Should we go on prednisolone?

[maggie101]

If you ever decide to give him prednisolone I put it in my cats food fruity flavored at a pharmecy to compound it. It increased her appetite. I emailed daves cat food company about low photos low protein Restricted Diet to get a sample of their cat food
and show it to my vet. Not sure that's what your cat needs but my cat no longer likes her prescription kidney food unless something more favorable is mixed in. She loves fortiflora but it gets used up her first meal. So warmed up and orijen freeze dried treats,crushable topper mixed in. Adds more protein but not much

 

[dustydiamond1]

Gypsy gets an Inaba Churu tube every evening that I mix her preboitic/probiotic with. I've also crushed her half Prednisolone and mixed it in although since she takes the pill so well its not really worth the time crushing it.

 

[maggie101]

Gypsy gets an Inaba Churu tube every evening that I mix her preboitic/probiotic with. I've also crushed her half Prednisolone and mixed it in although since she takes the pill so well its not really worth the time crushing it.

Just ordered some because of the added moisture

 

[maggie101]

Gypsy gets an Inaba Churu tube every evening that I mix her preboitic/probiotic with. I've also crushed her half Prednisolone and mixed it in although since she takes the pill so well its not really worth the time crushing it.

Has she had the churu bites? Are they crushable?

 

[Lucy&Petra]

I did a bit of searching online for you... Apparently this issue can cause a rupture in the gall bladder and result in bile leaking into the abdomen if not treated. I would suggest going on the advice of your vets and having the surgery.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Has she had the churu bites? Are they crushable?

We have only used the slurry in the tube. Its a thickish paste. I first saw it on Instagram where lots of folks use it to keep their kittys hydrated on adventure hikes. They let the kitty lick straight from the tube. When I crushed the Prednisolone and with the probiotic/preboitic I stir it in then let it set just for a second or two so it can dissolve then stir again and serve. I have Gypsy lick the spoon. It sets fairly quickly and I occasionally have to crunch a Greenie to sprinkle on so Gypsy will finish it. They come in a variety of flavors.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

Hello. I never had a cat with Gall Bladder issues, but I had one who had Stomach Cancer and was on Prednisolone among other meds. She lived for 3 months since her cancer diagnosis. I have heard of bad side effects for long term use of Prednisolone as well.

I had a stomach Sonagram done last year (I have lots of stomach troubles). I was told I had Gall Stones and needed to avoid fatty and fried food which could trigger a Gall Bladder attack. I was told if the stones got stuck in the Bile Duct, the Gall Bladder should be taking out immediately. I have lost weight by dieting and am watching what I eat. I also take Milk Thistle, but am not sure if it is really helping. It is a gamble when you have Gall stones. If I have a really bad attack, I am not hesitating to have the Gall bladder taken out. Many people and even animals have lived a perfectly normal life with out a Gall bladder. There will be changes to your diet and you will have to make sure you are getting enough of certain vitamins, but otherwise you would be okay (same with animals).

It all boils down to your kitty's quality of life. You could try the Prednisolone/Antibiotics, but if your kitty keeps having Gallstone Attacks-- than removal of the Gall Bladder seems to be the only solution at that point. Your kitty can be free of the pain, naseua, and diahreaa, as well as other symptoms. As mentioned earlier, I had a cat who had Stomach Cancer. Prednisolone worked great for a while, then it stopped working. I just don't have to much faith in it as a long term solution. Here is an article on feline Gall Bladder issues. I hope you find it helpful. I wish you the best of luck and that your kitty's health improves.

Biliary tract disorder in cats

 

[Caspers Human]

I don’t know about kitty gallbladder trouble but I have had the surgery myself. It went easily and well and the nausea stopped. Since you trust your previous vet, could you send them the records and ask for an opinion? If in doubt, I always trust my instincts and go for more information before a major decision.

My mother had her gallbladder removed, too. The operation went smoothly. A couple of days for recovery was all the time she needed in the hospital. Since then, her only side effect has been that she has to cut down on eating fatty foods.

In the body, the liver produces bile, used to digest food, and the gallbladder is just a "storage compartment" for it. When you eat, the gallbladder releases bile into the intestines to help digest food.

You don't necessarily need a gallbladder. You can easily live without it. Your liver still produces bile. You'll still be able to digest food unless you eat too much fat. If that happens, you'll probably get a case of the Hershey squirts.

As for myself, I had my appendix removed decades ago and I have had only a very few problems because of it.
The appendix stores beneficial bacteria used to digest food. Without it, I don't have that "reservoir." I have to be careful when eating dairy foods or else...ummm...you know...
I just take some lactobacillus supplements, occasionally, when my digestive system starts acting up.

My appendix was removed almost forty years ago and I'm fine. My mother has lived without a gallbladder for ten years.

