Boots had a seizure. He's been drooling foam as well.

[bpenniman]

Boots has been having health issues for the past 2-6 months. 2 months from when I noticed symptoms. (He hid them well.) He's been to the vet 3x in the last month and I've racked up some vet bills which I'm not overly worried about. But 2 days ago he had a seizure for the first time since I adopted him a year and 3 months ago. He suddenly had a huge onset of hacking, burping, drooling foam mid December. I took him in and they thought he had swallowed something he was choking on. It wasn't that. It was granulomas in his throat from eosinophilia. He also has eosinophilia in his mouth too. They removed the granuloma whatevers in surgery and gave an antibiotic shot and cortisol shot. He got better after recovering from surgery and then worse again. So he took prednisone 14 mg per day then every other day. 2 weeks into every other day, (2 days ago) he was eating and suddenly foamed clear fluidish stuff over his food and had a seizure. The vet believed it was due to him not eating enough as well as the granulates. So he's back on his higher dose of prednisone. I'm just wondering if anybody knows how this will effect him long term. I'm reading horror stories on prednisone and it's very worrying. I know I shouldn't be worrying overly much but the vet thinks he may need prednisone the rest of his life and I've read how cats (and people) who take prednisone regularly can't fight infections and die. Also, how cartilage breaks down. He's doing much better this early morning and ate a good amount of food. I ordered science diet oral care food as the vet suggested. He's currently on blue buffalo. Anyone have experience with cats being given corticosteroids short or long term? I'm worried.

I should mention the medication is prednisolone not prednisone.

 

[Furballsmom]

He's doing much better this early morning and ate a good amount of food.

Thank goodness, what a tough little guy!

I've not heard of that food, is it canned?

An issue with long-term use of a steroid can be diabetes, so you'll want to ensure that his blood sugar is regularly checked.

 

[WhatchaCallKitty]

I've read that some veteranarians are scammers.

Regardless, take him to at least one other vet and do not tell them that he has already seen them. This way, you get a reliable 2nd opinion. If it turns out to be the same, then go from there, but if not, then take him to another until there is a consensus.

Once you are positive about what he is suffering from, do lots of research online to learn how to treat it. Chances are, you are not the only one who has had or is going through this experience.

Finally, there are many sites which buying pet meds from is legal in the US, and it is much cheaper than the significantly inflated rates from your local vets.

Hope this helps.

 

[Furballsmom]

These sources may be useful, including looking for cat-only clinics.

How To Choose The Best Veterinarian For My Cat? - TheCatSite

Choosing the right veterinarian for my cat is crucial to their health and happiness. Learn tips and factors to consider when selecting the best vet for your feline friend in our comprehensive guide.

thecatsite.com

AHVMA – The Leader, the Voice, the Resource for integrative holistic veterinary medicine

www.ahvma.org

Home

www.avma.org

 

[amandag1]

I've read that some veteranarians are scammers.

Regardless, take him to at least one other vet and do not tell them that he has already seen them. This way, you get a reliable 2nd opinion. If it turns out to be the same, then go from there, but if not, then take him to another until there is a consensus.

Once you are positive about what he is suffering from, do lots of research online to learn how to treat it. Chances are, you are not the only one who has had or is going through this experience.

Finally, there are many sites which buying pet meds from is legal in the US, and it is much cheaper than the significantly inflated rates from your local vets.

Hope this helps.

Ive personally used allivet.com for meds and its great~! My vet gave me a list of pet online pharmacies.... they knew their own prices were inflated. Ive also heard Costco pharmacy will fill pet medications if you have a costco membership may be worth looking into.
Also, I'd say maybe consult a different vet- ask for your records and try another vet who takes this mouth foaming a bit more seriously....

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I agree with the second opinion - from a vet in an entirely different practice (to avoid colleague bias), and ideally it would help as mentioned above for it to be a cat-only practice. Get a copy of all of Boots' records to share with the new vet, which will also help reduce redundant tests/costs. There may be other options of meds to help, whereby he isn't on Pred all of the time.

 

[bpenniman]

Thank goodness, what a tough little guy!

I've not heard of that food, is it canned?

An issue with long-term use of a steroid can be diabetes, so you'll want to ensure that his blood sugar is regularly checked.

I've read that some veteranarians are scammers.

Regardless, take him to at least one other vet and do not tell them that he has already seen them. This way, you get a reliable 2nd opinion. If it turns out to be the same, then go from there, but if not, then take him to another until there is a consensus.

Once you are positive about what he is suffering from, do lots of research online to learn how to treat it. Chances are, you are not the only one who has had or is going through this experience.

Finally, there are many sites which buying pet meds from is legal in the US, and it is much cheaper than the significantly inflated rates from your local vets.

Hope this helps.

