Prednisolone, Diarrhoea & Allergies

[Luchia]

Hello Everyone!
Hoping to get some advice really, My kitty has been having issues with scratching at her skin and causing awful wounds.
She’s been to the vet many times and is currently on Hypoallergenic Food and takes prednisolone(alternates 1 full tablet and half a tablet each day) and thankfully we have seen a good amount of improvement and now only has 1 sore patch(gone from open wound to skin graze appearance).
But now we have another problem, for the last few weeks she’s been having pure liquid diarrhoea, she isn’t going more just when she does it’s liquid.
I’ve contacted the vets for another appointment about this and was told the vet has now passed her case onto a senior vet who is a medication specialist in small animals so we are seeing him tomorrow.
We have used Pro Kolin which after a few days helps with the diarrhoea but as soon as it’s stopped it seems to start back up again.

Around a week ago the previous vet advised us we could stop the hypoallergenic food as that wasn’t the cause of her allergies(still unknown) and we started moving her onto Purina One Sensitive food, we got to around a 30% mix and she started scratching at her wound again(at this point the wound had almost completely healed and was a slight pink blemish) so we moved her back to the hypoallergenic food.

She has been on the prednisone for quite a few months now which as you can imagine is causing me a great deal of concern but thankfully haven’t seen any side affects(at least not visible ones) but I’m worried that this could be the cause of her diarrhoea.

She’s acting like her normal self, eating, drinking, playing and causing chaos but the diarrhoea is a major concern as you can imagine.
Now she’s back on her hypoallergenic food and taking the steroids(steroids were never stopped) her would seem to be settling down slowly again and she hasn’t has another incident of scratching it.

Must admit I am dreading seeing the specialist tomorrow as the prednisolone is the only thing that’s actually helped her(this has been on going since 2018) and we seem to have found a stable dose of 5mg and 2.5mg alternated each day but if that’s causing her stomach issues I really don’t know what will be next.
I’m going to ask about adding a pro and pre biotic to her daily routine as I’ve read this can ease/help the stomach issues.

anyone with any advice or suggestions I could discuss with the medication specialist tomorrow would be immensely appreciated.

I don’t mean to sound soppy but my kitty is my baby and it’s breaking my heart not been able to help her.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Just curious, HOW did they determine food wasn't the culprit, especially since when you tried to get her off the hypoallergenic food she started scratching again. I wondered that in your other thread, but forgot to ask.

Both the steroid AND the food can cause diarrhea, so you might asks the Vet about both? Also ask if there is another form of steroid you could try in case it's the one she's on. You might ask about the food too, HOW she started scratching again if it isn't food, and if there is another food she could try? Perhaps a very limited food, like Rawz (not raw, but a very limited ingredient canned or dry food), although I'm not sure if it's available where you live. I know there are sensitive SKIN diets and thought that the Purina sensitive was for sensitive tummies, not skin.

Of course you are soppy, we here at TheCatSite certainly understand that . We pretty much all feel the same when our cats are not 100%

 

[Luchia]

Hi

The Vet said because she had been on the food for so long(12 months) and we didn’t see an improvement until the Steroids has been started(Around 6 months ago) that the food wouldn’t be the cause but I thought it was very odd that she started scratching again when we tried adding the new food into her diet(slowly).
But his explanation was that because she had the food without the steroid and no improvement it couldn’t be the food.

 

[Alldara]

Luchia I wonder if he should consider that she has both a food allergy and a different allergy.

Chicken is a common allergy for cats. You could try a different protein base.

What types of cleaners for floors etc do you use?
Which litter?
And lastly what laundry detergent do you use?

It takes a long time for the allergic reaction to reduce. Especially if there's an itchy wound.

For Magnus, my vet tried tapering down the steroids first while on the limited ingredient food to check first.

 

[Luchia]

Morning

Cleaning wise all I use now is white vinegar and hot water as that seems to be the safest thing, Cat litter she has Cats Best Original Clumping and laundry is Persil Sensitive Pods(Non Bio, Allergy Free).

We used to use different products but when this all started and allergies were mentioned I went full blown research mode to find replacement products that wouldn’t trigger her.
Air Fresheners and Scented things are pretty much banned, I had quite a large collection of Yankee candles but gave them all to my neighbour, only scented thing we have now is a Toilet Duck Cleaning Disc thing which is kept well away from her and the scent is minimal at best.

At one point they did try and reduce the steroid to half a tablet a day but she started itching again, originally she was on 1 tablet a day but we did manage to get it down to 1 tablet and then half a tablet alternated

 

[Alldara]

Is that a clay litter or pine? Those can commonly set off different things in cats as well. I got a couple of brands by looking it up.

Allergies in cats are so hard. You got the prenosolone down though, so you must have addressed some of the allergies. That tells me again that it could be food AND something else. Not not food like your vet thinks.

