Cat inflammation: Are prednisone side effects like diabetes permanent?

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.

5 mg is within the dose range for prednisone use in cats. It is typically given on a tapering (decreasing) dose. You may see increased thirst and urination, increased appetite or even panting. These side effects will resolve once the medication is finished.

Yes all of those medications can be given together. It will be important to consider other treatment options for the IBD if he is diabetic. Steroids will make it more difficult to manage the Diabetes. There are other types of steroids and/or options for IBD if needed. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

In cats, URI are typically caused by a virus, not bacteria, so antibiotics will have no effect. That is likely why the vet did not prescribe Sweetie any antibiotics. They wouldn't work and using antibiotics when it's not called for results in decreased sensitivity to antibiotics and possible resistance. Albuterol relaxes the smooth muscle in the airways and provides relief from obstructive airway diseases, such as asthma. Albuterol belongs to a class of drugs called bronchodilators. Prednisolone is a corticosteroid, and it's used to help with inflammation. I hope this helps!

Given her age, steroid side effects from long term use tend to become less of a risk if the benefits are clearly improving her quality of life. Depending on the nature of the growth, low level chemotherapy medications may provide an opportunity to halt growth or even reduce the mass but this would require assessment by a specialist

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.

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.