Other than cats are much more tolerant of long term use of steroids than humans, horses or dogs, I don’t have much to offer. Xena has been gone for about 9+ years so my memory of how fast the depomedrol kicked in is hazy, but I think it was 24-48 hours. In her case she was already on prednisolone for a persistent upper respiratory … something. Runny nose, sneezles, coughing. Pretty atypical for a cat from a respectable breeder/closed cattery and lifelong housecat (meaning it was unlikely she would have been exposed to FeLV/FIV or some of the more aggressive upper respiratory viruses seen in cats. When I switched to depomedrol so (mostly because I could give her the shot and it was overall easier than prednisolone, as well as more effective) so I would expect a faster response.
I would expect that you’re seeing max results from the depo medrol injection at 72+ hours in. I’m not a vet of course, but that’s been my experience. Also wouldn’t be surprised if, like with other steroids, your kitty acts hungry, drinks more and urinates more. It’s usually not as challenging in cats as dogs since dogs have to go outside to urinate so most cat owners don’t report it being problematic.
If I had to get out my crystal ball, I’d be thinking FELV or lymphoma. Has he been tested for FELV/FIP?
My gut is saying that this doesn’t sound like a food allergy BUT I doubt it could hurt to put him on a novel protein limited ingredient diet. I highly recommend Natural Balance venison wet food - it’s surprisingly affordable and has the least extra ingredients.
I saw results almost immediately.
If you go the novel protein route, it can take up to 6 weeks to really see a difference. It’s not a quick process.
PS: In my head, I was all “I know how to say Willamette” Spent some time there this summer and loved it. Totally OT, I know, but what a neat place.
[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;8331790]
If you go the novel protein route, it can take up to 6 weeks to really see a difference. It’s not a quick process.
PS: In my head, I was all “I know how to say Willamette” Spent some time there this summer and loved it. Totally OT, I know, but what a neat place.[/QUOTE]
I don’t think that’s necessarily the case for a breathing issue.
I think it took maybe a week or two to see a response with novel protein? I can tell you for certain that it takes maybe 3-4 times of getting into some chicken in a week for the one I have now to start hacking!
Her sister’s asthma was worse, and it was managed with depo before we did novel protein. She got depo sub q every other month or once a quarter. She was VERY well controlled that way, and the vet thought it was curious that she needed it so infrequently. She stopped needing the depo at all once I switched her to EVO venison. I’m unsure what she’s eating now, as she went to go live with a friend and we’ve not specifically caught up on her in a little while.
I feed Wild Calling–buffalo to the tricky one and chicken for the others. Hound and Gatos was also great, if you can find it…used their rabbit for a long time, but had supply issues and had to switch.
[QUOTE=BuddyRoo;8331790]
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PS: In my head, I was all “I know how to say Willamette” Spent some time there this summer and loved it. Totally OT, I know, but what a neat place.[/QUOTE]
Randomly OT: Well, the vet implicated out changing weather in the rearing of Cat Asthma’s ugly head. The weather here is great— bright and sunny in the day and a little crispy and cold at night. This is “getting bucked off” weather-- excellent and refreshing for Man and Beast.
Thanks for the steroid tutorial and ideas about food allergies. No word on the x-rays yet, which probably means they found nothing. That’s great in the grand scheme of things! CatFluffWithTooMuchLongHair doesn’t act like a cat sick enough to have lung cancer… on top of others tumors.
She now gets good quality, fish-only wet food. She and my other cat have said NO to paté and Cheap Lame Bird Flavors of wet food. That was the cats’ term for the expensive cans of wet food which they sampled and rejected.
She does get “has grain in it” dry food, so I’ll consider taking that out.
Kitteh’s cough attacks are getting less frequent. But they seem ferocious to me when they do occur. I guess their diminishing frequency counts as the Depo-Medrol working.
Hey, fall is a big ol’ allergy season for most of the world. Spring is for pollen - pine and flowers. Fall is for everything else (deciduous trees, grasses and weeds). Labor day is THE magic day it all kicks in (at least down here in the South)
[QUOTE=DMK;8335172]
Hey, fall is a big ol’ allergy season for most of the world. Spring is for pollen - pine and flowers. Fall is for everything else (deciduous trees, grasses and weeds). Labor day is THE magic day it all kicks in (at least down here in the South)[/QUOTE]
I did.not.know.that, having superior, relaxed DNA and all. I’m not an allergy expert. But I do think it’s a “rip off” that an obligate carnivore can be allergic to chicken. Who made that plan?
Kitteh continues to improve, meaning her coughing fits are getting less frequent and I even think that they are each shorter in duration.
I would go grain free and get on a novel protein if it’s doable for you. It really can’t hurt and it’s just one more thing you can proactively rule out.
Any update on the xray?
