? 9/26 Tiger Amps 349. Questions on allergies and arthritis med?

Deb and Tiger

Deb and Tiger

Very Active Member
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/3-20-tiger-amps-400.294195/

Poor Tiger had a full day yesterday. Two trips to the vet! One for libre change and the other for annual checkup and shots.

Lately he has had a runny nose and some stuffiness. The vet could hear it when she examined him. It seems to occur every September. 2 years ago it was so bad I thought we might loose him. At that time we didn’t associate it with allergies and they treated with 2 different antibiotics. He finally pulled through but now I am on guard for any symptoms starting, as they are now. The vet said there is a med for cats but has some side effects so I was hesitant to use at this point. She said cats can’t take benedryl but this still has some of the same side effects but lesser degree. Anyone have any recommendations for easing his symptoms other than meds? Poor thing, I can tell he feels bad and his appetite is waning since I’m sure it’s effecting him smell.

The second thing I talked to her about was he comes out of his litter box with a wet backend sometimes but not always.
She is running a urine test to make sure nothing is wrong but thinks it may be arthritis as he squats to pee. She said that Solesia may help him as they’ve had good luck with it. Has anyone used this for their kitty? It seems safe even with diabetes.

I appreciate any input, experience or advice on either of these problems.

Have a wonderful day everyone and Ty for reading!
 
Theres a lot of different opinions on Solencia. My arthritic kitty had 3 injections and it did help but then I started reading all the negative posts about it and the fact that it wasnt great for cats with kidney disease so I stopped it. We tried acupuncture for a few months, but it made so little difference I stopped that too. I give her Super Snouts green-lipped muscle. As far as the allergies, she may be talking about Cyproheptadine which is an antihistamine. According to Dr. Google, benadryl can be given to cats but Ive never tried it. The other option is Zyrtec, which is over the counter and works very much like cyproheptadine. If taking cypro (not sure about zyrtec) you cant give Mirtazapine (or Mirataz) because cypro will cancel the effects of the Mirtz. Cypro and Zyrtec are also used for appetite stimulants.
 
Does the super snouts seem to help? Do they like the taste?

The vet said that Benadryl makes them “crazy and jumpy”….i think I will ask her about the others you mentioned. I would hate to take Mirataz out of commission tho.

I appreciate your input so much with your past experience. Thank you so much!
 
Deb and Tiger said:
Does the super snouts seem to help? Do they like the taste?

The vet said that Benadryl makes them “crazy and jumpy”….i think I will ask her about the others you mentioned. I would hate to take Mirataz out of commission tho.

I appreciate your input so much with your past experience. Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
Antihistamines can have some side effects. I used to give cyproheptadine all the time until one of my cats couldn't take it because it made her super lethargic. Then they came out with Mirataz which has way less side effects than the pills so I just use that instead now. If youve ever taken antihistamines, they make you sleepy, not jumpy. I take them to sleep sometimes. In fact if you look at the sleep and allergy pills in the drug store you will see they market diphenhydramine (benedryl) for both.
I think the super snouts works a bit. She can still jump. But I know shes still hurting some. Sophie doesnt mind the taste. I mix it with water and syringe it.
 
JoM said:
Antihistamines can have some side effects. I used to give cyproheptadine all the time until one of my cats couldn't take it because it made her super lethargic. Then they came out with Mirataz which has way less side effects than the pills so I just use that instead now. If youve ever taken antihistamines, they make you sleepy, not jumpy. I take them to sleep sometimes. In fact if you look at the sleep and allergy pills in the drug store you will see they market diphenhydramine (benedryl) for both.
I think the super snouts works a bit. She can still jump. But I know shes still hurting some. Sophie doesnt mind the taste. I mix it with water and syringe it.
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Ok I’m confused, you swapped cyproheptadine for Mirataz? One is for allergies and the other or appetite right?
 
I give my cat with skin allergies 1/2 a regular strength Zyrtec every 24 hours and it has helped with other allergies with Max in the past. The only side effect for her is an increase in appetite. Worth a try.
 
tiffmaxee said:
I give my cat with skin allergies 1/2 a regular strength Zyrtec every 24 hours and it has helped with other allergies with Max in the past. The only side effect for her is an increase in appetite. Worth a try.
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Good to hear it helps her. I may get some and give it a try. Do you know if Mirataz still would work if needed or don’t mix?
Thanks so much for the help!
 
Hi Deb,

so sorry to hear, Tiger is dealing with this. Sounds like you already got good adivce and I hope, you find something to help Tiger.

Fingers and paws are crossed! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I think the only drug you can’t give with mirataz is cyproheptadine because it is the drug to give if there’s reaction to mirt. You might not need it is Zyrtec increased the appetite.
 
tiffmaxee said:
I think the only drug you can’t give with mirataz is cyproheptadine because it is the drug to give if there’s reaction to mirt. You might not need it is Zyrtec increased the appetite.
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I had texted my vet about my questions and she just replied, saying “ Zyrtec would not be safe and does not recommend any antihistamines . Only recommend chlorpheniramine”. I don’t know why she said this as others, you included have used it. It is recommended all over when I google it. I’m totally confused. Will have to look up chlorpheniramine….
 
I’ve used cyproheptadine for years also. The first I heard about usu g zyrtec was on tanyascrf. I’ve read articles as far back as 2010 how it’s safe and effective for cats and asked ny vet. He said to try it and I’ve been using it with Mocha for months. He even looked it up to give me the correct dose. Bron is using it for her cat as well. I suspect that your vet has never used it. Cyproheptadine has tended to make my cats a little more vocal sometimes but nothing like mirtazapine did. No side effects at all with Zyrtec.
 