Well so the vet gave a temporary anti-seizure pill but Boots has a very severe form of eosinophilia and that's why the vet thought the seizure was caused by it. From too many white blood cells interrupting brain activity. The vet I go to is a cat specialist and I switched to a new doc in the clinic that specializes more in cats. The vet's office is highly rated and all. He's doing much much better with the previous dose of prenisone. But I think a second opinion wouldn't be bad.

 

[bpenniman]

Well so the vet gave a temporary anti-seizure pill but Boots has a very severe form of eosinophilia and that's why the vet thought the seizure was caused by it. From too many white blood cells interrupting brain activity. The vet I go to is a cat specialist and I switched to a new doc in the clinic that specializes more in cats. The vet's office is highly rated and all. He's doing much much better with the previous dose of prenisone. But I think a second opinion wouldn't be bad.

The vet also requested previous records from the vet the family from 2 years ago had taken him to a long long time ago. The previous vet never did something like that. He's actually 10 years and one month not 12 years like the family had told me 2 years ago. The family said they were giving him away because he sprayed incessantly. I just feel like there's alot about him I don't know. The vet is trying to piece it all together but I do wonder what's going on with the other staff there. They're very rude and disrespectful. So many things to think about. I really hope I figure something out soon. I don't want Boots getting diabetes. He's already overweight.

 

[Margret]

Regarding prescription costs, you may want to check out Prescription Prices, Coupons & Pharmacy Information - GoodRx. You can get all kinds of coupons and price checks for free (including for pet meds), and for $10/month you can sign up the whole family for GoodRX Gold, which gives even greater discounts. And they do count pets as "family"; you just include them by name when you enroll.

Margret

 

[She's a witch]

Wait, is he on prednisone or prendisolone? Prednisone is a bad choice for cats, I’d switch to prendisolone ASAP.

Edit: ok I’ve just seen the note at the bottom of your message, and I’m relieved that it’s prednisolone I wrote this message before I finished reading your post, I was so worried

 

[bpenniman]

Regarding prescription costs, you may want to check out Prescription Prices, Coupons & Pharmacy Information - GoodRx. You can get all kinds of coupons and price checks for free (including for pet meds), and for $10/month you can sign up the whole family for GoodRX Gold, which gives even greater discounts. And they do count pets as "family"; you just include them by name when you enroll.

Margret

It's not as much the cost that concerns me. It's about 35 a month for the liquid formulation. It's if there's going to be long term issues. When I google it, there's results like "prednisolone killed my cat."

 

[Furballsmom]

long term issues.

Some cats deal with it quite well, but you'll want to have his blood sugar checked regularly, so as to catch any early signs of diabetes.

 

[neely]

But I think a second opinion wouldn't be bad.

I don't know your location in WI but The University of Wisconsin Veterinary Hospital has an excellent reputation. I know several people who have brought their pets there and were extremely satisfied. UW Veterinary Care | 24/7 Animal Hospital & Vet Clinic in Madison, WI

I don't want Boots getting diabetes. He's already overweight.

You may be interested in reading this Article as a preventative measure if you're worried about Boots getting diabetes. Scroll down to the two paragraphs about feeding considerations and carbohydrate rich diets:
A Scientific Take On Cat Nutrition By Dr. Rachel Boltz – Cat Articles

 

[bpenniman]

Some cats deal with it quite well, but you'll want to have his blood sugar checked regularly, so as to catch any early signs of diabetes.

I don't know your location in WI but The University of Wisconsin Veterinary Hospital has an excellent reputation. I know several people who have brought their pets there and were extremely satisfied. UW Veterinary Care | 24/7 Animal Hospital & Vet Clinic in Madison, WI



You may be interested in reading this Article as a preventative measure if you're worried about Boots getting diabetes. Scroll down to the two paragraphs about feeding considerations and carbohydrate rich diets:
A Scientific Take On Cat Nutrition By Dr. Rachel Boltz – Cat Articles

Thanks. I'm going to look into it. And a low carb diet like wysong might be best. They hated epigen hard food when I've tried but maybe even if i have to pay more for epigen soft food, they'll like it more. They liked epigen canned food.

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go !

 

[Margret]

It's not as much the cost that concerns me. It's about 35 a month for the liquid formulation. It's if there's going to be long term issues. When I google it, there's results like "prednisolone killed my cat."

I understand, but I'm also aware that long-term treatments can become prohibitively expensive for some people, and like everyone else here I want to do whatever I can to help. I can't speak to the safety of prednisolone; I can speak to the economics.

Let us know how things go !

Margret

 

[bpenniman]

I understand, but I'm also aware that long-term treatments can become prohibitively expensive for some people, and like everyone else here I want to do whatever I can to help. I can't speak to the safety of prednisolone; I can speak to the economics.




Margret

I will let you know. He was real good for my other cat's bday today. He's doing very well today. And yeah I need to find ways to save. I don't make that much. I meant like I would do anything but now I know what you meant. I've heard chewy is good for meds when it comes to price.