Does prednisolone cause dilute urine in cats? Is it bad for kidneys?

I'm so sorry to hear that Sadie is not doing well. Cats very rarely develop the side effects of increases in thirst and urination that dogs and people do while they are taking Prednisone, so I would be suspicious of another problem going on. I would recommend having your veterinarian check urine and blood samples on Sadie to evaluate for another problem before considering stopping Prednisone. Hopefully your veterinarian is able to find a solution to the problem! Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I recommend to have Rocky examined by his veterinarian. Prednisone can cause suppression of the immune system and could allow a urinary tract infection to set in. It is best to get this checked out quickly. Also, there are other methods to help cats with arthritis. Some pets do require steroids but you may try supplements and other pain medications first since steroids tend to carry more side effects. There is a supplement called Adequan that many cats do very well on. There is a medication called Gabapentin that works well for arthritis. Starting an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for pets can also be beneficial. Most pets benefit from a combination of treatment. I hope this helps.

Yes this is normal. Most urinary tract "infections" in non-geriatric cats are not caused by bacteria (antibiotics kill bacteria) but inflammation caused by stress. This is called Feline Idiopathic Cystitis. So Prednisone does two things: It takes the inflammation whch in turn takes the pain, and it is also a diuretic which helps flush the bladder. Male cats also seldom have a bacterial cystitis as the urethra is much longer than a female's urethra and therefore bacteria would have to travel much farther to get into the bladder.

A higher fluid diet should result in a lower specific gravity (she should be excreting more water than when on a drier diet). Test strips are poorly accurate for specific gravity and this should be cross-checked with a refractometer to determine the exact value especially if she has any history of urinary issues. Monitoring of the pH would be recommended as a slightly acidic urine is normal (fresh samples are required as it will change over time/storage); acidic urine helps to provide a natural barrier to infection.

The concentration of the urine depends on a number of factors, including hydration, and has to be looked at in conjunction with the overall clinical picture. I wouldn't put too much stock in that one value right now. It sounds like you are doing everything right to help Duck feel better. Here is a link on how to pill a cat http://www.hsi.org/assets/pdfs/eng_ht_pill_cat.pdf. If it is too difficult to pill Duck, ask your vet for a liquid option if possible. Cystitis can sometimes start due to stress. There are many things that you can do to help alleviate stress and help Duck feel better. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com.

Hello. I am wondering if your cat has been given any medications or received any type of anti inflammatory injection on the day if the sedation and X-ray? If so, was it a “steroid” type of drug. These types of drugs commonly cause a period of increased thirst, increased urination. Other than medication-related, there wound not be any direct correlation. Thank you

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.