Prednisolone for IBD kitty

snugglecat

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I have had questions before about  my kitty who has IBD with constipation. She was having flare ups about every 6 months or so but now they seem to be closer together. She is allergic to so many things that we really don't know what all she is allergic too. Her flare ups usually start with either an allergic reaction to something in her food or she starts having constipation issues. She usually gets fluids, B12 injection and sometimes needs an enema. She also gets Cerenia when needed. The B12 injection she gets once a month. She gets Miralax in her canned food twice a day but doesn't always seem to be working for her.

The vet has now started her on prednisolone. I am also giving her Benadryl twice a day for 2 days because of the allergic reaction to something in her canned food and then when needed. I was shown today how to give fluids and the supplies for this. They really didn't take the time to show me and it was hard for me to watch the vet tech jab the needle in so I know I won't be able to do this.

I guess I am just asking if anyone gives their cat prednisolone for IBD kitties and does it help reduce the flare ups? I also wanted to know if anyone has their cat on Hills prescription z/d canned food. I was given this today and I only bought one can because Peaches is so picky and the only canned food she will eat without issues is Wellness Turkey. The food she recently had a reaction too was Nature's Variety Turkey and Rabbit canned food. I am guessing she can't have peas. I only tried that food because she stopped eating her Wellness and was trying different foods to get her to eat.

I am just hope all the things she is on will finally help. It would be nice to even go 6 months between flare ups again. She seems to be sick a lot more lately.
 

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I have a kitty that has been on a steroid for 3 1/2 years for IBD.  He has only had 2 short mild flares in that time period which is a huge improvement.  He is back on prednisolone now.  He started on pred and he was switched to dexamethasone because of supply issues.  

He is also prone to constipation, he has never had diarrhea always constipation, nausea, and anorexia. 
 
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goholistic

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Sebastian is on prednisolone for his chronic pancreatitis (which may or may not be related to IBD). We tried to reduce the dose last year and he relapsed. I haven't had the courage to try to reduce it again, especially since he's been doing well. He's on a myriad of things to keep the pancreatitis under control.

FWIW, he is allergic to guar gum. The reaction is clear by the rash he gets on his ear, but I do believe it also causes GI distress because he coincidentally loses his appetite and sits in the meatloaf position if he ingests it. Trying to narrow down an allergen is ridiculously tedious and frustrating. I can also comically say that Sebastian is allergic to stress. 
  If he's stressed, it really affects him physically.
 

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You need to get the subq down first. Anyone can do it. It looks harder than it is. Go to www.iwillhelpyourcat.com and look for the video dr. Kris made on giving subq fluid. You need to have this down as prednisolone could cause your cat to urinate heavily at first. Without a subq after that they will dehydrate rapidly and could die. So focus on giving the subq first. (Edit: this is the same video as posted above by cocheezie and is must watch for anyone with chronically ill cat)
 
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snugglecat

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I have a kitty that has been on a steroid for 3 1/2 years for IBD.  He has only had 2 short mild flares in that time period which is a huge improvement.  He is back on prednisolone now.  He started on pred and he was switched to dexamethasone because of supply issues.  

He is also prone to constipation, he has never had diarrhea always constipation, nausea, and anorexia. 
I was wondering if your kitty is on any kind of special diet?  I don't think Peaches will eat the Hills z/d canned food. I tried her on it in 2010 and she wouldn't eat it then.

I watched the video and I know I will not be able to do this. I got light headed just watching the video. She needs to have this done twice a week for now and then maybe just once a week. I think I will try and find someone who might come do this for me because I won't be able to find a ride twice a week.

She is feeling much better since we got home from the vet. She is not hiding and she is really hungry and wanting to eat.
 

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I feed him as much wet as possible, he still gets a bit of kibble.  Diet varies so much with these kitties.  Patches has never been able to tolerate beef and recently developed a chicken allergy.  I don't have to do anything special beyond that but each kitty is different.  I buy wet foods in proteins like lamb, rabbit, pork, or pheasant.  I feed mainly Hounds and Gatos or Wild Calling because they have a selection in the more unusual proteins.  Neither of my kitties care much for Nature's Variety which is why I quit trying to feed that brand.  

I have been fortunate in that Patches doesn't need the sub-q fluids so I haven't done that, just watched it done a couple times when he had bad flares before going on the steroid.  I know several people give them regularly.  I don't know if she still does but Goholistic has given them regularly in the past.  Fluids seem to really help with pancreatitis.
 

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With some cats (like mine) Z/D can cause massive diarrhea so be prepared to switch off it if that happens....
 