Whether it be human or cat, the gallbladder does the same thing.

I have no doubt that, barring any surgical complications, your cat will be just fine if he has his gallbladder removed.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Any updates?

 

[Musiaka]

I don’t know about kitty gallbladder trouble but I have had the surgery myself. It went easily and well and the nausea stopped. Since you trust your previous vet, could you send them the records and ask for an opinion? If in doubt, I always trust my instincts and go for more information before a major decision.

The thing is that Musiaka used to vomit just as much before he developed those gallstones...so I have a hard time accepting it as the main reason for his vomiting and going with the surgery. It not the same as human gallbladder removal, these organs are interconnected in cats and gallbladder is connected to the liver with lots of bloodvessels.
I have actually emailed the pictures to the old vet haven't received any answer after that

 

[Musiaka]

My mother had her gallbladder removed, too. The operation went smoothly. A couple of days for recovery was all the time she needed in the hospital. Since then, her only side effect has been that she has to cut down on eating fatty foods.

In the body, the liver produces bile, used to digest food, and the gallbladder is just a "storage compartment" for it. When you eat, the gallbladder releases bile into the intestines to help digest food.

You don't necessarily need a gallbladder. You can easily live without it. Your liver still produces bile. You'll still be able to digest food unless you eat too much fat. If that happens, you'll probably get a case of the Hershey squirts.

As for myself, I had my appendix removed decades ago and I have had only a very few problems because of it.
The appendix stores beneficial bacteria used to digest food. Without it, I don't have that "reservoir." I have to be careful when eating dairy foods or else...ummm...you know...
I just take some lactobacillus supplements, occasionally, when my digestive system starts acting up.

My appendix was removed almost forty years ago and I'm fine. My mother has lived without a gallbladder for ten years.

Whether it be human or cat, the gallbladder does the same thing.

I have no doubt that, barring any surgical complications, your cat will be just fine if he has his gallbladder removed.

Yes, but it works differently in cats. Liver, gallbladder, pancreas etc are all interconnected. Without his gallbladder, Musiaka will have to be on a special low-fat diet. It's extremely difficult to find a food that he will eat, there are several threads of me searching for a healthier food he would accept. If he's post-surgery and refuses to eat, we will be in trouble. If he still throws up afterwards because gallbladder is not the issues AND refuses to eat diet food - we will be in a huuuge trouble. He might die.

 

[Musiaka]

Any updates?

I still haven't decided... Trying out a new supplement that includes SAMe, sylimarin and phosphoslipides, but it feels like the vomiting is even more frequent when we started it. He vomits every second day, but acts normal, plays, eats a lot. I don't know what to do, I'm so lost. I feel like I'm gonna lose him if we do the surgery.

 

[Musiaka]

Yes, but it works differently in cats. Liver, gallbladder, pancreas etc are all interconnected. Without his gallbladder, Musiaka will have to be on a special low-fat diet. It's extremely difficult to find a food that he will eat, there are several threads of me searching for a healthier food he would accept. If he's post-surgery and refuses to eat, we will be in trouble. If he still throws up afterwards because gallbladder is not the issue AND refuses to eat diet food - we will be in a huuuge trouble. He might die.

 

[Musiaka]

I am leaning towards Prednisolone anyway. Ok, he might have complications and we will have to keep a close eye on his with blood tests etc, but at least his life won't be in danger from surgery and complications...

 

[Musiaka]

Hello. I never had a cat with Gall Bladder issues, but I had one who had Stomach Cancer and was on Prednisolone among other meds. She lived for 3 months since her cancer diagnosis. I have heard of bad side effects for long term use of Prednisolone as well.

I had a stomach Sonagram done last year (I have lots of stomach troubles). I was told I had Gall Stones and needed to avoid fatty and fried food which could trigger a Gall Bladder attack. I was told if the stones got stuck in the Bile Duct, the Gall Bladder should be taking out immediately. I have lost weight by dieting and am watching what I eat. I also take Milk Thistle, but am not sure if it is really helping. It is a gamble when you have Gall stones. If I have a really bad attack, I am not hesitating to have the Gall bladder taken out. Many people and even animals have lived a perfectly normal life with out a Gall bladder. There will be changes to your diet and you will have to make sure you are getting enough of certain vitamins, but otherwise you would be okay (same with animals).

It all boils down to your kitty's quality of life. You could try the Prednisolone/Antibiotics, but if your kitty keeps having Gallstone Attacks-- than removal of the Gall Bladder seems to be the only solution at that point. Your kitty can be free of the pain, naseua, and diahreaa, as well as other symptoms. As mentioned earlier, I had a cat who had Stomach Cancer. Prednisolone worked great for a while, then it stopped working. I just don't have to much faith in it as a long term solution. Here is an article on feline Gall Bladder issues. I hope you find it helpful. I wish you the best of luck and that your kitty's health improves.

