Prednisone and Supplements?

[Gizmobius]

Haven't been on the forums in awhile and unfortunately am back now in hopes of some advice. I will of course ask my vet for his opinion tomorrow as well, just wanted some viewpoints from you guys here.

Yesterday I took my cat Gizmo in for what was supposed to be a routine check up, only to find out that he has a large mass in his stomach that the vet is confident is cancerous based on x-rays. Knowing there's no outcome where this ends happily, I'm wanting to make whatever time I have left with him as comfortable as possible until the time comes. I ordered some supplements meant to boost immune health because I read that was important and plan to get some prednisone for any pain relief from the vet tomorrow (my vet said he doesn't think Gizmo is in any pain yet, but recommended pred) though after some searching I see that prednisone is an immunosuppressant. These two things do the complete opposite so should I forego the supplements altogether? I'm just trying to figure out what the best way is to make him as relaxed as he can be. Thanks for any insight

 

[maggiemay]

I personally would prefer Buprinex for pain. It has been wonderful to have when my cats are in pain. Petwellbeing makes a product called Comfort for pain, not nearly the strength of Buprinex, but it sounded effective and I bought some to have on hand. You might show that to your vet, available on the Petwellbeing website and Amazon. Prednisone would definitely keep his immune system suppressed. If my cat got that diagnosis, I would also give him Vitamin D3 (there is a pet version), milk thistle to help his liver clear toxins, and AHCC. AHCC is used extensively for cancer in Japan, it’s a mushroom complex that is highly effective. 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic cancer and given 18 months to live. By the grace of God, I beat it. 6 years later, new tumors appeared on xray. Lots of testing for two straight months. During that time, I took the therapeutic dose of AHCC and at my last, most definitive test, a PET scan, there were no tumors. They were completely gone. My oncologist was stunned. I have been on the maintenance dose ever since and have not had a tumor since. There is a lot of information online about AHCC, it uses your own immune system to fight the cancer. I know there is a dog version available. It doesn’t interfere with other medication. It’s certainly worth taking a look at. I am so sorry about Gizmo’s diagnosis. Prayers and hugs for both of you.

 

[Gizmobius]

I personally would prefer Buprinex for pain. It has been wonderful to have when my cats are in pain. Petwellbeing makes a product called Comfort for pain, not nearly the strength of Buprinex, but it sounded effective and I bought some to have on hand. You might show that to your vet, available on the Petwellbeing website and Amazon. Prednisone would definitely keep his immune system suppressed. If my cat got that diagnosis, I would also give him Vitamin D3 (there is a pet version), milk thistle to help his liver clear toxins, and AHCC. AHCC is used extensively for cancer in Japan, it’s a mushroom complex that is highly effective. 20 years ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic cancer and given 18 months to live. By the grace of God, I beat it. 6 years later, new tumors appeared on xray. Lots of testing for two straight months. During that time, I took the therapeutic dose of AHCC and at my last, most definitive test, a PET scan, there were no tumors. They were completely gone. My oncologist was stunned. I have been on the maintenance dose ever since and have not had a tumor since. There is a lot of information online about AHCC, it uses your own immune system to fight the cancer. I know there is a dog version available. It doesn’t interfere with other medication. It’s certainly worth taking a look at. I am so sorry about Gizmo’s diagnosis. Prayers and hugs for both of you.

That is EXTREMELY helpful, thank you so much for the suggestions! At this point, and still being so shocked by the diagnosis, I'm willing to try whatever it takes to allow him as much time as I possibly can. I appreciate you input!

 

[maggiemay]

This is the Vitamin D3 that I use, very good reviews at Chewy: RX VITAMINS Rx D3 Liquid Supplement for Cats & Dogs, 2-oz bottle - Chewy.com You may want to give him a more intense dose, discuss with your vet. I use Milk Thistle by Petwellbeing. NHV also makes a good milk thistle product. Both are available on Amazon and are vet formulated. This is the AHCC for pets: NK-9 - AHCC Immune Support for Pets - American BioSciences, Inc. also available on Amazon. I am sure you are in a state of shock. My perfectly healthy baby (or so I thought) was just diagnosed as diabetic, and I know how stressful these things can be. You will both be in my prayers. I so hope these things help him. They certainly can’t hurt him.

 

[fionasmom]

AHCC for cats?

Older TCS thread about AHCC including link to a previous thread

 

[maggiemay]

Thank you for this, fionasmom , it has a dosing guide. I am putting all of my cats on AHCC immediately. Couldn’t find a dosing guide anywhere, this is a Godsend,