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My old man has been on prednislone for over a year with good results. At 12 lbs he's down to 1 cc every other day. His issue systemoms were vomiting and bloody stools. Other than occasionally vomiting when he eats too much canned/raw food that has been in the fridge he has had a "flare" where is constantly throws up maybe 1 once every couple of months. I really think it's up to the individual cat.

Tip: Give the prednislone at night. I read that it's more in line with their natural hormone cycle. From my own experience my cat is more "normal" during the day when I dose him night.


The bloody stools have disappeared now that I mix saccharomyces boulardi in his food once a day. THANKS LDG!!!


FWIW my cat was for over 5 yrs on perscrip Hyopallergenic food for IBD/IBS because an older, now deceased, cat had IBS. Go figure.

My guy eats Nature's Variety canned (Rabbit, Lamb, Venison) with a touch of dry mixed in*.

*I have two other cats and NV changed their raw formula so I've had to go back to mixing dry and feeding raw 2x/week.
 
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betsygee

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My Jake, almost 15 years old, has been on prednisolone since before I got him, at least 3 years.  When I tried to reduce the dose, at the vet's suggestion, he immediately started vomiting again--that's his main symptom, not so much diarrhea or constipation.  When he stays on it, he does well.  

He doesn't need fluids but my other cat Travis does.  If you don't think you can do it, getting someone to help is a good idea.  
 
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snugglecat

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This might be a dumb question but what is the best way to give the prednisolone? They showed me but they pretty much shoved the whole syringe down her throat and that just seemed awlful to do to any animal. I need to give her some and I'm afraid I will do it wrong and she will spit it all out but can't see shoving the syringe down her throat either.

She starts out by taking 0.7ml twice a day for 14 days then 0.35ml twice day for 14 days then 0.18 twice daily for 14 days after that she will get 0.18 every other day for 14 days. She will be on it for 3 months and we will see what dose works for her.

Peaches won't need the fluids all the time but she does not drink water and every time she flares she does much better with the B12 injection and fluids. I was just sent home with all the supplies in case she needs to have it once or twice a week when she is not feeling well.

She is doing much better today and I wish I would have taken her back to the vet sooner. She went last month with issues but she really didn't bounce back, she was hiding and sleeping a lot and throwing up more hairballs. She was itchy and still constipated. She also needed her anal glands expressed yesterday but I didn't think of that being a problem because they checked them a few weeks ago when we went to the vet.

Thanks for responding and helping me understand all this.
 

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I approach Jake from behind, hold his head with one hand, and put the syringe in the side of his mouth, near his back teeth. It sort of gets under his tongue that way and he doesn't spit it out. He's used to the routine now.
 

goholistic

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I don't know if she still does but Goholistic has given them regularly in the past.  Fluids seem to really help with pancreatitis.
Yes, Sebastian still gets fluids every other day! They are SO important for him.

Forgot to add that his diet consists of premium canned and supplemented home-cooked (using Balance It). We never tried the z/d. I agree with @Denice that diet really varies from cat to cat and what they do well on.
 
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snugglecat

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Right now Peaches is eating her Wellness Turkey again and she is even cleaning her plate. That is a good sign because she was not eating much and had lost a little weight since her last visit July 18.

Sorry with all the questions but was wondering if the prednisolone makes them tired or not feel well? She still seems to sleep more then usual and I have to call her to come eat where she usually is screaming at me to feed her when she feels well. I know we just went to the vet yesterday so maybe I am expecting to much too soon.

I think I found someone to do the fluids for me but I am going to wait until next week. I am just scared to see anyone poke a big needle in her. I called the vet office and found out I have to give her fluids every other day, I must have missed the vet saying that. The lady that is going to help said she has not done this on a cat in a long time so not sure what I'm going to do.
 

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Right now Peaches is eating her Wellness Turkey again and she is even cleaning her plate. That is a good sign because she was not eating much and had lost a little weight since her last visit July 18.

Sorry with all the questions but was wondering if the prednisolone makes them tired or not feel well? She still seems to sleep more then usual and I have to call her to come eat where she usually is screaming at me to feed her when she feels well. I know we just went to the vet yesterday so maybe I am expecting to much too soon.

