Is Prednisolone safe for my senior cat's joint pain? What are options?

Poor Kitty! Since she is already 17 years old and she is having such a tough time with her inflammation in her GI tract, I think steroids will be the best choice for her. If her blood work looks okay now, then I think she can tolerate the steroids. Unfortunately, if you don't put her on steroids the lymphoma or IBD may continue to get worse. It is true the steroids will not CURE lymphoma, but it certainly give her a better quality of life right now. It could keep the IBD under control and eventually you may be able to decrease her steroid dose to a lower dose. The concerns of long term steroids are much lower since she is already geriatric. If she was 4 or 7 years old, then I would be much more worried with starting her on long term steroids at that time. At the age of 17, our goal is to give Kitty are good quality of life. If you want more options about the lymphoma and interested in seeing an oncologist, I would ask your vet for a referral for a oncology consult. 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

Unfortunately, by law it is illegal for the experts at Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to recommend using any drug without seeing the animal in person first. That's because doing so requires a veterinary client patient relationship which cannot be achieved via an internet forum. In addition, the experts cannot say for certain if a specific drug is safe for Rudy. I strongly urge you not to give him the prednisone, as they can only be given to cats under specific situations and if they are heathy. Give his vet a call to let them know he is in pain, and you can see if they can prescribe some pain medication for him. Best of luck.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Buster is having some aches and pains. A very safe pain medication that we prescribe regularly in cats (and dogs) is called gabapentin. It is a neuropathic pain medication but can be very effective for the treatment of mild to moderate chronic pain, such as that from arthritis or other chronic illness. It is safe on the heart and kidneys; side effects include mild sedation. I recommend asking your veterinarian if he/she can prescribe gabapentin for Buster. There is a liquid form of the medication, which is helpful in cats. I hope this is helpful - best of luck with Buster!

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.

Is there a reason you want to stop the prednisone? I would recommend not stopping it and if you feel it is better to stop the prednisone then I would recommend weaning off of the prednisone. I would discuss how to wean the prednisone with your veterinarian. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center.

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.