Pepper May Have Allergies or Something Worse

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi everyone. Pepper has been having sneezing attacks and also the sniffles. I took him to the vet last Tuesday because his sneezing had gotten worse and he had stopped eating and drinking. The vet couldn't tell if it was viral, bacterial, or just allergies. He gave him a cortisone shot and some IV fluids and also a presciption for interferron and antibiotics.
When I got home from work on Tues., Pepper was doing much better. He had stopped sneezing and also had a lot of energy. On Wed. he also started drinking and eating again. I thought that the worst was over. By Friday he had the sniffles again and by Sunday night he was getting sneezing attacks again. This morning both of his eyes were also tearing. He has a blocked tear duct in his right eye so this eye always tears but now the left eye is also tearing.
I called the vet and told him that I thought that it was some kind of an allergy. We decided to try an allergy medicine for a week. The name of the medicine is Prednisolone and he gets half a tablet two times a day. The vet said that I should see an improvement in 2 days if it is allergies. I sure hope that this works. He was so sick last year that I thought that I'd lose him. He developed megacolon and is now on lactulose 2 times a day for the rest of his life.
He's such a sweet cat and I hate to see him so miserable. I sure hope that he'll get better soon. Please pray for him. Thanks everyone.

[Nomilynn]

I'm so sorry to hear about Pepper.. I really hope he feels better soon!!!! Please keep us updated!!!

[jenluckenbach]

Oh, poor sweet pepper!!! You can't be sick:( ....I will be thinking good thought s in your direction.;) Hopefully the medicine will do the trick. Best of luck and keep us updated.

[neko1]

Poor thing, I hope everything goes well. It is allergy season for pets, so maybe that is the problem.
good luck!! and feel better soon sweetie-puss!

[Felicia's Mom]

Poor Pepper.:( I will be praying for him.

[smokey the elder]

Poor Pepper! I hope he feels better.

Please be careful with the prednisone. It's a steroid. Like in people prolonged use can cause problems.

Pepper, you be a good boy and take your meds.

[ChrisH]

Poor Pepper. I hope the medicine works and he feel better soon. Prayers said, and positive thoughts sent, for the sweet boy.

[Cataholic]

Oh, Pepper, I hope you are back to feeling better soon! Maybe it is just the season for it? Is anything else different in the house? Detergents? Floor wash? Litter? I would look a bit deeper into this...maybe it is something easy to remedy? Good luck, good thoughts and prayers are coming from us!

[krazyaboutkatz]

So far Pepper doesn't seem to be any better. He's still sneezing and sniffling and his eyes are watering. The only two things that are different around here are that I had the carpets cleaned about 2 weeks ago and I have a new roommate. I mentioned these to the vet but he said it could be almost anything. The carpet cleaner was biodegradable and safe for pets. If he's still the same tomorrow I'll call the vet again. I'm supposed to check in with him any way to let him know if the allergy meds are working or not. The vet stays open until 8pm tomorrow so I'll wait until I get home from work to call. Please keep the prayers coming. Thank you.

[Nomilynn]

I wonder if the roomate uses a soap or something that bugs him? I sure hope he gets better soon! We are all praying for him here!!

[Uabassoon]

I hope Pepper starts getting better soon.

[emily_the_spoiled]

The prednisolone that was prescribed for Pepper is not actually an anti-histamine (which is normally used for allergies). If you believe it is allergies maybe you should ask/(demand) from the vet an actual anti-histamine. I know that there have been a couple of threads here that talked about using Allerga or Zyrtec for cats (and it seems to work). Clariten should be available over-the-counter (i.e. in the drug store) in about a month, so you might want to try something like that. If you are going to ask for an anti-histamine make sure that you avoid anything with a decongestant (e.g. Clariten D), it could make Pepper ABSOLUTELY wired for hours and hours.

I hope that everything goes okay for him :)

[NoahsMommy]

My poor Pepper! I'm so sorry I missed this thread!

Dear God,

Could you please be with our sweet Pepper through this yucky cold/allergy thing? Please help the vet fix the problem and get him back to normal. He is a special little guy.

Thank you Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.

