Question about long term cortisone usage

larsan

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Gizmo has been on Depo Medrol shots for a very long time for his allergies. We have found nothing else to help his allergy breakouts. We have tried various things over the years with no results. We have taken him to a feline dermatologist, had the skin tests, he took the allergin shots all to no avail.

So my question here is what is going to happen. I know we are shortening his life but I want him to be happy and not suffering with itchy, open sores. The shots clear up his problems for the short term.

What will it look like when/ if he eventually goes into kidney failure? Right now he's still a normal, happy boy. He eats well, but not excessively. Uses his litter box, plays with his sister, cuddles, purrs, etc. but I am noticing I cannot keep a good weight on him. He needs to gain weight! I am feeding him 3 times a day, good quality wet food.

I know I will be told to take him to the vet if I'm concerned, and when we return "home" in late October, we will be doing that. But in the meantime I am wondering what to be looking for just to be prepared and informed.

Thank you for any advice you can give me.
 

red top rescue

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My vet told me years ago that cats can tolerate cortisone much better than humans or dogs, and I've had several on depo-medrol for many years due to outbreaks of stomatitis.  The shots last anywhere from one month to two months and keep the cats comfortable so they can eat.  I have one cat who is 15 years old and has been on depo-medrol off and on for 10 of those years.  So far, she's just fine.  In fact, she doesn't seem to need it a often as she did when she first gt the stomatitis.  I have another one who came from the shelter with stomatitis,  He was about 3 years old then and now he's about 6 years old.  He gets the depo-medrol about once a month.  Without it, I would probably have to put him down because the pain gets very severe, as it was when we got him out of the shelter.  He wouldnt eat at all.  He has a good life now. Tose are the only two cats that I currently have with stomatitis.  Many, many years ago I had two brothers with it and followed their vet's advice to get all their teeth removed, even the canines.  I did that with both cats.  For one, it cured his stomatitis and he went on to live to about 18 years of age, when he went into kidney failure.  It was not so successful in the second one, and within a month or so, he had to go back on the depo-medrol.  After about a year, even the depo-medrol was not controlling his stomatitis and I put him to sleep.  Since we only had 50% success rate with the tooth removal, I elected to just try the depo-medrol with the others.  Only time will tell, or course, but my firm belief is that it's QUALITY of life that counts, not QUANTITY, so as long as the depo-medrol keeps them comfortable and controls the flare-ups, I will continue to use it.  Stomatitis is thought to be an allergy too, so since it helps Gizmo, that's wonderful.  My 15-year-old female got thin for awhile, but now she has gained back the weight.  She is less active than she used to be, and I feed her just about anything she will eat, including lots of fresh cooked chicken, gravy, salmon etc. to keep her interested in food.  Maybe you can get Gizmo to add some of these nice high fat treats into his diet.  It sounds like he has a great life with you.
 

denice

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My kitty has been on steroid pills for 3 1/2 years.  The main issue with long term use is diabetes and there is a difference between steroids.  My kitty started on prednisolone and was switched to dexamethasone because of supply issues with the pred.  We just kept him on the dex rather than switching back.  He gets a liver panel every 6 months and the last one his blood sugar was high.  We switched him back to the pred, rechecked his blood sugar a month later and it was normal.

There are risks with any medication.  It's a matter of does the benefits outweigh the risk.
 
