Eosinphilic granuloma?

[Fusco]

Hi All,
Been some time since I posted about this condition in our cat, (Larry). Seems that after a round of Prednisolone, it gets under control, but recurs yearly, or less than a years time. The vet now has him on Prednisolone for the third time now for this condition, but is recommending against long term use. She is suggesting a long term med called Atopica. Seems to be an immunomodulator. Anyone have any experience with this medication? Seems pretty heavy duty, but don't want to continue the cycle of pred. and the face the potential for induced Diabetes.
Our previous cat was diabetic, and it was really tedious to manage. He lasted about 5 years from diagnosis, but don't want to face it again. Hoping for some suggestions. We will likely try a strict diet plan first. Not quite sure about the diet, but it's pre-broken down proteins I think.
Hope I didn't get too long winded, hoping for some incite.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Personally, I would chose the Prednisolone over the Atopica.
I used Atopica for my own cat back in 2007. He was put on it for inhaled allergies and subsequent scratching. It was hard on him. He wound up developing chronic rhinitis, but did stop the itching, or at least had a reduction of itching even after the Atopica was discontinued. But there was the chronic sneezing and he also developed CRF. Could be unrelated.

Please read the link below.
Atopica™ for Cats(cyclosporine oral solution) USP MODIFIED100 mg/mL


I know you said you are concerned regarding Prednisolone and diabetes. Is your cat a high risk cat? Is he overweight? Does he eat dry food?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. The biggest factor in treating ECG is to find if there is an underlying cause and take corrective action for that. However, that is not always easy, and sometimes impossible, as genetics can play a role too. If you can identify a pattern to when it occurs, it could highlight a possible case of an environmental allergy, such as pollen, for example.

Maybe you will find this article helpful, it mentions using anti-inflammatories in some cases in lieu of Pred.
Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex in Cats - Cats.com

 

[Fusco]

Hi. Personally, I would chose the Prednisolone over the Atopica.
I used Atopica for my own cat back in 2007. He was put on it for inhaled allergies and subsequent scratching. It was hard on him. He wound up developing chronic rhinitis, but did stop the itching, or at least had a reduction of itching even after the Atopica was discontinued. But there was the chronic sneezing and he also developed CRF. Could be unrelated.

Please read the link below.
Atopica™ for Cats(cyclosporine oral solution) USP MODIFIED100 mg/mL


I know you said you are concerned regarding Prednisolone and diabetes. Is your cat a high risk cat? Is he overweight? Does he eat dry food?

This is why I inquired about this medication, as I wouldn't want to address one medical issue only to bring about another. Although, that's the dilemma with continued use of Prednisolone.
He is slightly overweight at 19.5lbs. He does get a 1/4 cup of dry food a day, but relies mostly on wet food.

 

[Fusco]

Hi. The biggest factor in treating ECG is to find if there is an underlying cause and take corrective action for that. However, that is not always easy, and sometimes impossible, as genetics can play a role too. If you can identify a pattern to when it occurs, it could highlight a possible case of an environmental allergy, such as pollen, for example.

Maybe you will find this article helpful, it mentions using anti-inflammatories in some cases in lieu of Pred.
Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex in Cats - Cats.com

Thanks for your reply. We have tried to find the cause via eliminating certain household/environmental things. No plastic, metal bowls only, natural cleaning products, high end litter etc. None of these changes seemed to help. We are going to try a specialized diet before opting for Atopica in the hopes that it works.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. 19. 5 lbs is overweight unless he is a large Main Coon or Savannah. Not to be blunt. I’m sure he could comment on my weight as well.

If you can, try to cut the dry food out of his diet completely.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I would still consider seasonal allergies - if the pattern of when his ECG occurs matches related changes. If it were to be seasonal, antihistamines may be able to be used when needed. Something to talk to the vet about.

To my knowledge, there is no direct correlation between ECG and weight. I suspect the above poster is merely trying to suggest that since you plan to do a food change, it might help to consider if your cat needs to lose weight. The problem is that you should first find a baseline of how much (calorically) your cat is eating on his current food regimen, and that can help you to determine what might be an appropriate reduction in calories to help him lose a bit. And, wet food is considered 'healthier' in general than dry as it usually contains less calories, as well as fewer carbs. If your cat prefers wet over dry, transitioning him to all wet, or at least reducing his dry to more of a 'snack' might not be too much of a problem.

