My cat gets Depo shots for sneezing. Is long-term use safe for her?

If the depo medrol works, then this is likely feline asthma. Unfortunately the treatment for that is generally a gluco-corticoid, but usually as an inhaler (with fluticasone) and a broncho-dilating medication to open the airways and facilitate breathing.. There have been various treatments with other anti-asthma medications such as zaphirlucast and montelucast, however they are not licensed for cats. Here is some really good relevant information: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_information/Asthma.cfm

I wonder if the dosing they have may have been different. There is a large dosing range for Depomedrol. It is also possible that his disease is becoming worse and that the injection may not work as well as it used to. I tend to use oral dexamethasone tablets for my asthmatic cats, I like to be able to increase or decrease the dose based on how the kitty is doing. I hope this helps! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

There is an injection called depo medrol, i personally do not recommend it as potential side effects can be very serious. the better option in my opinion are tablets, prednisolone tablets for cats are very small and easily hidden in gravy or wet food. most cats eat the wet food and never even suspect there is a tablet inside. it's not a big deal if you are 1-2 hours late.

You will have to have the prescription sent to your vet for approval and it would be a good thing to talk with them about how to give it and how much it has taken in the past to keep the sign ms controlled since the dose can vary. I would be cautious if this plan long term since he is so young. This is a strong steroid that becomes less effective the more you give it and can have side effects such as diabetes, liver or kidney damage or heart failure in cats. I would look into other treatments for your allergies such a diet change or Apoquel daily

These are potential steroid side-effects. However, if your older cat has not had bloodwork recently she needs to, as she could have kidney disease or diabetes going on. I try to stay away from the depot steroid treatments like depomedrol because once the injection has been given, it can't be taken away (like pills can just be discontinued) once side-effects are noticed.

Poor Maggie. I think there has been a misunderstanding. They probably gave 20mg (milligrams) which is equal to either 0.5mL (milliliters) or 1.0mL of depo-medrol depending on the concentration your vet carries. The general dose that most vets use is 20mg depomedrol per cat every 8 weeks as needed. I seriously doubt anyone would give 20mL of this drug. Also, it could be wearing off quicker if there are more allergens causing her skin to act up. With it being the changing of the seasons, this very well could be the issue. Also make sure she is on a high quality flea preventative. One flea bite can cause a major allergic reactions in cats with her problem. If she needs another depomedrol shot, I would talk to your vet and see if they would be willing to repeat the injection as early as 6-8 weeks during high allergy season. You could also start giving her benadryl twice a day. See link below. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/#!

Thanks for the additional information! Depo-Medrol is a long-acting steroid that is often used as a symptomatic treatment for itchy skin problems in cats - if Taira has allergies or some other type of chronic skin issue, the Depo-Medrol will not cure the problem, but only relieve her symptoms for a few weeks. If the itching recurs once the steroid wears off (usually 4-6 weeks in cats), you may want to talk with your vet about options for diagnosing the skin problem and getting her started on a better long-term treatment plan. Based on these lab results, I do not see any reason for the liver supplement - I would suggest giving your vet a call to clarify this since you have some concerns about it. He/she should be able to explain why it was prescribed.