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larsan

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My vet told me years ago that cats can tolerate cortisone much better than humans or dogs, and I've had several on depo-medrol for many years due to outbreaks of stomatitis.  The shots last anywhere from one month to two months and keep the cats comfortable so they can eat.  I have one cat who is 15 years old and has been on depo-medrol off and on for 10 of those years.  So far, she's just fine.  In fact, she doesn't seem to need it a often as she did when she first gt the stomatitis.  I have another one who came from the shelter with stomatitis,  He was about 3 years old then and now he's about 6 years old.  He gets the depo-medrol about once a month.  Without it, I would probably have to put him down because the pain gets very severe, as it was when we got him out of the shelter.  He wouldnt eat at all.  He has a good life now. Tose are the only two cats that I currently have with stomatitis.  Many, many years ago I had two brothers with it and followed their vet's advice to get all their teeth removed, even the canines.  I did that with both cats.  For one, it cured his stomatitis and he went on to live to about 18 years of age, when he went into kidney failure.  It was not so successful in the second one, and within a month or so, he had to go back on the depo-medrol.  After about a year, even the depo-medrol was not controlling his stomatitis and I put him to sleep.  Since we only had 50% success rate with the tooth removal, I elected to just try the depo-medrol with the others.  Only time will tell, or course, but my firm belief is that it's QUALITY of life that counts, not QUANTITY, so as long as the depo-medrol keeps them comfortable and controls the flare-ups, I will continue to use it.  Stomatitis is thought to be an allergy too, so since it helps Gizmo, that's wonderful.  My 15-year-old female got thin for awhile, but now she has gained back the weight.  She is less active than she used to be, and I feed her just about anything she will eat, including lots of fresh cooked chicken, gravy, salmon etc. to keep her interested in food.  Maybe you can get Gizmo to add some of these nice high fat treats into his diet.  It sounds like he has a great life with you.
My vet told me years ago that cats can tolerate cortisone much better than humans or dogs, and I've had several on depo-medrol for many years due to outbreaks of stomatitis.  The shots last anywhere from one month to two months and keep the cats comfortable so they can eat.  I have one cat who is 15 years old and has been on depo-medrol off and on for 10 of those years.  So far, she's just fine.  In fact, she doesn't seem to need it a often as she did when she first gt the stomatitis.  I have another one who came from the shelter with stomatitis,  He was about 3 years old then and now he's about 6 years old.  He gets the depo-medrol about once a month.  Without it, I would probably have to put him down because the pain gets very severe, as it was when we got him out of the shelter.  He wouldnt eat at all.  He has a good life now. Tose are the only two cats that I currently have with stomatitis.  Many, many years ago I had two brothers with it and followed their vet's advice to get all their teeth removed, even the canines.  I did that with both cats.  For one, it cured his stomatitis and he went on to live to about 18 years of age, when he went into kidney failure.  It was not so stuccessful in the second one, and within a month or so, he had to go back on the depo-medrol.  After about a year, even the depo-medrol was not controlling his stomatitis and I put him to sleep.  Since we only had 50% success rate with the tooth removal, I elected to just try the depo-medrol with the others.  Only time will tell, or course, but my firm belief is that it's QUALITY of life that counts, not QUANTITY, so as long as the depo-medrol keeps them comfortable and controls the flare-ups, I will continue to use it.  Stomatitis is thought to be an allergy too, so since it helps Gizmo, that's wonderful.  My 15-year-old female got thin for awhile, but now she has gained back the weight.  She is less active than she used to be, and I feed her just about anything she will eat, including lots of fresh cooked chicken, gravy, salmon etc. to keep her interested in food.  Maybe you can get Gizmo to add some of these nice high fat treats into his diet.  It sounds like he has a great life with you.
Thank you. You have greatly relieved my mind. I'm in total agreement...I'm far more concerned with his quality of life although we would love to have quality and quantity if possible.

I am going to my daughters this weekend where they have a very good pet food store so I will be looking for more high calorie goodies for him. And I will be trying the fresh cooked chicken and things like that for him as well.
 
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larsan

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My kitty has been on steroid pills for 3 1/2 years.  The main issue with long term use is diabetes and there is a difference between steroids.  My kitty started on prednisolone and was switched to dexamethasone because of supply issues with the pred.  We just kept him on the dex rather than switching back.  He gets a liver panel every 6 months and the last one his blood sugar was high.  We switched him back to the pred, rechecked his blood sugar a month later and it was normal.

There are risks with any medication.  It's a matter of does the benefits outweigh the risk.
Thank you. When we get back to our vet we will be doing the liver panel and checking sugars and whatever else he thinks we need to test.

We don't want him to have an unhappy life, so it guess this is just the route we have to take.
 
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