To give prednisone or wait for diet

[Allyocean]

Max, my 11 year old male, was just diagnosed with IBD via 2 ultrasounds within 6 months to rule out other diagnosis. He was prescribed prednisone. I'm worried about the side effects of prednisone.
I have a friend who used Slv3 probiotic and waited 2 weeks and has never needed to use the prednisone for her IBD cat. I'm afraid of not doing right by him. Vet said prednisone will take about 30 days to work. Friend said about 2-3 weeks for hydrolyzed diet and probiotic to work. Side effects of pred seem harsh. What should I do?

 

[luda macka]

I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do regarding medications, or even about your friend's advice. HOWEVER, what I can tell you is that if you feel like you aren't doing right by your cat- you can and should take him to another veterinarian for a second opinion. Especially if you feel like you have trouble trusting your current vet 100%.

 

[LTS3]

What works for one cat may not work the same for another. Follow the advice of your vet, not your friend and what her vet recommends for her cat.

I would start both pred and diet at the same time. The pred will take care of the inflammation which is likely very painful to the cat. Some cats start to feel better within a week or so but others may take longer and the vet may advise starting other medications to control symptoms. My IBD cat was on a few different medicines after the diagnosis but is now only taking a small dose of pred every other day. He gets Cerenia if needed for anti-nausea during a flare up.

For most cats, the side effects of pred are diabetes-like: increased drinking and urination and hunger, slightly elevated blood glucose levels. This will be apparent on a high dose of pred. Many cats start at a high dose for a period of time before the dose is slowly tapered off. The side effects do go away on lower doses of pred. Most cats only need a short course of pred as needed. Daily long term use can cause diabetes in some cats but diabetes is easily managed in cats with insulin and diet.

Here are two web sites with more info on treating IBD:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

www.ibdkitties.net

Feline IBD - Healing can happen!

Address the root cause of IBD in your cat. Treat inflammation and gut dysbiosis with proper tools to restore health, not just manage symptoms.

www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org

 

[pawdre]

I can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do regarding medications, or even about your friend's advice. HOWEVER, what I can tell you is that if you feel like you aren't doing right by your cat- you can and should take him to another veterinarian for a second opinion. Especially if you feel like you have trouble trusting your current vet 100%.

Yes, definitely get a second opinion if you’re still having doubts. Make sure you read the reviews on whatever vet you do decide to take your fur baby to.

 

[Islandsportivo]

Try with the diet first.

 

[stephanietx]

I would start with the prednisone. Prednisone is an anti-inflammatory and it will help settle the GI tract and make it easier for the food to it. Also inflammation is very painful, so staring the prednisone will help your kitty start feeling better and relieve some of the pain it's currently experiencing. It also will stimulate your kitty to eat (in most cases this is true for people, too). If the intestines are inflamed, your kitty is less likely to want to eat.

For the most part with IBD kitties, diet alone will not treat the problem. It will drastically help, but there is always the chance of a flare up and you will need a course of prednisone to calm things down again.