Potential Side Effects W/ Prednisolone?

[rockblueno2]

I've got an 8 month old black domestic shorthair kitten named Henry. Back in November he was diagnosed with the Herpes virus and had a bad flare-up that was treated with antibiotics. I understand that the virus can lie dormant and then rear its head from time to time. Well, it looks like it did last week. We brought him into the vet on Friday after a few days of congestion, watery eyes, and overall loud breathing. They did an XRAY that revealed some fluid in his lungs.

He was put on Prednisolone oral liquid, as well as Gentamicin Sulfate drops for his eyes & nose. From Fri-Tues he was on the Prednisolone every 12 hours. Since Tues he has been dropped down to 24 hrs and on Sat will get it every other day until it's gone.

Beginning on Monday (Three days into treatment) the little guy started to slow down a bit. He's been sleeping more often and just seems to have less energy in general. He is drinking a lot of water, but eating well and will still play for 10-15 mins here and there with his twin sister. Yesterday we noticed him pass some runny stool a couple of times in the evening as well.

He had none of these symptoms before the steroid was being used, so is it safe to assume that these are just side effects? He is breathing more clearly, sounds much less congested and his eyes are less watery. He is still sneezing quite a bit however - it seemed like he just couldn't stop sneezing this morn. I was really only using the Gentamicin drops for his eyes, but began giving him via nose this morning after that as suggested by the vet. Hopefully this helps. We're changing out of air filters at home, bring out the humidifiers, etc to see if that helps as well. Any past experiences with Prednisolone and any recommendations for the sneezing would be such a huge help!

 

[dahlia]

I have a cat that is on Prednisolone for asthma. He is now on a low dosage every other day but we started out at a higher dosage for 7 days and then a lower dosage every day for 7 days. When he started out on the higher dosage, I thought he seemed a bit lethargic. However, I think he also had a bit of an upper respiratory infection going on because of the stress of going to the vet and that caused a lot of sneezing (they can't blow their noses so they sneeze instead). He also had some diarrhea. Pumpkin can help with diarrhea but you have to try to find some that is straight pumpkin without other stuff mixed in. I think what your kitten is experiencing is probably a combo of the medicine and the illness.

 

[rockblueno2]

thanks for the response and your experience. it just sucks to see the little guy behave to differently than he was before the medication. Even though he was breathing heavy and congested, he was at least playing a lot and energetic. A few days into the meds and he's not interested in much. I'm hoping that the slow weaning off of the medication will start to produce some better results and the side effects fade off, as long as his URI doesn't come back.

 

[dahlia]

I understand what you are saying. I actually mentioned to the vet in a follow up call that my cat wasn't playing like he used to and it was concerning me. My vet didn't seem too concerned. He is back to playing now but maybe without quite the same enthusiasm which makes me a little sad. However, since he has asthma, I don't want him to over exert himself so in my case, it might be a good thing.

 

[mservant]

Mouse has probably feline herpes virus and when ever he has symptoms like his runny eye, sore mouth, and coughing, he also tends to be quieter and more withdrawn. I always figured that as the extra rest should help him to rebuild his strength and be in a better place to fight back against the virus and suppress it I have been happy to let him rest up. His energy usually picks up as soon as the symptoms subside. You might find that the sleeping more isn't due to the Prednisone on this basis. Can also be the virus making your cat feel tired and run down, and also in pain.

 

[Heebeeweebee]

My cat takes prednisolone - I noticed a significant increase in his thirst and hunger when he started on it. My vet confirmed that drinking more and eating more can be a possible side effect (and, as a result, urinating more often). I'm not sure about the other effects you are describing.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

How is your cat doing? Are you still using the gentamicin drops in his nose? Still sneezing? You could give your vet a quick call if he's still sneezing while you are trying drops for the nose, and let the vet know of this. Just to see if this is something that is expected, or if the vet thinks it could signal discontinuing use of that antibiotic in the nose. Sometimes the drops can sting a bit; maybe his lowered activity level is because of that, or as @mrsgreenjeens says, because of just experiencing the viral issues of FHV-1.

FHV-1 is a virus and antibiotics do not treat it directly. They would just treat any possible bacterial or fungal infections that may also be occurring.

My cat is on low levels of steroids for allergies/asthma, and I've not ever noticed runny stools with her during treatment. Did your vet do a fecal test just to check out that side of things? Since some things started changing a bit yesterday (runny stools, plus sneezing) it might be a good idea just to call or email your vet to give them an update. Also, Pred should be given with food.