[Pam]

I am just now reading this for the first time and apologize for missing it. I hope the vet will be able to find the root cause quickly. You had said "prednisolone" was the medicine and I think others may be confusing it with Prednisone (a steroid). I am assuming the prednisolone is an allergy medicine?

Anyway, no matter what the medicine, I certainly hope that Pepper will get some relief quickly. Give him a kiss on his cute little furry head from me and my gang and please do keep us posted. {{{hugs to Pepper}}}

[Miss Meow]

I missed it too. I'm so sorry to hear about Pepper. Get well little furry boy and stop worrying your mummy.

Can you keep us updated on his progress?

[krazyaboutkatz]

Here's an update on Pepper. He seemed to have a bit more energy this morning. He's also eating and drinking but he still gets sneezing attacks and his nose is still stuffy. He's a terrible pill taker so I tried a trick that a lady at work used to do with her cat. I bought some cream cheese and rolled the pill in that and then dropped it down his throat. He managed to lick off all the cream cheese and spit the pill out the first time but swallowed it the second time. He also seemed to enjoy it more. Maybe in time he'll learn to love taking his pill.
Here's some info about Prednisolone. It says that it's a cortisone medication and in dogs and to a lesser extent in cats, this medication will cause an increase in thirst, urination, and appetite. I should give him plenty of water but feed him normally. I think that it might be a generic for prednisone but I'm not sure. I'm going to call the vet on Friday and I'll ask about using an antihistamine. Thanks for all the get well wishes everyone.

[Randi]

Sorry, I missed this thread also! :( I've had Fister to deal with lately.

I hope Pepper is feeling much better now, we'll be sending good thoughts his way and keep our fingers crossed for him! :)

Fister had Prednisolon pills last year - also 1/2 two times a day, I think it was for about a week. You will probably notice, he'll get a bit rounder during this, but don't worry! When he stops taking them, he'll be back to normal soon after. I don't think cats (or anyone) are supposed to be taking these pills for vey long, but your vet will surely know!

Pepper, I hope for a speedy recovery - get well soon!! :)

[jenluckenbach]

Has Pepper been checked for asthma? I do not have personal experience with it, and I do not know how hard it is to diagnose, but it's a question worth asking.
I am suspecting a connection between the room mate and the sneezing. Is there anything (hair spray, cologne, laudry products, powder, soap, room deodorizer....) that he might be reacting to?

[emily_the_spoiled]

Good morning,

I am glad that Pepper is doing a little better this morning. You are correct, Prednisolone is a type of steroid (similar to Prednisone). If Pepper had asthma, the Prednisolone would have made a significant difference in his breathing, etc. From the sounds of his reaction to the Prednisolone and the continuation of the sneezing problems, it is likely he has allergies. I hope the vet will provide him something that helps.

P.S. FYI, in human medications there is a liquid form of Prednisone. For those cats that don't like taking pills this maybe another option...

[krazyaboutkatz]

Pepper seems to be a little better today. He's not sneezing as much but his nose is still stuffy. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow to let him know how Pepper is doing. Since I've been rolling his pills in cream cheese, it's been quite easy to give them to him. The only problem is that Storm thinks that he should also have some cream cheese. I'll let you know what the vet says tomorrow.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Here's an update on Pepper. Since my vet wasn't in until today, the other vet suggested that I use a vaporizer over the weekend. This seems to help him some but later his nose becomes stuffy again. I finally talked to my vet this am and he recommended that we do bloodwork and a nose swab. Now he's off of the predisolone and is only taking interferron. He goes to the vet this Wed. at 9am. I have to fast him for 12 hours prior to this. It shouldn't be a problem since my cats are usually finished with their food by 8pm anyway. There will be a slight problem in the morning because I'll have to fast all three of them. When I get back from the vets I'll feed all of them. I sure hope that these tests will tell me something. I hate not knowing what the problem is. Please say some prayers for Pepper. Thank you.

[Nomilynn]

Pepper will continiue to be in my prayers, and my kitties are even fasting with him!! (not by thier choice though!!)

Please let us know how he's doing

[jenluckenbach]

Prayers to Pepper. and {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

[ChrisH]

Keeping Pepper in my prayers.

Hugs.

