Long Term High Dose Prednisolone

[candacelynn9]

Has anyone had a cat that has been on long term high dose prednisolone 10mg per day (3mg/kg per day)? I am worried about potential side effects (diabetes, etc) and just wanting to see if there have been others that have been on this long term (longer than 3 months).

If your kitty has, did they develop any bad side effects, how long were they on it before the side effect, and what was the dose?

I am of course in discussions with my vet regarding my concerns and options but we are running out of options and I am merely curious what others have experienced. Thank you.

 

[di and bob]

I had a cat that had inoperable oral cancer and it made his life miserable. Constant drooling, trouble eating, pain, etc. He was on Prednisone for two years with no problems. It made all the difference in the world! He stopped drooling and acted MUCH more normal, even playing. After about a year the receptionist where I picked up his Prednisone started saying, you know there are terrible side effects with this, it can cause kidney failure?. I just looked at her and said, He's dying! I will give him whatever makes him comfortable until the end, what difference does it make if he dies of kidney failure or cancer?! We finally had to put him down when he broke his pelvis somehow jumping. I really recommend it if your cat is diagnosed with something uncurable. Sorry, I can't remember the dose, but I do know after he was on it for about 6 months I started giving it once a day, not twice, and then a few months after that cut that in two. I tried to lower it further, but he started drooling again, so i stayed on that maintenance dose I found. I put it in pill pockets for cats which he really liked. Bless you, for trying to find something to help your own little one......

 

[Margot Lane]

My cat has been on 5mg well over 3 months. We tried carefully lowering the dose but he just went back to square one. My vet says she has had terrible results with tapering and just to stick it out. (I keep asking her). This, along with B12 shots and his every 3rd day chemo pill. In all this time the only visible signs are increased appetite and more napping on chemo days. (Harder poo more recently but have found good supplements). I cannot say I reccommend this path, as, who wants to give their cat that much medicine, but his quality of life is quite good, and I am taking his lead on this. All I can tell you is that I was originally told he’d last about 3 days, and it’s been almost a year, and every day for me w/ him has been a joy. I am bracing myself for any sign of organ failure -thinking here kidneys- but sofar nothing. I think what you have to ask yourself -and keep asking yourself- is: “How is my cat’s quality of life?“ …and then make the best choice you can. Daftcat has great advice on other threads.

 

[daftcat75]

Has anyone had a cat that has been on long term high dose prednisolone 10mg per day (3mg/kg per day)? I am worried about potential side effects (diabetes, etc) and just wanting to see if there have been others that have been on this long term (longer than 3 months).

If your kitty has, did they develop any bad side effects, how long were they on it before the side effect, and what was the dose?

I am of course in discussions with my vet regarding my concerns and options but we are running out of options and I am merely curious what others have experienced. Thank you.

10 mg/day seems high for a 3ish kg (7ish lbs) cat. What’s it being given for? IBD? Have you discussed the option of adding chemotherapy? Sometimes chlorambucil is used for difficult IBD cases even without a cancer diagnosis. Adding chemo may allow you to reduce the pred. At the very least, I would discuss with your vet how to get to alternate day dosing for pred. That will reduce the potential for long-term side effects and it will be easier on the cat.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

10 mg/day seems high for a 3ish kg (7ish lbs) cat. What’s it being given for? ...

I agree; that [10mg] does seem quite high on a daily basis. I think finding out the smallest dose needed to "dampen" the particular inflammation, or other symptoms, in your cat should be your goal -- if Pred is the medicine you and the vet are choosing. If your cat does well with liquid meds, you can even get the Pred in liquid form, as that is even easier to accurately dose than if the pred is in pill form.

 

[hexiesfriend]

Budesonide is a long term option with less side effects especially if your cat has a heart murmur. My cat was on it for 4 years due to chronic intestinal issues. You may want to ask your vet about it.