Radar and his evil heartworms

[Radar]

Radar is a 4-year-old-male cat. When he was about 3 years old he started to lose tuffs of fur with skin attached and was becoming very lethargic.

After several tests, the vet diagnosed him with heartworms. This came as a shock since the only classic symptom of heartworms that Radar had was being suddenly lethargic. She explained the severity of feline heartworms and the treatment. It is very scary and I am still trying to come to terms with it.

Radar was put on ‘prednisolone’. His fur and his energy returned!!

Every time I try to wean him off the meds, his fur starts falling out again. The vet recommends me to increase his dose for a couple of weeks and then start weaning him off the pills…again.

This has been going on for 9 months and I can’t seem to get Radar off the pills without his fur falling out!

Radar doesn’t like his fur falling out…when you touch him anywhere near his ‘owie spots’ (as we affectionately call them) he licks his front paws and is obviously irritated.

I do not like him being on prednisolone. Long-term use has serious effects, one being an increase of appetite.

Radar is currently a 25-pound cat with bald spots and still on the prednisolone.

I am wondering if anyone else has dealt with feline heartworms and what the treatment/medication/side effects were.

I have done quite a bit of online research and I have not come across any correlation with fur loss and heartworms. Any response is appreciated.

Thank you in advance,
Radar’s human friend

[Catlady711]

I'm certainly no vet and have very little experience with heartworm in cats. That said I'd wonder if the pred is actually surpressing some type of allergic reaction to something? I know animals with allergies can lose fur, or pull it out from itching, and usually pred surpresses the itching and the fur grows back.

9 months is a long time to have an animal on pred and from what I know long term use can also cause the body to stop making it's own cortisol releying instead on the pills for it.

Honestly if it were me, I'd seek a second opinion, if nothing else for peace of mind that the pred is the only way to control the fur loss or maybe there is something else another vet may know of that would help this situation.

Good luck.

[saphira]

I have no experience with heartworm but I know how heart breaking it is to see your kitty suffer.
My Persian has achne and has been on prednizone. I wonder if you mind telling me what dose he is on? It is a serious drug because it stops their immune system (as I understand it). I understand that people who have taken it for a long time get what is called moon face. and can put on weight. Also it can give mood swings.
Hope he gets better soon.

[columbine]

Prednisone is a steroid (inflammation suppressant), not an antiparasitic. I wonder whether the itchiness is, as catlady711 says, an allergy that might respond to something less intense, like an antihistamine? Might be a good question for your vet.

Love, Columbine (whose itchy cat responds very well to an antihistamine)

[Radar]

Radar is currently on 5mg pills....but please remember that he is an obese kitty.

http://petobesityprevention.com/

the following information was provided to me from another website's forum from what looks like a reliable source...
http://www.catster.com/

"Prednisolone is the partially metabolized version of Prednisone. Your liver normally metabolizes Prednisone into Prednisolone...so the later is actually better for cats to take"

and

"Prednisone in diminishing doses often is effective medical support for infected cats with radiographic evidence of lung disease, whether or not they appear ill. Also, this should be initiated whenever antibody and/or antigen positive cats display clinical signs. An empirical oral regimen is 2 mg/kg body weight/day, declining gradually to 0.5 mg/kg every other day by two weeks and then discontinued after an additional two weeks. At that time the effects of treatment should be reassessed based on the clinical response and/or thoracic radiography. This treatment may be repeated in cats with recurrent clinical signs."

hope that helps your question on his dosage and provides you some more information about his meds.

what is 'moonface'? i have never heard of that...


To update you on Radar, he has an appointment to see a new vet in the upcoming days...hopefully we can figure out his furr situation.

[Medusa]

Moon face is the roundness of the face that humans get when on Prednisone for a long period of time. If you've seen Jerry Lewis lately, his face is very round and full, especially compared to how he used to look, and it's due to having been on Prednisone for so long for inflammation from injuries caused by so many pratfalls in his comedy.