[AmberLee]

Yow. I'd missed this thread. Sure hope the little lovebug is feeling better soon. Fingers (and paws) crossed here for him.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks for the prayers everyone. I probably won't know any results until Fri. or Sat. I sure hope that I don't have to wait until Monday. Pepper's nose is very stuffy tonight. He still has an appetite and is drinking. I have the vaporizer going right now and he's lying in his box near it. I think he knows that this helps him. I'll give you an update as soon as I know something.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Pepper had his bloodwork and nasal swab done today. He was a very good cat. He didn't even cry in the car like he usually does. He's now on another type of antibiotic until I can get the results of his tests. It's called Clindamycin Hydrochloride Drops and it's a fairly strong antibiotic that kills several types of bacteria. I should find out the blood results by Fri. am and the nasal swab by Sat. or Mon. I hope they can tell us what is wrong with him.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Here's another update on Pepper. He seems to be doing much better. Maybe he has a bacterial infection after all. I'm still using the vaporizer at night, I also like it for myself, and he's on his new medicine. I should find out about his blood work results tomorrow. I sure hope that everything is normal.

[jenluckenbach]

good news that he is feeling better. I sure hope the blood work comes back OK.

[ChrisH]

Glad to hear Pepper is feeling a bit better:) Prayers sent, and fingers and paws crossed, that the blood works results are good.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Pepper's bloodwork came back fine. The vet did say that the part about his liver was slightly elevated but that it's nothing to worry about. I think it might be due to fasting him for 12 hours. I still havent received the results of his nasal swab. I called today and they are still pending. Hopefully I'll get the results on Monday. BTW Pepper began sneezing again. He sneezed a few times Friday morning and had a small sneezing attack this afternoon. I don't think he's out of the woods yet.

[jenluckenbach]

Well the blood work is good news:) but not knowing yet really stinks:( Poor Pepper.
Have you noticed a pattern? It still could be an allergy to a new product.

[krazyaboutkatz]

No, I haven't noticed any patterns with his sneezing. I haven't used any new cleaning products either. I'm baffled. :confused:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Another update on Pepper: I finally got the results from the nasal swab test. He has a bacterial infection and has to take Baytril pills for 2 weeks. I have to give him 1 pill 2 times a day. I'm glad that I learned the trick of rolling it in cream cheese first. Pepper likes the taste and the pill will also go down his throat easier. I sure hope that this medicine works. He's been through so much. I still don't understand how an indoor cat can get a bacterial infection. I start giving him the pills tomorrow. Wish me luck.

[Uabassoon]

Good luck with the pills tomorrow. I hope it clears up his infection.

[jenluckenbach]

It is goo to now know, and this should be so much easier than if it were an allergy. Pepper, you should be right on the road to recovery. Please make it a speedey trip.

[emily_the_spoiled]

Hi, about a year ago Emily had a UTI that just wouldn't clear up. Finally the vet prescribed Baytril and it took care of the problem (with no more recurrences). So I hope that Pepper is as good as Emily and finishes everything up and doesn't have any more problems. :)

[ChrisH]

Good luck with the pills. Prayers that they work and Pepper is feeling better very soon.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I'm so sorry to hear that Pepper hasn't been feeling well. :( But I'm so glad they've finally figured out what's wrong, and now he can be on the road to recovery.

Be a good boy now Pepper and eat all your pills so you feel better real quick! :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Pepper was doing fine until the last few days. He's been having loose stools so I stopped giving him his lactulose medicine which is a laxative for his megacolon. He's also not eating or drinking like he normally does. I've been working a lot lately so I haven't been able to watch him much but I'll watch him tomorrow and I'm going to call the vet on Monday morning. I sure hope it's nothing serious. I'm also forcing water down him throat so he doesn't get too dehydrated. I hate seeing him not feeling well. :(

[jenluckenbach]

Oh poor Pepper, hang in there buddy. We'll get to the bottom of this terribly thing you've got. Just know that a lot of people are praying for you to get better so hopefully relief will be on its way soon.
Tracey, Whip that vet into shape. We've got to know what's wrong with that special guy!!!!!!!(just a tiny bit of humor to keep you going until Monday)

[smokey the elder]

Oh, poor Pepper! Chin up, kid. Hugz coming over cyberspace to you and your meowmie.

