What to expect from prednisone for my IBD/gi lymphoma cat

[ChrissyCat]

We just made the decision to start pred for my 13yo cat after her appetite decreased and she lost weight. We gave her her first injection today- she seems a little out of it and very thirsty.

I’ve been worried for a month, taking her to weekly vet appointments for fluids after presenting with an initial symptom of constipation. My vet is helpful but I feel a little lost navigating this and hoping this is the right next step. Any advice, encouragement, wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Given no 'real' diagnosis, I am not sure Pred is the answer. Decreased appetite could be anything, and weight loss would of course be the result if she is eating less. I looked at your previous thread and trying to 'cure' the constipation seems to have led to unending diarrhea, which is also going to cause weight loss. What exactly in the tests that were done led your vet to go right to IBD or lymphoma - decreased appetite and constipation are not clear-cut symptoms for either.

I wasn't clear from that thread (Possible intestinal lymphoma dx… | TheCatSite), or this one, about her eating, not just in terms of less, but also about what she is eating, or if there have been recent changes to her food - other than you said she was eating fine before all this started. And, then you mentioned it happened around the time of bringing a dog into the picture. How is that aspect going? Did her drinking change as well?

I also didn't see a full spectrum blood work done, including what was mentioned in the previous thread about checking for things like hyperthyroidism. The test results you provided mostly point to dehydration and stress.

I know it costs money to do further testing but throwing Pred as the 'end all' answer may not be the solution. And, despite her age, when things like IBD or lymphoma can arise, I am not sure there has been enough evidence to go right to that as the issue.

More information please would likely be helpful!

 

[ChrissyCat]

Given no 'real' diagnosis, I am not sure Pred is the answer. Decreased appetite could be anything, and weight loss would of course be the result if she is eating less. I looked at your previous thread and trying to 'cure' the constipation seems to have led to unending diarrhea, which is also going to cause weight loss. What exactly in the tests that were done led your vet to go right to IBD or lymphoma - decreased appetite and constipation are not clear-cut symptoms for either.

I wasn't clear from that thread (Possible intestinal lymphoma dx… | TheCatSite), or this one, about her eating, not just in terms of less, but also about what she is eating, or if there have been recent changes to her food - other than you said she was eating fine before all this started. And, then you mentioned it happened around the time of bringing a dog into the picture. How is that aspect going? Did her drinking change as well?

I also didn't see a full spectrum blood work done, including what was mentioned in the previous thread about checking for things like hyperthyroidism. The test results you provided mostly point to dehydration and stress.

I know it costs money to do further testing but throwing Pred as the 'end all' answer may not be the solution. And, despite her age, when things like IBD or lymphoma can arise, I am not sure there has been enough evidence to go right to that as the issue.

More information please would likely be helpful!

I’m sorry, I was trying to give bullet points to be succinct. The full spectrum bloodwork showed everything was normal- including thyroid.
We took her in May for check up and she weighed 8lbs (she’s always been petite). When I took her to the first vet discovering constipation in December, she was 6.4- I think the weight loss suggested to the vet lymphoma and she wasn’t supportive of ultrasound. Because labs and X-rays were normal and her only symptom was constipation, I found a second opinion. He discovered the dehydration and we were in the dehydration/constipation cycle, that turned into diarrhea/dehydration. This past Sunday, her eating decreased significantly and that coupled with diarrhea she dropped to 5.4lbs on Monday recheck. I asked for appetite stimulant, but her diarrhea returned, she still wasn’t eating and I could tell her tummy was not feeling good. I tried probiotics and though appetite picked up a bit, she still was not eating. Because she lost so much weight so quickly, the vet felt pred was the next best step.
He has her on a very low dose (.5mg) and honestly, I cried in the waiting room because I am struggling to make the best decisions, receiving little guidance from vets, and am heartbroken that my cat is suffering. I’m trying very hard to research. The second vet didn’t even suggest an u/s and is essentially taking a palliative approach though he’s not certain on dx, his position is to get her hydrated and bowels healthy. But when she lost so much weight and her appetite dropped- it scared me and I felt we were out of options.