Prednisolone on backorder/ needed for my cat with lymphoma

sonya 902

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Hi, I tried to get a refill for prednisolone for my Cody Bear (bengal) ,who is taking it along with Leukeran for intestinal lymphoma. Now I find it is on backorder. 

I checked canadian pharmacies as well as local California pharmacies, but could not locate it. Thanks to this website I was able to find it compounded, at Diamond Back 

drugs in Arizona.  I have been reading information from this site for awhile, but just now decided to join.  My little guy was diagnosed in September after 9 month bout with

diarrhea.  After 1 month of 2 mg leukeran twice a week and prednisolone 5mg am and 2.5mg pm, he gained from 8.3 to 9.0 lbs.  Now he is back to 8.3 lbs again just doesn't

have the appetite and my worry is increasing rapidly.  I am willing to feed him anything that he will eat.  If anyone has any ideas for improving appetite please let me know.  Thanks everyone
 

yodaandblackie

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So sorry Cody Bear is Ill. Don't know what he currently is fed but maybe add fortiflora or a change to raw rabbit , lamb, turkey,chicken. There are appetite stimulants but with the lymphoma it might not be a good idea. You might consider talking to some vets who use alternative methods. On line is Dr. Karen Becker who I think does a blog. Good luck and healing prayers for Cody Bear. Aloha:rbheart:
 

denice

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Is he on Cerenia?  It's a drug developed for motion sickness in dogs but it is effective for nausea in kitties as well.  There are also a couple of things that can be used to stimulate appetite.  Mirtazapine and Cyproheptadine are two that I heard of being used, in both cases a side effect of the medication is used to stimulate appetite.  Often if a kitty doesn't do well on one he will do well on the other.  

I personally wouldn't switch to raw now,  Leukeran is heavy duty to the point of suppressing the immune system.

Best of luck to you and your kitty.
 
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raintyger

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The pred didn't run out, did it? It is not a good drug to stop cold turkey. The pred should also help with appetite. You might want to ask about endocort, though. Some vets started switching kitties to endocort when the pred shortages started.

Appetite stimulants:

--Warm food - scent often helps.

--Raise the dish

--Toppers: FortiFlora, catnip, bonito, Halo Dinner Party, Real Meat, Wysong's Add Life (note this has urine acidifier in it, dl-methionine), crushed kibble, freeze dried liver, freeze dried fish, freeze dried shrimp.

--Food bribes: Tuna, tuna juice, smelly cat food (Friskies, for one)

--From the vet: B12 injections, mirtazapine (can have some scary side effects like cat wobbling or acting hyper), cypro, sub-q hydration

--Change the food--try different brands and textures

--Use a Feliaway diffuser to reduce stress
 
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sonya 902

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I have not run out of the prednisolone and I realize the dangers of not weaning this drug.  Cody has been ill for about 9 mos, my vet initially had me try

the single protein diet, just in case the diarrhea was allergic in origin.  I have served ever protein from rabbit, duck to buffalo, raw, canned, warmed, with forte flora, other probiotics and the bottom line we finally put him through the intestinal biopsy and it came back small cell intestinal lymphoma.

He has done well on the chemo and pred and gained 13 ozs the first month.  My doc did not want to keep him on high dose prednisolone due to 

potential side effects, so it was decreased from 7.5 mg/day to 5 mg/day.  He acts pretty good, plays and such, has had a good appetite until recently, as long as I feed him fancy feast, yet slowly has lost the weight he had gained.  He has had the chemo reduced to once/week (just started this regimen) and had his pred increased back to 7.5 mg  for a few days to see if we can jump start his appetite again.  I am at my wits end, he has always been a picky eater so this just makes matters worse.  He used to like chicken, steak, hamburger but now has been walking away.  I am hoping the change in 

drugs will help and I will be checking his weight frequently.  Cody is 8, small boned little bengal, sweet as can be. He is one of four cats, 2 male bengals and 2 female tabbys (my rescues).  If things do not pick up by monday, I will be talking with my vet about starting back on the full regimen of chemo twice/week and pred twice/day since that worked initially.  Any more ideas for the extremely pickly eater is welcome, I will talk to the vet about the appetite stimulants you have suggested.  Thanks for the ideas and good wishes and all the best to everyone in our fight to keep our babies.
 

tmcsorley26

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My cat is taking the same drugs for lymphoma.  The addition of the leukaran decreased his appetitie within a few days.  The vet had me start giving him Cerenia (which he had taken in the past) and his appetite returned in a few days.  Hoping we can get the weight back up.  Cam was a heatlhly 20lb Maine coon male who is now down to 16.5 lbs. 
 
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