How long can my 16-year-old cat live comfortably on prednisone?

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, we are legally prohibited from telling you to medicate your cat in the absence of a physical exam. It may be that the Pred may help, but there is the possibility that the symptoms are not related to a prior diagnosis/condition. Having Lincoln rechecked by your veterinarian would be the safest course of action. At the very least, contact your veterinarian and discuss the symptoms.

In a twelve year old cat with a neurologic condition, unless you are planning on moving forward with advanced diagnostics such as MRI / CT / Nerve conduction I would encourage you to keep Cali on whatever medication is working effectively for as long as you need. While there are certainly side effects for long term use of steroid drugs, they pale in comparison to the result of not having the treatment at all. Overall, there is no set or agreed upon amount of time that a cat can or cannot stay on these drugs. Long term use should certain be monitored with semi regular blood work to monitor changes in the cell counts and the liver / kidney values. Hope this answers your question.

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. Make sure both doctors know that you are giving both medications. I would continue the Doxycycline & the prednisolone until you have spoken to at least one of the vets. It sounds like Doemoe needs either skull x-rays or an MRI to properly diagnose her nasal problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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!

I would try to pill Lio with the prednisone. When medications are ground up, it's hard to know if he actually ingested the entire dose, not to mention that prednisone can be pretty bitter. I also responded to your question about Lio's x-rays. Since your vet prescribed prednisone, my guess is that they're most concerned about asthma or other inflammatory issues within the lungs. Albuterol is a bronchodilator, which is used to dilate the airways, making it easier to breathe if constriction of the airways is present. I would assume that your vet prescribed this for your other cat's coughing spells (that's typically how I prescribe it), but definitely confirm with your vet in case they have another use in mind.