How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabetes?

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lisa_michelle

lisa_michelle

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Hello Everyone,

I used to post here regularly back when my angel kitty Taco was alive (he'd been diabetic x 6 years).

I have an urgent question and I know this is the best place to turn.

I have an elderly kitty, she's at least 16 yrs old, healthy cat. 3 weeks ago I noticed a nickel-sized sore on her shoulder area. Seemed like she'd licked the area raw. She's a strictly indoor cat (as are my other 4), definitely no issue w/ fleas/mites. I immediately put a cone on her, some Panolog to the area and got her into my Vet the next day. He balked at it being a food allergy; stated food allergy wouldn't likely present this way. Thought it was maybe a "hot spot" (which he admitted is not that common on cats) or a lick granuloma. He shaved the fur around it, cleaned with Chlorhexidine, gave her a shot of Convenia and told me to apply Panolog twice daily for 2 weeks. He talked about maybe a Steroid shot too but I cringed and told him I was not open to that, too fearful of her developing diabetes, he pretty much told me that was not a risk (!!!).

She couldn't hack the e-collar for long so I resorted to an infant sleeper which has worked nicely.

3 weeks later and she's losing fur close to this same area (the first spot has fully healed but fur still growing in). She wears the sleeper still because the minute it's off she starts to lick there and before long it would be raw again, I know. She doesn't mind the sleeper, not at all.

I took her back to the Vet tonight and requested full geriatric panel including testing for hyperthyroidism (T4, free T4 and TSH). He agreed with this, thought it was a very good idea.

He did stated that if bloodwork comes back normal, he'll review my options with me but still pushing for the steroid shot (not sure if he'd give Dexamethasone or DepoMedrol). He thinks I'm nuts, this fear I have about steroid shots and diabetes.

Not sure if steroid shots really cause "true diabetes" or just elevated blood glucose levels that in some cats go away but in some they do not.

I would truly die if a steroid shot caused her to develop diabetes (or what do you even call it.....steroid-induced hyperglycemia?) and I had to start trying to regulate her with insulin. She is a finnicky little fuss-pot and it would be a nightmare to try and get her to eat enough to jive with the BID insulin shots. With Taco, he was a total food pig so this was never an issue.

I have SO MUCH stress going on in my life right now.....between my job and ill family members....I would be totally gutted if a steroid shot turned her into a diabetic kitty...........so i really need to know just how RISKY it would be. I know I'm going to have a real battle on my hands with my Vet if it turns out NOT to be HyperT and he'll get on the steroid shot bandwagon again. He's a really good Vet and I don't want to have to find another one........but he and I will just not ever agree about this shot and I don't know how it will turn out if I just refuse.

I do think she grooms more than she used to, all over.......but it could be just that I'm more mindful of it now.

I did switch her dry food over to grain-free Orijen a few days ago....in the event that her issues were food allergy related (though I'm doubtful they were).

So please tell me............how risky would 1 steroid shot be? Could it trigger PERMANENT diabetes?

Would Dexamethasone be better than something long-acting like DepoMedrol? If Dexa is so much shorter acting, would 1 shot even do much in the grand scheme?

Would I need to start testing her BG several times a day following the shot, do a few curves? Would she be guaranteed to need BID insulin if her BGs went up?

Thanks so much in advance.

Lisa
 
Re: How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabet

My cat had a steroid injection and developed diabetes. Was on insulin a few months and then went OTJ. A year later needed steroids again, became diabetic again, and never went OTJ. But had multiple serious issues, so who knows just what caused what. But my vet admitted that we were making her a diabetic by giving her the steroids, and considering her other problems, we decided it was worth a try. I would wonder why you vet doesn't know that it is not uncommon for cats to become diabetic as a result of steroids. The question is ---is it worth it? If it is too stressful for you, the answer is NO. Sorry you are having a hard time. Hope things improve.

By the way, many many years ago my cat licked a bald spot in her fur. We did tests, biopsies, etc. Vet found nothing. But we had been going on vacations without her (having friends come in to feed her and spend some time with her). We stopped doing that---decided to take her with us when we went away. She stopped the over-grooming and it never returned.

