My cat has bronchitis. Is 5mg prednisone safe? Any side effects?

Cats are normally very resistant to the side effects of Prednisone, so the signs you are describing are very usual to see in cats. Was Elliot started on any other medications that may be causing these symptoms? I would definitely discuss any changes in his Prednisone dosing with his veterinarian. Sometimes we can get away with lower doses, but need to decrease the amounts carefully. We normally do not recommend decreasing the amount by more than 50% at a time, so decreasing from 1 mL twice daily to 0.5 mL once daily would be decreasing the dose by four times, which might be too extreme for Elliot (even after only 6 days on the steroid). The good news is that we do not tend to see heart problems with oral steroids (only injectible steroids), so you do not need to worry about heart problems with oral steroids. I hope that answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would try to pill Lio with the prednisone. When medications are ground up, it's hard to know if he actually ingested the entire dose, not to mention that prednisone can be pretty bitter. I also responded to your question about Lio's x-rays. Since your vet prescribed prednisone, my guess is that they're most concerned about asthma or other inflammatory issues within the lungs. Albuterol is a bronchodilator, which is used to dilate the airways, making it easier to breathe if constriction of the airways is present. I would assume that your vet prescribed this for your other cat's coughing spells (that's typically how I prescribe it), but definitely confirm with your vet in case they have another use in mind.

Yes, that is a typical decreasing dosage program. While steroids are not recommended for long term use, cats have less problems with them than dogs. Also long term use generally means many months or years. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care get answers to your veterinary questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding CJ. The amount of the drug you are giving depends on the concentration. You need to know how many milligrams of prednisone are in each milliliter you are giving. Furthermore, it depends on if he was prescribed an anti-inflammatory dose or an immunosuppressive dose of the medication. This is dependent on the condition being treated. Finally, cats should be given prednisolone. They metabolize it more effectively than prednisone. I am sorry that this dose answer your question, it more information is needed. I recommend contacting the prescribing veterinarian for more details. Thanks!

Steroids given at appropriate anti-inflammatory dosages do not give permanent and irreversible side effects (no diabetes anyway), so they can be safely given. The appropriate treatment for URI would depend on the underlying cause.

Unfortunately we cannot give you recommendation for dosage of a prescription drug online without having physically checked your dog first, this is against the law. you will have to contact your personal vet directly he might be able to give you this information over the phone.

Hello, and thanks for your question. These are very similar medications, but prednisolone is best for cats, as they are better at digesting that than prednisone. Prednisone isn't harmful, but prednisolone is better in cats. Hope this helps!