Have you grabbed HEPA filters for your vacuums? Do you have any air purifiers running?
These have helped me as a human. I'm not sure if they have helped Magnus but his allergy I think is grass. (Well and beef and beef by-products)

 

[Luchia]

Hi
The kitty litter is pine based I believe, we have tried many but that’s the only one we can use(grit litter causes conjunctivitis for her) we have Hepa filters on the hoovers and a Dyson Air Purifier that’s running 24/7, She’s also a indoor only kitty.
The litter is called Cats Best Original Clumping litter

 

[Alldara]

Luchia If I may make a recommendation, Okocat now makes a paper based litter. It has no clumping agents in it so it is dust free or about as close as you can get to it.

It took some getting used to and a new scoop, but we've had great success with it here. IT has a bit of a scent to it from the paper processing (it is unscented, but the processing creates a smell) but I just open it a bit in my basement and I don't notice it anymore once I put it in the box itself.

I added an extra box and put the Okocat paper all in that one, and noticed my cats using it more, which I take to mean that they enjoyed it better than the wood pellet one I was using.

 

[Luchia]

Just got home from seeing the “Specialist” and it was an absolute waste of time.
He wanted to run a poop test which would cost £200 but it was the same test the other vet said would be absolutely pointless as the chances of her having a parasite are a million to one(she’s an indoor cat only and the ProKolin stops her upset tummy) I got a bit annoyed with the vet and ended up settling with Sustain Powder(sprinkled on her dry food once the Pro Kolin had made her poop firm again).
We have basically paid £150 to be told by the “Specialist” what we already knew.

We have decided now it’s time to start looking for a new vets as the one we are currently using has been nothing but a disappointment, we almost had her to the point of been fully healed then they suggested another food which caused her to scratch all over again, the tummy issue has been ongoing for years but it’s usually only 2-3 times a year and Pro Kolin usually fixes it in a few days but this time it’s coming back when the Pro Kolin stops, even the nurse said the best method now would be to get the poops to firm up with Pro Kolin and then moved to adding sustain to her dry food everyday which would keep the Pre and Pro biotics going and has a very mild bulking agent to sustain her bowel movements in a healthy way.

Thankfully her litter doesn’t seem to be causing issues with allergies so we want to keep using the same litter as it’s much more hygienic to have the clumping litter and we don’t want to risk changing in case of a reaction.
I managed to speak with the manager of the vets and he’s happy to keep using the steroid, he said it’s not a high dose and if it’s helping that he would be happy to prescribe it on repeat monthly for her, the dose is 5mg and 2.5mg alternated daily, she isn’t showing any signs of complications so it isn’t worth risking a change of medication.
Really hoping that the Sustain Powder works as the specialist vet we saw today was absolutely pointless, he was really trying hard to push sales on us when we had been told before that the tests weren’t needed etc

 

[Alldara]

Thankfully her litter doesn’t seem to be causing issues with allergies so we want to keep using the same litter as it’s much more hygienic to have the clumping litter and we don’t want to risk changing in case of a reaction.

Sorry to hear about that. Have you been able to find a Cat only clinic near you or in a radius that's suitable to you?

If the cat is reacting both with new food, and when lowered prenosolone, then it's a sign that there's ongoing environmental allergies as well. That's a little unclear to me from your posts sorry.

If it is thought to be soley food related (since there's something food related if the cat reacted to new food), then there would be no need to continue on prenosolone permanently. There's a lot of long term side effects with long term serious use in cats: Steroid Treatment - Effects in Cats | VCA Animal Hospitals if you choose to continue steroid use permanently, you should just be aware of the symptoms for things like URIs and UTIs in cats as well as the other things listed.

I'm unsure why clumping would be considered more hygienic. I understand it's more convenient for many people. The Okocat paper litter absorbs the fastest out of all litters I've tested, including many clumping ones, just as an FYI for any other readers. I don't have any issues with it caking to the sides of the box like clumping agents cause so it only takes me a few moments every few weeks to sanitize my boxes completely.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Hi

The Vet said because she had been on the food for so long(12 months) and we didn’t see an improvement until the Steroids has been started(Around 6 months ago) that the food wouldn’t be the cause but I thought it was very odd that she started scratching again when we tried adding the new food into her diet(slowly).
But his explanation was that because she had the food without the steroid and no improvement it couldn’t be the food.

Ok, I now understand how they came to this conclusion, BUT now am wondering exactly which hypoallergenic food she was put on. There are a few, and it could be that the one she was on wasn't the right one for her issues. (and yes, I have now read your latest posts about the visit today and how badly it went. So sorry that has happened.)

As far as parasites go, I just want to say that even indoor cats can pick up parasites. It's not as common as cats who go outdoors, but does still happen. Indoor cats can still catch mice, or bugs, and those can have or carry parasites .

As an aside, here are some more threads about cats with severe allergies. Possibly something in them might be helpful to you:

If your cat has allergies read this

I just wanted to share a positive experience I’ve had with my cat who has severe allergies. We’ve spent years trying to get to the bottom of what causes his allergies, doing all sorts of testing and food elimination trials. Unfortunately nothing worked, even hydrolysed foods, air purifiers...

thecatsite.com

Allergy medication advice

Hello everyone, I'm blessed with TWO cats with allergies. Cat #1 (Squeaky) has severe environmental and food allergies, and asthma. Cat #2 (Romeo) has allergic sinusitis and frequent IRUs...along with other issues. Squeaky is on Depo-Medrol every 6 weeks. He is 16 years old with no CKD or...

thecatsite.com

Owners of cats with food allergies, how long after switching to an appropriate diet did it take to see improvements in skin conditions? (specifically post #4, towards to bottom of that post)

 

[Luchia]

Hey

Shall try and clarify to make it a bit clearer, sorry about that.