Oh--in case he wants to give more Convenia--did you know that Dr.Lisa, on this site, usually does not recommend that? There are some bad reactions to it.
 
Re: How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabet

Thanks so much for your response :0)

I don't think her issue is caused by stress.....for if it is, I have no idea what the source of the stress would be. There have been no changes at all in my home, nothing. She's a very sweet and happy cat. Gets along great with all of the other cats.

In a way I hope it is HyperT but then.......how to treat. Tapazole is the drug for this and I had decided that if she is HyperT, I'd opt for the transdermal gel instead of the pill....as she's difficult to pill and I've read it can cause upset stomach and reduced appetite........but tonight we discussed this and he doesn't believe in the transdermal gel, thinks it's a pain, thinks the liquid Tapazole in chicken flavor is just great....because his cat did well with it.....but that's not what I've read for many cats. He had his HyperT cat treated with Radioactive Iodine so now no more issues.....I didn't think they'd do that on a cat as old as mine but he thought they still would (it's done at a specialty Vet hospital here but a Vet who specializes in this, very very good Vet).......but cost is $2000 and she'd have to stay there for a week and I don't know if she could hack that. Guess we'll cross that bridge.

I think for him he doesn't think it's a 'big deal' even if she did develop diabetes..........partly because he's a vet and it's just no big deal to him and I was blessed to have a diabetic cat who was very easy to regulate.....but it still was difficult. Became impossible to find a cat sitter I could really trust to deal with the insulin shots and feeding. I just don't need the hassle if I can help it. I don't need more stress if I can help it.

As for the Convenia......I was scared of her getting that. My other cats have had Convenia a few times (3 of them, once each over the past 3 years) and never any problems but it was on the cat forums that I read horror stories about it.................so with Cleo, when he suggested that 3 weeks ago I told him I'd read too many horror stories and he poo-poo'ed it. I watched her like a hawk and no issues at all. So she's my 4th cat that's had it and no ill effects at all. Maybe we've just been lucky.
 
Re: How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabet

I will never ever again allow a vet to give one of my cats Depo-Medrol steroid. My Gandalf is probably diabetic because he was treated about 3 times per year with it for 7 years.

With that said, yes it took a number of years for him to develop diabetes, but he was a young cat when put on the steroid and he became diabetic at 12 years old.

Although I am not sure what they are, there must be other alternatives beside this destructive steroid. Not sure about the other steroid you mention. Shorter acting might be better though if there is no other alternative.
 
Re: How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabet

I on the other hand have given one of my civvie cats the depo-medrol steroid shot at least a half a dozen times over her life. She's well over 16 now, still a civvie and the shot pretty much saved her life. Before she got the shots and we found the reason for her skin issues she was naked from her neck to her tail, covered in sores and was vomiting about a dozen times a day. Turned out to be the mother of all flea allergies - but the steroids helped immensely until that was figured out and it could be reversed. We were days away from putting her to sleep when a vet tech who had known her at the shelter we adopted her from (who did not tell us she was allergic to fleas) happened to walk into the treatment room at my vet and recognize her and told us about the flea allergy. So yes, I would give her steroids again if I needed to. I would be a bit more reluctant to give it to my very zaftig tortie, but if I didn't have any other good options - I'd do it and just keep an eye on her blood sugar.

Its a ymmv - you have to decide your acceptable risk for your cat.
 
Re: How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabet

I have never seen a study on the probability of a cat developing diabetes from steroids, and how much the age of the cat factors in (although there may be such a study). But most of us here know anecdotally that steroid use in people and cats can lead to diabetes. Or steroid induced hyperglycemia, temporarily or permanently.

There are some other things you and your vet might consider before going to steroids. Antihistamines for itchy skin. Prozac or some other medication for anxiety. Your kitty may be reacting to your stress.

I have SO MUCH stress going on in my life right now.....between my job and ill family members
Click to expand...
 
Re: How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabet

Has the spot spread at all, or have other spots developed? I'd keep a careful eye out, and if they continue, see if the vet will do a biopsy.

Good luck!
 