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All I can think of is she’s never used it before . My internist hadn’t either but he’s never going to say to not do something because it’s new to him. He looked it up and saw it’s safe. Yes, it’s way too difficult to constantly have to care for our kitties with many vets. I think many feel that we should do whatever they say no questions asked. He also gave me the dose for Benadryl which needs to be given at least twice a day if memory serves me right. :bighug: Cyproheptadine is still my favorite appetite stimulant but it has made my cats hyper. Zyrtec doesn’t.
 
Deb and Tiger said:
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/3-20-tiger-amps-400.294195/

Poor Tiger had a full day yesterday. Two trips to the vet! One for libre change and the other for annual checkup and shots.

Lately he has had a runny nose and some stuffiness. The vet could hear it when she examined him. It seems to occur every September. 2 years ago it was so bad I thought we might loose him. At that time we didn’t associate it with allergies and they treated with 2 different antibiotics. He finally pulled through but now I am on guard for any symptoms starting, as they are now. The vet said there is a med for cats but has some side effects so I was hesitant to use at this point. She said cats can’t take benedryl but this still has some of the same side effects but lesser degree. Anyone have any recommendations for easing his symptoms other than meds? Poor thing, I can tell he feels bad and his appetite is waning since I’m sure it’s effecting him smell.

The second thing I talked to her about was he comes out of his litter box with a wet backend sometimes but not always.
She is running a urine test to make sure nothing is wrong but thinks it may be arthritis as he squats to pee. She said that Solesia may help him as they’ve had good luck with it. Has anyone used this for their kitty? It seems safe even with diabetes.

I appreciate any input, experience or advice on either of these problems.

Have a wonderful day everyone and Ty for reading!
Click to expand...
Hi Deb. Sorry about 2 trips to the vet for Tiger. Poor boy. He must be so over it.
I give Ivy Animal Essentials Seasonal Allergy drops when I notice she begins sneezing in the Spring/Sumner and can get a bit of a snotty nose. She may have some allergies. This clears it up. I try to stop using it when it gets cold in the winter. She doesn’t seem to need it then.
https://www.chewy.com/animal-essent...zoxH-WCPuAWMVjTljE1PtCRflF5EX_lEaAkqIEALw_wcB
:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Deb and Tiger said:
I had texted my vet about my questions and she just replied, saying “ Zyrtec would not be safe and does not recommend any antihistamines . Only recommend chlorpheniramine”. I don’t know why she said this as others, you included have used it. It is recommended all over when I google it. I’m totally confused. Will have to look up chlorpheniramine….
Click to expand...
Chlorpheniramine is just another antihistamine. I cant think of any reason she would be against cyproheptadine. Its been used for cats for years.
 
I give Bella Zyrtec, our previous vet recommended it, 1/2 tablet once a day when she has allergies (for her it's mostly really bad scratching and ear discharge).
Benadryl can give hyper-activity or sleepiness, depending on cats (and people, too, especially children, it can have a very different effect than expected if you give it to a small kid).
 
Deb and Tiger said:
I had texted my vet about my questions and she just replied, saying “ Zyrtec would not be safe and does not recommend any antihistamines . Only recommend chlorpheniramine”. I don’t know why she said this as others, you included have used it. It is recommended all over when I google it. I’m totally confused. Will have to look up chlorpheniramine….
Click to expand...
Chlorpheniramine is an antihistamine. I suspect some antihistamines used in cats are off label (perhaps all are) and individual vet preference may be based either on their experience or their opinion of off label use (if that applies). I had a cat on clorphenirsmine years ago but a change in vets brought a change in antihistamine to Zyrtec. Which could very well have been off label for one or both—I didn’t ask.

My experience is in treating the species that walks upright, so consult a vet, but antihistamines of any sort can cause constipation in humans

as for sedation vs excitement, sometimes meds can have a paradoxical effect. Most humans get sleepy with Benadryl. When I was stationed overseas many parents asked for Benadryl for their toddlers when facing a 14 hour flight to the states. I always warned them to do a few trials at home first in case the munchkin had a paradoxical reaction—not good to be trapped on a jet with a wound up 2 year old
 
Deb and Tiger said:
Ok I’m confused, you swapped cyproheptadine for Mirataz? One is for allergies and the other or appetite right?
Click to expand...
Cyproheptadine (brand name periactin) was developed as an antihistamine but had a common side effect of increasing appetite—it appears vets take advantage of that just as MDs do with some children.
Mirataz was developed as an antidepressant but had a noted side effect of increased appetite.
So neither was developed initially to increase appetite. Since Mirataz comes nicely boxed and labeled for appetite I’m assuming it went further to get approval, I don’t know about periactin, decades ago —when i last prescribed it—it was off label in humans to increase appetite. Since it’s been generic forever I doubt a drug company would find it worthwhile to go back to get approval for appetite stimulant.
 
SmallestSparrow said:
Cyproheptadine (brand name periactin) was developed as an antihistamine but had a common side effect of increasing appetite—it appears vets take advantage of that just as MDs do with some children.
Mirataz was developed as an antidepressant but had a noted side effect of increased appetite.
So neither was developed initially to increase appetite. Since Mirataz comes nicely boxed and labeled for appetite I’m assuming it went further to get approval, I don’t know about periactin, decades ago —when i last prescribed it—it was off label in humans to increase appetite. Since it’s been generic forever I doubt a drug company would find it worthwhile to go back to get approval for appetite stimulant.
Click to expand...
I bought it last year for my cat and my vet used it over 28 years ago before mirt was ever used. He checked the dosage of Zyrtec in his book so it is used. Cyproheptadine is probably the oldest drug found to stimulate the appetites of many cats but I’m sure had been used off label for years.
 
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