[Cataholic]

Pepper- you poor thing..I wonder if the antibiotic is making you sick? I hope you and mommie figure it out soon!!! Hugs to you and your bunch.:)

[krazyaboutkatz]

I did see Pepper eat and drink at least once today. So far I haven't noticed any more loose stools but he just threw up a few minutes ago. It was some food that he must have just eaten. As soon as I know anything more, I'll be sure to post an update. He does seem to be acting fairly normally though. He's been more frisky today and he also wanted his daily loving from me.

[Nomilynn]

I really hope everything works out. Keep up the friskiness, Pepper!!! Hugs from Bassett, Tilly and Nutmeg - that's right.. all three girlies sending you loves!! :D

[Kater]

I'll be praying for sweet Pepper. :)

[emily_the_spoiled]

Hi, if Pepper is still taking the Baytril it is quite possible that it has caused the nausea, vomiting and loose stools. Those are all potential side effects for this particular type of antibiotic. Hopefully he now has enough in his system that it will take care of the infection and maybe you will be able to stop it...:confused:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Here's another update on Pepper. I talked to his vet this morning and he told me to stop giving him the Baytril and I started giving him his lactulose again this morning. The problem is that I haven't seen Pepper use the litterbox since Sat. morning. I don't think that he's eating either. I'm afraid that he's become constipated again. The vet said to bring him in if I didn't see any change in him. Unless he suddenly improves tonight or early tomorrow morning, I'm going to take him to the vet tomorrow. The vet said that if he's constipated again that he must be seen within 72 hours. I tried to give him some cat treats tonight to see if he'd eat. He begged and became excited but he wouldn't eat anything. :( My roommate also said that he hasn't moved much all day and she never saw him use the litterbox. :( He may need another kitty enema.:eek: Yuck! It always seems that whenever Pepper gets sick that he always has complications and so it takes so long for him to recover. :(

[jenluckenbach]

Tracey, I do not want to scare you, but talk to the vet about whether Pepper should have a CBC (blood work). I have had the unfortunate experience that constiation can be a sign of kidney failure (or other things). So even though the congestion may not be a sign of this, he may be having other problems. Better to know for sure than to not know at all. Best of luck. Huge {{{{HUGS}}}} to you

[tatsxxx11]

I'm so sorry to hear about Pepper's illness:( As Emily says, Baytril, like many antibiotics, can cause havoc with the G.I. system. Has the vet ever suggested keeping him at the hospital for a few days to watch him??? I'm sure you're getting very discouraged by now. But keep your chin up. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error, searching for the proper medic., especially considering Pepper's history with G.I. problems. We're sending you our prayers that within the next few days Pepper will be well on the road to recovery. {{{hugs}}}

[Miss Meow]

Good luck Tracey, I hope they can find whatever it is quickly so Pepper can get back on his feet. Poor boy, give him a big hug for me.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I took Pepper to the vet this morning and he wasn't constipated after all. Since he's been throwing up lately and not eating normally and he had lost some weight, the vet recommended that he do an upper gi series with barium to make sure that he doesn't have any blockage. He had to stay at the vets all day. I also decided to have a food allergy test done on him. The vet thinks that he might have irritable bowel syndrome. The good news is that Pepper doesn't have any blockage and I won't get the food allergy test back for about 2 weeks. Pepper was also given a cortizone injection. In about 2 days Pepper will eliminate the rest of the barium and I have to look through it to make sure that it doesn't have anything in it that he may have swallowed. When I picked up Pepper, he was so happy to see me that he wanted to get out of his cat carrier and jump up on my lap. This was while I was still at the vets. He's never done this before. If he does have irritable bowel syndrome he'll have to take a low dosage of cortizone daily or every other day and some other medicine that starts with an m (I forgot the name). The allergy test will also tell if he's allergic to the food that I'm feeding him now. If he is then I'll have to change food and all 3 cats will have to eat it too. I also started a payment plan with my vet because all of this was just too expensive for me to pay all at once. I'm not the only one either. There was a lady who came in this afternoon with one of her cats and she wanted to know how much she still owes the vet. She found out that she owes about $1,200 dollars. I guess with the economy the way it is the vet has to help his clients out with their bills. I just want to find out what the problem is so Pepper can be happy and healthy again.

