Side effects from Prednisone??? Update Post 18; cute pics post 12

[Catty1]

Pyka is on two tabs a day for a week, then down to one. Mom just phoned a minute ago - he came out from under the bed, and is slowly doing better. She did buy him some baby food, chicken with broth, and he lapped that right up.

I seem to recall that cats can't have garlic or onion in the baby food they get, is that right?

[Grace]

I seem to recall that cats can't have garlic or onion in the baby food they get, is that right?

That's my understanding, also. Either of those raw could cause ulcerations in the mouth and stomach. And there have been instances of cats developing hemolytic anemia after eating garlic and/or onion.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I never knew that pred could have these kind of side effects on cats. Starr is still on 5mg of it every morning and he's been acting normal the whole time even when he was on a higher dose in the beginning. He's always been feisty though and he'll get very hissy and grumpy if one of his siblings tries to wake him up from his nap. I'm hoping to be able to wean him off of it soon but his vet wants to wait a while and do it very slowly.

Good luck Pyka. I hope you feel better very soon.

[Grace]

I never knew that pred could have these kind of side effects on cats. Starr is still on 5mg of it every morning and he's been acting normal the whole time even when he was on a higher dose in the beginning. He's always been feisty though and he'll get very hissy and grumpy if one of his siblings tries to wake him up from his nap. I'm hoping to be able to wean him off of it soon but his vet wants to wait a while and do it very slowly.

Good luck Pyka. I hope you feel better very soon.

Just like with humans, not every cat or dog will have a reaction to a medication. As I said previously, our dog went on prednisone every spring because of skin allergies. She never had a problem with it. Luckily Starr is another like Jenny.

[moosmom]

Catty1,

Prednisone is also an appetite stimulant. Turkey baby food is a good idea as it can make him lethargic (or sleepy) from an active ingredient Triptiphan.

[Karen]

Different people react differently to predisone. As a family of folks with asthma - all to varying dergees, nearly all of us have been put on it at some time. It makes me feel HUNGRY HUNGRY HUNGRY and a little fidgety - hungry enough to eat the whole supermarket, but it's illusory, as my tummy is no bigger than it was the day before. Lady's Human, on the other hand, ends up not being hungry at all - to the point where he needs to be reminded to ingest calories for survival.

It usually starts with a "burst then taper" - high quantity at first, then tapering off. DO follow the instructions, don't stop it abruptly, as that can cause problems.

[Freedom]

Over time, prednisone will cause kidney damage in both humans AND cats. That is what brought on Amber's kidney failure. He died at age 8, after almost 4 years of prednisone, 5mg once per day, which he was taking for a spinal injury. I just never knew to ask if there was something else at the time.