Cortizone

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Laura M - 25 Feb 2005 20:48 GMT

My kitty has horrible allergies and scratches herself raw. I've
changed her food, put her on kitty prozac, changed detergents, etc. but
nothing works except cortizone injections. I just had to start giving
her injections again this year because things are blooming and she
started scratching again. Yesterday she was miserable, scratching and
scratching. After her shot yesterday, today she's so much better! No
scratching. My vet let me know that these injections over time can
lead to other problems and wants to monitor her closely. I'm worried
that she'll have other problems in the future but nothing else seems to
give her quality of life *now* other than the injections. Does anyone
have any thoughts on what problems could occur from these injections
and how long it would take them to develop?

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Mary - 25 Feb 2005 23:14 GMT

> My kitty has horrible allergies and scratches herself raw. I've
> changed her food, put her on kitty prozac, changed detergents, etc. but
> nothing works except cortizone injections.

How does cortizone work differently than Depo Medrol? I know
they are both steroids, but Depo is the one I use for my cat,
and it works great to control her allergic skin reactions. She gets
a couple of shots a year.

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Laura M - 26 Feb 2005 16:12 GMT

Sorry I wasn't clear. I used the generic "cortizone" word but it is
indeed Depo Medrol. Problem is, my kitty needs these shots every 4
weeks from about now until October. Ugh. I've heard they're
detrimental to future health.

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kitkat - 26 Feb 2005 16:28 GMT

> Sorry I wasn't clear. I used the generic "cortizone" word but it is
> indeed Depo Medrol. Problem is, my kitty needs these shots every 4
> weeks from about now until October. Ugh. I've heard they're
> detrimental to future health.

When my Luna was younger she had cortizone shots, too. And yes, we were
warned that it could cause future problems such as diabetes. I had to
make the decision that it was something she needed NOW and worry about
the future...in the future.

Pam

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Mary - 26 Feb 2005 17:22 GMT

>> Sorry I wasn't clear. I used the generic "cortizone" word but it is
>> indeed Depo Medrol. Problem is, my kitty needs these shots every 4
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Pam

Pam, what did Luna have to have them for?

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kitkat - 26 Feb 2005 19:09 GMT

>>> Sorry I wasn't clear. I used the generic "cortizone" word but it is
>>> indeed Depo Medrol. Problem is, my kitty needs these shots every 4
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Pam, what did Luna have to have them for?

She would over-groom herself...tugging at the fur on her chest/bib area
and leaving some small bald spots. She still toes the tug, but we havent
given her shots in years. After discussing with the vet, we decided not
to continue the shot treatment because what she was doing just wasnt
that bad. some cats over groom and i'd rather have her do that than have
the shots. she never groomed herself raw or anything...so it wasnt super
serious. at the time though, it did help. i think she just sorta outgrew
the severity.

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-L. - 26 Feb 2005 16:37 GMT

Laura,

My Mimi has had eosinophilic granuloma since birth. She gets these
injections every time she has an outbreak (sometimes more frequrently
than others - she has gone over a year without one, sometimes). She is
now 13 and is still in great health. Over time cortisone-derivatives
can affect the liver and kidneys, but you have to weigh the
cost-to-benefit ratio of using such drugs. You really need to keep an
eye on the kitty and make sure the injections are necessary - and don't
over-medicate. Other than that, it sounds like a reasonable treatment
plan to me. And as always, if you have real concerns, discuss them
with your vet - make sure there isn't an alternative treatment you
would be more comfortable with.

good luck,
-L.

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Mary - 26 Feb 2005 17:21 GMT

They certainly can be, particularly used that often. Diabetes is the big
one.

I am so sorry your kitty has allergies that bad. What other controls
have you tried, as far as determining the source of the allergies and
removing as many as possible?

When I adopted her from the shelter Cheeky had bad asthma and EGC (that
thing they call "rodent ulcer" but she has the linear granuloma kind
that raises itchy bumps on the basks of her legs). The Depo controlled
both problems for about three months per shot. Then I changed cleaning
services and stopped wearing a perfume I wore fairly often, and suddenly
she could go from July to March with no shot, no bumps, no asthma
attacks! Do tell us more about her condition. Several others here have
had cats with allergy problems and asthma.

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Laura M - 27 Feb 2005 01:02 GMT

I've tried changing food, changing detergents for my bedding (which she
loves to lay on), changed perfume, etc. It seems to be
weather-related. Poor thing, she scratches herself raw. I hate to
have her get to the point where she has to wear The Cone. This time I
caught it just before she scratched herself raw. She's nice and comfy
now...no scratching. It seems like I'll have to keep a close eye on
her so I don't over-medicate for no reason. The vet seems to think he
needs to give her blood tests every so often while giving her these
shots. My vet seems to squeeze all the visits he can out of me. I
like him and the office but he's very expensive--they all are in this
area. Ugh.

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Mary - 27 Feb 2005 01:20 GMT

> I've tried changing food, changing detergents for my bedding (which she
> loves to lay on), changed perfume, etc.

I think doing without the perfume altogether would be a good idea. I
really liked wearing Alfred Sung's "Pure" but I like my kitty better.

It seems to be

> weather-related. Poor thing, she scratches herself raw. I hate to
> have her get to the point where she has to wear The Cone. This time I
> caught it just before she scratched herself raw. She's nice and comfy
> now...no scratching.

Then you are doing something right! Is she eating canned food, dry food,
or both? I feed my cats both, but used to only feed them dry. When I
started Cheeky on mostly wet food she improved dramatically. And that
was not even quality wet food. It might have to do with improved
hydration helping with the dry skin, I don't know.

It seems like I'll have to keep a close eye on

> her so I don't over-medicate for no reason. The vet seems to think he
> needs to give her blood tests every so often while giving her these
> shots. My vet seems to squeeze all the visits he can out of me. I
> like him and the office but he's very expensive--they all are in this
> area. Ugh.

Well, just be assertive and go when you think you need to. Ask him about
supplements for dry skin. Also think about unscented litter, that was
the fourth thing that helped my cat: changing cleaning products,
stopping wearing perfume, feeding wet food and changing to unscented
litter. Good luck, I know it's hard to watch them suffer that way.

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Laura M - 27 Feb 2005 02:56 GMT

Ah yes, I do give her omega 3 fatty acids on her food. The vet has it
formulated for animals. She likes it too, but I ran out a month ago!!!
I wonder if that's why she's scratching more. I'm sure glad I posted
and you answered because it jogged my memory. I'll try that on Monday
when the vet opens. Hope this is it.

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Mary - 27 Feb 2005 03:44 GMT

> Ah yes, I do give her omega 3 fatty acids on her food. The vet has it
> formulated for animals. She likes it too, but I ran out a month ago!!!
> I wonder if that's why she's scratching more. I'm sure glad I posted
> and you answered because it jogged my memory. I'll try that on Monday
> when the vet opens. Hope this is it.

Something to look into! I need to ask my vet about this too.

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