When it comes to food changes and food volume reductions, the key is a gradual transition. So, moving him from one set of foods to another should not be abrupt, but rather a reduction in his 'usual' food while adding a bit of the 'new' food, and over the course of a week or two, continuing to reduce the old and increase the new. This might be something to do before you consider adjusting his caloric intake, just for the sake of simplicity.

When reducing calories, it is thought that no more than 10% (ideally 5%) reduction at one time is helpful. Additional reductions can be made as you monitor the success through weigh-ins and body condition changes. The gradual reduction does two things - it helps your cat adjust both mentally and physically to being given a lesser amount of food, so that he adapts over time without really feeling the effects of less food.

Here is a body condition chart that might help you evaluate if/how much he may be overweight.

 

[Fusco]

I would still consider seasonal allergies - if the pattern of when his ECG occurs matches related changes. If it were to be seasonal, antihistamines may be able to be used when needed. Something to talk to the vet about.

To my knowledge, there is no direct correlation between ECG and weight. I suspect the above poster is merely trying to suggest that since you plan to do a food change, it might help to consider if your cat needs to lose weight. The problem is that you should first find a baseline of how much (calorically) your cat is eating on his current food regimen, and that can help you to determine what might be an appropriate reduction in calories to help him lose a bit. And, wet food is considered 'healthier' in general than dry as it usually contains less calories, as well as fewer carbs. If your cat prefers wet over dry, transitioning him to all wet, or at least reducing his dry to more of a 'snack' might not be too much of a problem.

When it comes to food changes and food volume reductions, the key is a gradual transition. So, moving him from one set of foods to another should not be abrupt, but rather a reduction in his 'usual' food while adding a bit of the 'new' food, and over the course of a week or two, continuing to reduce the old and increase the new. This might be something to do before you consider adjusting his caloric intake, just for the sake of simplicity.

When reducing calories, it is thought that no more than 10% (ideally 5%) reduction at one time is helpful. Additional reductions can be made as you monitor the success through weigh-ins and body condition changes. The gradual reduction does two things - it helps your cat adjust both mentally and physically to being given a lesser amount of food, so that he adapts over time without really feeling the effects of less food.

Here is a body condition chart that might help you evaluate if/how much he may be overweight.
View attachment 484462

As I understand it, his weight as time goes on is adverse to general health, not so much a correlation to ECG. We've always relied more on wet food, as always felt it was a healthier choice over dry. I'm not sure if I have this right, but the problem and connection between food and ECG is protein. On the modified diet the Vet is suggesting, the new food has the protein sort of pre-broken down. I'll have to get the name of this and post, I'm a little vague about it at the moment.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hydrolyzed protein cat foods are designed specifically for cats with food sensitivities and allergies, as it breaks down proteins into smaller components, minimizing the risk of allergic reactions. That all goes back to if the food is the cause of his ECG. Not all cats are allergic to the protein, there are many other fillers in food that can cause allergic reactions, such as gums, grains, legumes, etc. It just depends on the cat. So, limited ingredients are part of what may (or may not) be offered in these special diets - to reduce some of the fillers.

But, if there is a weight issue to be considered in tandem, the calories/nutritional content in any of them needs to be looked at as well.

 

[silent meowlook]

The weight comment is in response to the OP being concerned about Prednisolone causing diabetes.
weight, and carbohydrate intake puts a cat at higher risk of developing diabetes.
This has nothing to do with the EGC.

Also, it is still not known what causes EGC in cats. Some suspect an allergic response, others think it can be an over reaction to certain bacteria, or a reaction to plastics, or hereditary, or… the list goes on and on. But the bottom line is that nobody knows.
I am not a vet. But, I personally feel it is a glitch in the immune system. But like I said, nobody knows.

If this was my cat, I would stick with the Prednisolone since it does work, and cut out carbs ( dry food) from the diet, which will lead to weight loss and lesson the chance of developing diabetes.

JMO.