Depo wearing off - loss of appetite

My 14 y/o has lost her appetite again. In June, she was pawing at her mouth and had most of her teeth removed. A return visit in October found that a tooth chip was left in from the surgery and was removed. DepoMedrol was administered and her behavior and appetite have been fine until a few days ago. She acts hungry, eats a few bites, and quits. My belief is that the DepoMedrol has run it's course and some mouth (or other) discomfort is causing her pain. I have a call in to the Vet and while awaiting a response, thought I'd run this on the forum.

I am hesitant to agree to another Depo shot after hearing about the potential damage it can cause. Is there something else we could consider?

Thanks

I don't have any ideas, but think a Vet call was the smart thing to do.  What did they say? 

I think the vet could give you some appetite stimulants and if need be, some prednisone pills or transdermal. I think the vet needs to recheck that to see if there's any inflammation. 

one of my cats is dealing with this, our vet says if the surgery that removed all of her teeth isn't enough on its own that we may try cyclosporine, which should be safer for long term use than Depo. Prednisone pills also would be easier on her system too. 

As for her appetite, this is a longshot but another of my cats was recently treated with a drug called Megace. It is used in humans as an appetite stimulant and seems to be a side effect in cats, her appetite has been through the roof lately! Previously she was very picky and often would refuse to eat altogether. Now she eats great, so it might be something to ask about.

I would rather use cyproheptadine than the medication you mentioned. Too many side effects in cats: http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/megestrol-acetate-ovaban/page1.aspx.

We're running some blood work. We also discussed food allergies which was most likely ruled out. Her mouth and throat were not swollen but had a little redness by her canines.The Vet had an interesting comment about depo-medrol in that cats are pretty resistant to it - meaning they can take it for a fairly long time before any damage occurs. He gave her another depo shot and we'll see what the blood work says. Hopefully this will get her (and me) through the holiday season. She seems to have a little more interest in food. We'll see after a night sleep how she does tomorrow. 

Thanks all for the feedback

If it helps, I know plenty of kitties that have had Depo shots and they did fine! Glad she may be eating again, get some sleep. 

Has the vet done a tissue biopsy of her mouth?  That might show what's causing the inflammation.

i should point out that my cat is getting a super low dose of the medicine since it's being used for a non-standard reason.

I just recently had Charlie on transdermal prednisolone.  A compounding pharmacy can do it for you and you put it inside the ear or under the arm pit where there is no fur.  Less chance of stomach upset anyway.  Also, can control it better than a shot.  Every day or every other day, a small amount.