly? Only discovered afterwards that prednisolone is contra-indicated for animals with renal dysfunction.

planetX

boomerang wrote: »

Boo was on prednisolone recently when she had kennel cough. I did notice that she was very quiet, tired and thrown down in herself for the duration but never occured to me that it could have been the prednisolone. Josie had kennel cough at the same time and was on the same meds but was in her usual good form. Neither dog lost their appetite. I think DBB's suggestion that her lack of appetite may be related to the pain she is in is a good one. Regardless of what you decide I definitely wouldn't stop giving her the preds without consulting with your vet. You do always have to taper them off.

ETA: Is your cat elderly? Only discovered afterwards that prednisolone is contra-indicated for animals with renal dysfunction.

She's only 4:(
well she ate the food I left her last night, so I ended up giving her the pill after all. She used the litter too - I think that was what worried me most, seeing a clean litter after 24 hours. I think the problem is the pain more than the steroid. thanks for the info everyone.

Ado86

Prednisolone should not cause a decrease in appetite, moreso the opposite.
And yes there should be a tapering course with prednisolone, it should not be withdrawn abruptly.
How has the pain in her lower back/patellas been verified - have xrays been taken ?
Steroids would not be the medication of choice for pain such as this, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as meloxicam would be much better for this, and are less likely to cause side effects in an otherwise healthy cat - have any kidney problems as far as you are aware ? Recent blood tests ?

Themadhouse

I have a cat that has been on pred for over a yr due to hypercalcemia. He gets bloods done every 3 months and it turned around his poor kidney and liver both of which had gone seriously bad.
We have had no side affects on it, touch wood. We were not told to give it to him with food but it just happens that our feeding routine involves giving him his tab before he has wet food.

imo 24 hrs of no food or water, no use of tray etc is a vet visit for checking of kidney function. It sounds like her problem is pain and that is what is stopping her eating or drinking, Poor girl, it doesnt sound nice and I hope you can get it sorted soon.

planetX

Ado86 wrote: »

Prednisolone should not cause a decrease in appetite, moreso the opposite.
And yes there should be a tapering course with prednisolone, it should not be withdrawn abruptly.
How has the pain in her lower back/patellas been verified - have xrays been taken ?
Steroids would not be the medication of choice for pain such as this, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as meloxicam would be much better for this, and are less likely to cause side effects in an otherwise healthy cat - have any kidney problems as far as you are aware ? Recent blood tests ?

I had reluctantly been giving her meloxicam for about a week before going to the vet, as her limping had got a bit worse. Then she got a lot worse, and it was very obvious when you try to handle her that it was her lower back, plus she is constantly licking there. Xrays were taken but didn't show the problem. It's just a guess, but seems likely that this is caused by her gait. She was hopping a lot in the days before this. No blood tests, I'm wiped out by vets bills:(
She's eating and drinking again, but less than usual. We're going to finish the course and see what happens.

planetX

I ended up having to take my poor cat back to the vet - looks like a herniated disc... very rare in cats, just like the other problems she has:mad:
3 more weeks of steroids and a month of cage rest. How are we going to get through that? she's already going crazy in the cage. Can anyone think of a way to make it easier, cos I'm getting really down listening to her crying to be let out:(