Re: How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabet

Some ideas you might consider as the cause of the spot:

1. Ringworm? Did he do a blacklight on her to see if it glowed?
2. Arthritis. Seems like there was an article that said cats will lick areas of their body that hurts from possible previous injury or arthritis.
3. Did you put any flea stuff at that area?
4. Did she have a vaccine at that spot recently?

I've adopted 3 cats that had flea allergies and received a steroid shot by vets before I adopted them (the cat, not the vet). All developed short term diabetes. I try to avoid the shots as much as possible but they do have their place in treatment of diseases.
 
Re: How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabet

If you are open to suggestions, you may want to try an animal communicator to try and find out what the root cause is.

I also know that my civie licked her tummy bald twice...turns out she'd developed an allergy to the kibble they'd had until Squeak's diagnosis. I took Squeak off the kibble immediately but Cleo continued to get it as treats. When I finally clued in and took it away, all troubles ceased.

And with Squeak's FD diagnosis, my pet sitter says that he may have taken my husband's stress at the time and internalized it in an effort to try and help out....you never know......
 
Re: How risky is Steroid Shot in NON-diabetic...cause diabet

Jen & Squeak said:
If you are open to suggestions, you may want to try an animal communicator to try and find out what the root cause is.

I also know that my civie licked her tummy bald twice...turns out she'd developed an allergy to the kibble they'd had until Squeak's diagnosis. I took Squeak off the kibble immediately but Cleo continued to get it as treats. When I finally clued in and took it away, all troubles ceased.

And with Squeak's FD diagnosis, my pet sitter says that he may have taken my husband's stress at the time and internalized it in an effort to try and help out....you never know......
Click to expand...

Hi Jen,

I'm near Calgary. Is there an animal communicator you could personally recommend? If not to help with my cat Cleo, to help me understand why my cat Hobee (adopted him from H.S. 2 years ago) is so rude to me (LOL)....he bit my nose once while I was sleeping (so hard his fang punctured the side of my nose). He was so sweet at the H.S. but after a couple of days here, a real sh*t. He's great with the other cats..and sometimes very affectionate to me...but doesn't like to be pet, just a real fart (he's about 3 yrs old).

Maybe the switch to Orijen will help? Cleo had previously been on Go Natural but I made the switch to Nature's Harvest dry about ?2 months ago (the one that's not grain-free).....and maybe it's an issue with that one? How long after you figured out the issues for your kitty Cleo and stopped the food did you notice improvement, quite quickly?

Thanks to all who responded, I sure appreciate it. Thanks to the responses/experiences here, I will definitely put my foot down about the steroid shot and stick to my guns.

The only other thing I can think of is...............her and Fuzzy like to lie on their big cat pillow in front of the gas fireplace a lot. I've pulled the pillow away from it as it seems crazy to me that they'd want to be so close to it! Maybe that's dried out her skin some? I have seen a little dandruff on her back a bit but have attributed that to her wearing the sleeper and not being able to groom as well. Maybe just the intense heat?

There's definitely NO chance of her or anyone having fleas.

I stopped vaccinating her many, many years ago.

I too have read that if a cats licks at a joint area, it can often be due to arthritic pain...but her areas are sort of off to the side and above the shoulder area.

I guess I could see about trying an antihistamine? I could ask Vet about that.

For an old girl she's still very mobile and bright and follows me all over and no problems climbing up or down, whether couch or bed (my bed is super high up). Every morning faithfully I wake up to her cuddled up against me on the bed, meowing pathetically, walking across my chest and begging me to wake up! LOL She's a real sweet girl. She found me years ago, in 1996, when i lived on the west coast of canada. One cold, rainy night I was sitting in my living room watching TV and I saw this tiny little face peeking up over the window sill looking in. She was so small and skinny. And starving. I've never seen a cat eat that much. She was infested then with fleas and worms. I kept her isolated in my basement, gave her a flea bath (which I shudder at the thought of doing but didn't know then what i know now)....couldn't find anyone who owned her or wanted her....so got her into the Vet, got her spayed, shots, dewormed ....and she was mine :-)
 
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