Same Dose of Steroid & Introduction of new food - Scratching started again

Same Dose of Steroid & Hypoallergenic Food - Scratching stopped and improvements to wound were seen to the point of fully healed

Lower Dose of Steroid & Hypoallergenic food - Scratching started again

The most annoying part was while she was taking the steroid and on the hypoallergenic food the wound had almost completely healed which is when vet suggested new food and unfortunately she started scratching again although now she is back on hypoallergenic food(and same steroid dose) it seems to be improving again.

we have tried many different cat litters and have found this one seems to be the best for her, we tried paper based before and she wouldn’t use her litter box, we tried the grit kind(which claimed to be no dust) triggered her conjunctivitis after several different kinds tested we settled on this one which she likes and haven’t had any issues with, we were using the wood pellet kind before but that didn’t go well and she didn’t like the texture of the pellets on her feet.
Been using this litter for several months now it’s made of 100% pure organic fibre so not overly sure what that would be but seems to be working well with her(although her sister does like to track it out of the tray so lots of hoovering lol)

Hope that makes things a bit clearer, sorry for the confusion I was rather stressed when writing the post

 

[Alldara]

Hope that makes things a bit clearer, sorry for the confusion I was rather stressed when writing the post

No need to be sorry. It's a very stressful situation to be in. I've been there!

Do you use any other items for her? Pet wipes or anything?

What about the kinds of lotions that the humans use?

After some months we finally learned that Magnus's pet wipes had milk in them.

 

[Luchia]

She uses DOUXO S3 PYO pads to use when the wound is exposed(scab come off) to prevent infection which the vets gave her.
At the moment the biggest concern is the loose poop I’ve been keeping a diary(gross I know) but the vet wasn’t interested.
She’s back on Pro Kolin paste 2X a day and was told once it’s formed then to keep going with Probiotics.

Heres the diary to show what’s been happening.


26/03/2023 - Half Firm, Half Liquid.

28/03/2023 - Soft but Shaped

28/03/2023 - Mostly Loose(Pudding Like)

29/03/2023 - Mostly Shaped but Soft

30/03/2023 - Partly Loose/Mushy

31/03/2023 - Formed but soft

1/04/2023 - Mostly formed but soft

2/04/2023 - Mostly Formed - Some Soft

3/04/2023 - Formed - Tiny bit of liquid

4/04/2023 - Liquid

5/04/2023 - Liquid

6/04/2023 - Liquid

7/04/2023 - Liquid - Jelly like

 

[stephanietx]

Steroids can cause lower immunity, just FYI. From my own personal experience, it can sometimes make allergies worse, even though it's an anti-inflammatory. Steroids can also cause diarrhea as well as long-term use can lead to diabetes. Steroids can also make you (or your cat) more thirsty. Those are some common side effects along with increased hunger and difficulty sleeping. Make sure you're giving the medicine at night or in the evening to mimic the cat's natural rhythm.

For the diarrhea, you can try adding in saccharomyces boulardii, a human supplement. I have a kitty with a very sensitive tummy and he gets s. boularddi added to his rx food to keep his poops formed. He also gets other probiotics as well. Have you tried a regular OTC antihistamine to see if that helps?

 

[Luchia]

Just wanted to post a little update.
No poop today! She usually goes every other day but last 4 days she’s had diarrhoea(usually before 11am) but nothing today so hopefully the Pro Kolin and Sustain are helping, I realise this might just be wishful thinking at the moment

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Just wanted to post a little update.
No poop today! She usually goes every other day but last 4 days she’s had diarrhoea(usually before 11am) but nothing today so hopefully the Pro Kolin and Sustain are helping, I realise this might just be wishful thinking at the moment

Hoping it's NOT wishful thinking, but that those two things are doing the job intended

 

[Luchia]

So some slightly good news!
She has just been to the litter trap for a poop!
It was much more formed than she’s done for past 2 weeks, still a little loose not not liquid and it had shape!

 

[Luchia]

Unfortunately it didn’t last long she has just been to litter tray and it was loose

 

[Luchia]

So today was the last straw with her current vets!
I phoned them for some advice as the vet told us to give her the Pro Kolin Paste and the Sustain(same type of thing but a powder sprinkled over her food) at the same thing.
The nurse told us not to use both at the same time so was a little confused.

The very rude receptionist said “You clearly have nothing better to do than ask questions” so I told her when it comes to my pets health if I have a question I’ll ask it!
She then insisted I book an emergency out of hours appointment(£120) just to ask the vet this one question!!!

After lots of searching online and checking reviews etc we think we have found a much better vets who I will be phoning next week to have her transferred to.
The new place have a special cat only waiting area, clinic rooms and vets who have extra training to handle cats so it’s all looking very positive, the amount of good reviews they have far outshines others in the area.