Why would prednisolone cause high white blood cells in my pet?

Hello, the elevations of the cells is very mild. It appears that she may have a mild infection, given that his eosinophils are high, the most likely cause may be associated with parasites. The medications should not cause the white blood cells to go up, instead, it should help decrease their number. Speak with your veterinarian about checking his stool for parasites and consider deworming him as well. Also check for heart worm disease. Hope this helps and best of luck.

You have a very valid question. Here is the problem, your kitty does not have a diagnosis for why the cell counts were low. This makes it difficult to know how to taper meds like pred nor how long to provide treatment. Has your kitty been tested for feline leukemia/FIV? Was there any additonal testing done other than a CBC? It really would be important for you to discuss your concerns with your family vet who should be open to a discussion about a med that can have long term side effects. We typically do slowly taper drugs like pred for several reasons and your vet will be able to tell you why he or she picked that particular tapering schedule. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

High white cell counts indicate inflammation or infection and yes, IBD can contribute. IF she seems back to herself you could continue with the new diet and retest in 3-4weeks to see if the white count is returning to normal. Intestinal biopsies are not without risk and if she has stabilised on the new diet I would be include to continue and monitor

Hello. If the blood appeared after you started the prednisolone, then it is possible that it may be irritating the colon. Since I do not know why the steroid was prescribed to your cat, do not stop the medication until you talk to your veterinarian tomorrow. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Well, a high white blood cell count in the absence of anything else is not always significant. Often times, particularly at a veterinary office, the white blood cell count (the neutrophils in particular) can increase above normal from stress. Also, there is some variation from cat to cat, where small elevations above normal may not always have any significance. If the white blood cell elevation is real and significant, it is an indication of some type of inflammation occurring somewhere inside of the body. This is usually due to some type of bacterial/viral/fungal/parasitic infection or bodily injury. In other cases, we can also see it with certain toxins and even cancers. Without more information regarding your cat, it would be hard to say if this is a significant finding. If your cat is completely healthy and your vet has determined this, the white blood cell count is probably insignificant at this time.

I'm so sorry that you are dealing with this with Cosita. Thank you for including a picture. She is adorable. I am attaching a link below to a handout on IBD. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=598 The end of that handout specifically addresses your concern. The problem with doing steroids is that it decreases the inflammation in the intestines and will likely make Cosita feel better, but if her disease is due to cancer (lymphoma), putting her on prednisone will make it harder to diagnose and treat her cancer later. "Lymphoma is temporarily responsive to prednisone but better responses can be obtained from stronger chemotherapy agents. Exposure to prednisone will make the lymphoma much more difficult to diagnose should biopsies be obtained later. Plus, exposure to prednisone can lead to resistance to other medications. (This is less of a problem for cats, but in dogs even a few days of prednisone can make a lasting remission impossible to achieve.)" There is nothing wrong with starting her on steroids, but you have to understand that it will limit your treatment and diagnostic options in the future if the steroids do not help. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answers your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Inflammatory bowel disease is an immune-mediated problem, in which the immune system attacks the cells of the intestines and causes inflammation, thickening, poor absorption of nutrients, etc. Prednisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory drug, and also has immuno-suppressive effects at higher doses. Both of these characteristics are useful in treating IBD.