I think I found someone to do the fluids for me but I am going to wait until next week. I am just scared to see anyone poke a big needle in her. I called the vet office and found out I have to give her fluids every other day, I must have missed the vet saying that. The lady that is going to help said she has not done this on a cat in a long time so not sure what I'm going to do.
It may take awhile for the prednisolone to start working.  I'm not sure about that--the senior kitty I took in was already on it when I got him.  But it makes him feel better, not more tired.  Travis gets fluids every third day, so it's about three times a week.  It seems like a lot but it only takes a few minutes and you'll get into a routine with it.  When we started doing it, my hubby would help, and he would just turn his head because he was squeamish about the needle, too.  But after awhile, he got used to it.  And so did Travis.  I put him in my lap, pet him for a minute to get him relaxed, and he doesn't even really react when the needle goes in.  Like I said, it's just for a few minutes and then he gets a few treats when we're done.  You can do it--please don't put it off too long, the fluids really make a difference in how they feel.
 

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Cats have much thicker and looser skin than we humans do. So it doesn't make sense to transfer our pain threshold onto them. They just do not feel the needle the way we would.
 

stephenq

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This might be a dumb question but what is the best way to give the prednisolone? They showed me but they pretty much shoved the whole syringe down her throat and that just seemed awlful to do to any animal. I need to give her some and I'm afraid I will do it wrong and she will spit it all out but can't see shoving the syringe down her throat either.

She starts out by taking 0.7ml twice a day for 14 days then 0.35ml twice day for 14 days then 0.18 twice daily for 14 days after that she will get 0.18 every other day for 14 days. She will be on it for 3 months and we will see what dose works for her.

Peaches won't need the fluids all the time but she does not drink water and every time she flares she does much better with the B12 injection and fluids. I was just sent home with all the supplies in case she needs to have it once or twice a week when she is not feeling well.

She is doing much better today and I wish I would have taken her back to the vet sooner. She went last month with issues but she really didn't bounce back, she was hiding and sleeping a lot and throwing up more hairballs. She was itchy and still constipated. She also needed her anal glands expressed yesterday but I didn't think of that being a problem because they checked them a few weeks ago when we went to the vet.

Thanks for responding and helping me understand all this.
I give it as a pill in a pill pocket.  He doesn't even know he's getting it.
 

stephenq

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Right now Peaches is eating her Wellness Turkey again and she is even cleaning her plate. That is a good sign because she was not eating much and had lost a little weight since her last visit July 18.

Sorry with all the questions but was wondering if the prednisolone makes them tired or not feel well? She still seems to sleep more then usual and I have to call her to come eat where she usually is screaming at me to feed her when she feels well. I know we just went to the vet yesterday so maybe I am expecting to much too soon.

I think I found someone to do the fluids for me but I am going to wait until next week. I am just scared to see anyone poke a big needle in her. I called the vet office and found out I have to give her fluids every other day, I must have missed the vet saying that. The lady that is going to help said she has not done this on a cat in a long time so not sure what I'm going to do.
Pred should not make him tired.  The best side effect is he should feel better.  Not having fluids could be a cause of lethargy.  I understand being scared about the needle, but try to groove on the idea that the fear is all yours, not his, and he won't mind it.  You're projecting your personal fears onto him, and while understandable is an unnecessary delay in treatment.   If you could see it in its true perspective, you should be more afraid of him not getting the fluids.
 
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snugglecat

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It was a nightmare giving fluids to Peaches. I was wondering if it's normal to have big bags of fluid like humans have at a hospital. The video it shows little bags and made it seem so much easier. Peaches cried the whole time and it was hard to get the fluid to flow in. She ended up not getting as much as we thought . I was a nervous wreck holding her and she was crying and trying to get away.

Has anyone tried the big syringe type to give fluids like in the video? I called my vet and was told those would just be more work but it didn't look that way in the video and I have to buy them. I am so afraid to do this again, could use some advice please.
 

stephenq

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It was a nightmare giving fluids to Peaches. I was wondering if it's normal to have big bags of fluid like humans have at a hospital. The video it shows little bags and made it seem so much easier. Peaches cried the whole time and it was hard to get the fluid to flow in. She ended up not getting as much as we thought . I was a nervous wreck holding her and she was crying and trying to get away.

Has anyone tried the big syringe type to give fluids like in the video? I called my vet and was told those would just be more work but it didn't look that way in the video and I have to buy them. I am so afraid to do this again, could use some advice please.
Wow i'm sorry I had no idea your cat was so difficult in giving fluids.  I've done both big syringes and bags and i wouldn't say the syringe is easier.  The bag needs to be help up by something, i tie it to a coat hanger that i hang over a convenient rod, the higher it hangs the faster in general it flows, plus the size of the needle helps.  Your cat is probably just complaining, it really doesn't hurt.
 
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