Experiences with Atopica and/or Prednisolone with FD.

[Amy Dobson]

Hi everyone,

I'm in a bit of a quandary and would appreciate anyone sharing their experience of Atopica and/or Prednisolone with their diabetic cat.

My cat has really bad atopic dermatitis on his temples, chin, thumbs and has corneal ulcers (almost healed) from scratching.

There are clearly pros and cons to both medicines, and I plan to make a decision overnight so I can help my boy feel more comfortable. Plus if anyone has any ideas of natural ways to ease and calm the itching, they would be hugely appreciated.

Many thanks,

Amy.

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

Bandit is currently on prednisolone and cyclosporine for an autoimmune condition. He was in remission for several years before starting the prednisolone, but now he needs insulin again because of the steroid. His vet and I are hoping we can start weening him off it next week if his red blood cell count looks good.

The prednisolone can make BG unpredictable. Instead of a 12 hour curve, Bandit has a 24 hour curve. He gets his prednisolone once a day in the morning, so his numbers steadly rise until the evening, when they drop again. I tried splitting his pill up and giving it to him twice a day to even out his BG, but it made things worse instead of better, and his BG was unpredictable and out of control so we went back to once a day. Same thing happened when he was on liquid prednisolone instead of the pill.

We haven't seen any effect on his BG from the cyclosporine, and he has tolerated it really well with no problems.

If your cat needs the prednisolone short term, make sure you're testing both cycles, because you'll likely have to frequently adjust his insulin. I certainly wouldn't recommend the prednisolone long term for a diabetic if there is any other option.

Have you also tried a limited ingredient diet with him? Food allergies is a very common cause of itchiness. Also, the location of his ulcers might mean he could have feline acne? Does he eat or drink out of anything plastic? A third common cause of these problems are fleas--a flea allergy can present itself long before you would ever find a single on your cat, because they typically groom themselves so well.