Biliary tract disorder in cats

But how can they be gallbladder attacks, if he vomited before he had them? I just don't understand...

 

[Musiaka]

But how can they be gallbladder attacks, if he vomited before he had gallstones? I just don't understand...

 

[dustydiamond1]

But how can they be gallbladder attacks, if he vomited before he had them? I just don't understand...

Did you call your old vet for their opinion?

 

[Musiaka]

Did you call your old vet for their opinion?

I emailed him (the old vet is in Sweden and I can't call him with my phone plan), waiting for an answer...

 

[Caspers Human]

Yes, I understand the difference between human physiology and feline physiology but, both being mammals, our digestive systems are similar enough to make meaningful comparisons between them.

Yes, the gallbladder is attached to the liver in both humans and cats. Essentially the liver makes bile and the gallbladder stores it. When food enters the digestive system, muscular contractions squeeze the gallbladder and cause it to release bile into the intestines. It happens the same way in both humans and cats.

When the gallbladder is removed, the liver still produces bile. The bile ducts are still intact and still release bile into the intestines. Food is still digested. The only difference is that bile is released more slowly because there is no reservoir.

Yes, your cat will have to be on a lower fat diet for the long term but your cat's digestive system will adjust over time and, after a while, your cat might not need to be on such a restrictive diet. It all depends on the cat, the cat's diet and the cat's environment. On average, most cats will probably need to have less fat in their diet but, after an adjustment period, their systems will stabilize and, as long as they don't get too much fat, they will be just find and most people probably won't notice any difference.

Here's the problem...your cat has gallstones. That's a bad thing. As long as the problem exists, your cat will continue to get sick and his quality of life will suffer. You've spoken with your vet and have tried medications but your vet says that removing the gallbladder is the best option.

You have a choice. You can either have the operation or not. Without it, your cat will likely be sick for the rest of his life.

If you have the operation, he won't be sick anymore but you'll just have to modify his diet.

Yes, I understand about feeding a finicky cat. Our Casper is the most finicky cat I have ever seen. It can be a big pain to get him to eat anything but his regular food.

When it comes down to brass tacks, the choice is to either have the operation or not. I vote "yes."

 

[Musiaka]

Yes, I understand the difference between human physiology and feline physiology but, both being mammals, our digestive systems are similar enough to make meaningful comparisons between them.

Yes, the gallbladder is attached to the liver in both humans and cats. Essentially the liver makes bile and the gallbladder stores it. When food enters the digestive system, muscular contractions squeeze the gallbladder and cause it to release bile into the intestines. It happens the same way in both humans and cats.

When the gallbladder is removed, the liver still produces bile. The bile ducts are still intact and still release bile into the intestines. Food is still digested. The only difference is that bile is released more slowly because there is no reservoir.

Yes, your cat will have to be on a lower fat diet for the long term but your cat's digestive system will adjust over time and, after a while, your cat might not need to be on such a restrictive diet. It all depends on the cat, the cat's diet and the cat's environment. On average, most cats will probably need to have less fat in their diet but, after an adjustment period, their systems will stabilize and, as long as they don't get too much fat, they will be just find and most people probably won't notice any difference.

Here's the problem...your cat has gallstones. That's a bad thing. As long as the problem exists, your cat will continue to get sick and his quality of life will suffer. You've spoken with your vet and have tried medications but your vet says that removing the gallbladder is the best option.

You have a choice. You can either have the operation or not. Without it, your cat will likely be sick for the rest of his life.

If you have the operation, he won't be sick anymore but you'll just have to modify his diet.

Yes, I understand about feeding a finicky cat. Our Casper is the most finicky cat I have ever seen. It can be a big pain to get him to eat anything but his regular food.

When it comes down to brass tacks, the choice is to either have the operation or not. I vote "yes."

But why is everyone ignoring the fact that he still vomited before he had gallstones? His current vet is also ignored it when I called her and asked about it. It's like nobody listens. How can you be so certain that removing it will so surely solve the problem, if the problem was there before the stones?

If we now compare human and cat physiology, my mom has had gallstones for 20 years now. She doesn't feel anything (did a little bit in the beginning, when they were small) and her doctor says it's possible to live with gallstones.

Let's say we get the surgery and he still vomits because his vomiting is due to pancreas and ibd. And he also has to be on a diet he doesn't like which will result in him going on a hunger strike while also still vomiting. Then Musiaka is going to die. Also, because of ibd, he definitely has lots of inflammation in his body, how is that going to affect his surgery? If I lose Musiaka I'm not going to make it.