My cat's itching is back. How often can he safely get cortisone shots?

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/#!

Hello. This is an indication that Tigs is allergic to something in his environment, be it pollen, dust mites, possibly even his food. Cortisone can keep his symptoms under control, but over time there can be side effects from multiple steroid injections. You could try allergy testing to see what Tigs may be allergic to & start a desensitization protocol. This can take some time, so it is best to work with a veterinary dermatologist to get the best results. If he might be having some issues with his food, then a trial with a hypoallergenic diet may be appropriate. Make sure you are doing as good a job as you can controlling fleas as this is a major cause if skin irritation in cats. The important thing to know is we can not cure allergies, just control the symptoms. Steroid injections ( cortisone ) are just one tool to help keep the symptoms under control. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

We don't have good data on how long these types of steroid shots last, and often it will only treat minor causes of inflammation and does not treat the primary cause. You should call your vet to say that your cat is again licking and discuss diagnostic testing or other treatments. Common causes of licking in cats include allergies, fleas, and mites. Other possible causes can be related to autoimmune disease, neurologic disease, diabetes, etc. The vet may recommend blood work or x-rays based on what they think may be going on.

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.

In a twelve year old cat with a neurologic condition, unless you are planning on moving forward with advanced diagnostics such as MRI / CT / Nerve conduction I would encourage you to keep Cali on whatever medication is working effectively for as long as you need. While there are certainly side effects for long term use of steroid drugs, they pale in comparison to the result of not having the treatment at all. Overall, there is no set or agreed upon amount of time that a cat can or cannot stay on these drugs. Long term use should certain be monitored with semi regular blood work to monitor changes in the cell counts and the liver / kidney values. Hope this answers your question.

No, I don't recommend to start giving him the medication again. It may not be good anymore. Also, long term steroids are not ideal as they can cause problems in the body. There are other methods to address itching. Ideally, you would figure out the underlying cause. The four main causes of itchiness are allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Comfortis. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. There is a drug called Atopica that is better for allergies. There is also the option of immunotherapy. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the itching should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Tucker wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Depending on where it is. I prefer cortisone cream and use a very thin film on the spot, and rub it in well. If your cat can lick the area you need to use a cone as it is not good for them to lick lot if it. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Boy.