My cat's steroid shot isn't stopping her itching. Dosage or allergies?

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.

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.

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

Steroids can be indicating is allergic dermatitis but have extreme side effects when used at high doses or long term. I would not recommend this as a long term course. Any steroid over time leads to a resistance where it just won't work anymore and can lead to liver problems and diabetes in cats. Prednisolone is better tolerated and seems to work better in generally in cats compared to dexamethasone. There is a medicine called Atopica or Apoquel that is made for allergic skin disease and does what the steroids do just without the side effects and resistance, so you may be better trying one of those instead. All are prescription medicines so you will have to call your vet to see if they can fill this since they already have a medical report on her. I would stay on the hypoallergenic diet as this can take 2-3 months for max affect and treats count as far as food allergy go, so make sure those are hypoallergenic or don't give any. I would consider a treatment for mange and fleas also. It is not common in cats but causes them to be itchy and it is hard to prove and super easy to just treat to be safe.

Long acting cortisone shots wear off after 2-3 months, which is why you are seeing a return of Funnyface's itching. Steroids can be used long term, but blood and urine tests are required every six months with quarterly exams. I would speak to your vet about possible long term use of cortisone in Funnyface.

The duration of action can last anywhere from a few days to as long as 6 weeks. It will vary based on the dog's weight and metabolism. Please confirm the amount or dose with your veterinarian. An "average" dose, depending on concentration (20mg/ml or 40mg/ml) ranges between 0.25ml to 1 ml. This is a very potent steroid and long term use is not without risks. Other safer treatment options include allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, antihistamine use and food elimination trials. Consider a recheck with your veterinarian or an internal medicine specialist. There may be a correlation or Lola may have a completely different underlying condition.

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.