Kitten scratching, got Depo-Medrol. Will the itching come back?

Hi there! Based on what you've told us here, I'm not sure why a liver supplement would have been recommended. Depo-Medrol injections are a common treatment choice for skin issues such as allergies, so this makes sense given her symptoms. A low neutrophil count doesn't really have anything to do with the liver, so I wonder if there may have been some other abnormal values on Taira's lab work that your vet was concerned about. Since you aren't quite sure why this was recommended, I would suggest calling the vet to discuss - he/she should be happy to explain the reasoning behind it. Since pilling Taira is difficult and stressful for both of you, he/she may also be able to suggest an alternative option that would be easier to manage if a supplement is still needed.

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/#!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.