[AmberLee]

Yow. Fingers crossed and prayers being said for your darling.

[NoahsMommy]

What type of food do you feel them?

The reason I'm asking is becuase I was looking at the back of the Nutro bag last night and saw that in place of corn (hard to digest) they added wheat and rice (GOOD for digestion, rice is gentle and wheat has fiber...GOOD).

I have IBS and have to take fiber suppliments and I feel MUCH better.

Do you think that could help?

I'm sending prayers your way....poor Pepper.

[tatsxxx11]

So glad to hear that Pepper does not have a blockage! Hopefully the new course of meds. will have Pepper feeling better very soon. Food allergies can wreck havoc with pets! I know you're anxious to get those results. Pepper, you were SO brave!!:) Hope your resting up after your big day at the white coats:) Paws remain crossed for a complete recovery!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I sure hope they find something with poor Pepper real soon. It's good to know he doesn't have any blockage.

Keeping our fingers and paws crossed that he gets better real quick now. :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Pepper is doing much better today. He's eating, drinking, and using the litterbox. I think that the cortizone shot has helped him a lot. I currently feed all 3 cats Natural Choice Complete Care Weight Management Formula by Nutro. It says that it's supposed to be easy to digest for sensitive stomachs and also prevents less shedding and fewer hairballs. Hopefully the food allergy test will tell me something. Thanks for all of the prayers. :)

[Cataholic]

Poor Pepper. While it is good that he doesn't have any blockage, it is scary that he still isn't back to his peppery self.

The vet thought Tex had/has a food allergy, and put him on ZD- which he doesn't care for...

[krazyaboutkatz]

Pepper is back to his old self today. He's eating much more,he loves to eat, drinking a lot, and has much more energy. :) I've also tried to ZD diet before and didn't seem to notice any big difference. For now though, Pepper's doing great. :D

[jenluckenbach]

That is such great news!!!!

So do we know what it is yet that caused the problem and do we know what is helping? (just curious, the bottom line is that he is feeling himself again!)

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

So glad to hear Pepper's feeling better. :) It would be nice to know what the problem was so you can prevent it in the future, but having him feeling better is worth so much. :)

[tatsxxx11]

So happy to hear the good news! It would be of great comfort to you, I'm sure, to know what the cause of his problem was. But as has been said, the important thing is that he's feeling so much better!!!:) Hugs to you sweet Pepper!!!

[Uabassoon]

I'm glad to hear Pepper is doing better!!

[moosmom]

Jen,

I'm so glad to hear that Pepper is doing well. Cats are like your kids!! You worry about them, take them to the vets, it's a non-stop thing. I'm thinking about ya!! ;)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Here's another update on Pepper. I finally received the results from his food allergy test. It says that he's most allergic to beef,milk,soybeans,corn,wheat,sugar beet,carrot,peanut,yeast, and potato. When the vet receives a hard copy of the test results he'll also receive a list of cat foods that would be good for him to eat. The problem is that I free feed my cats so they all need to be on the same type of food. Pepper's been doing much better but he still sneezes from time to time. Another thing that I might need to change is their litter. I've been using a wheat based litter and the vet said that if he inhales this or eats it then it can also affect his allergies.

[AmberLee]

Originally posted by krazyaboutkatz
... he's most allergic to beef, milk, soybeans, corn, wheat, sugar beet, carrot, peanut, yeast, and potato. ...

Ouch!!! With your fur-kid's fish allergy this is going to get feeding them tricky. I had no idea. Do keep us informed!!!

:eek: :( :eek:

[jenluckenbach]

Wow, that is some list of food to avoid. If and when you start them on new food, I sure hope it helps.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Wow, poor Pepper! What can he eat? It's a good thing they will be recommending some brands that he can eat because I know I would be at a total loss as to what to feed the poor kitty. Give him a big hug from me for being such a brave boy, and the others for being such good pals while poor Pepper is going through all this. :)

[smokey the elder]

It looks like poutry, lamb and rice may be OK. Good luck! Food allergies are the pits.