PREDNISOLONE and diabetes

[Thomasthecat]

My 12 year Cat has had diabetes for 2 years. Recently he developed Asthma. My vet prescribed pills, which were a nightmare on my cat, to be given,twice a day for a week, then once a day for another, and,then every other day. It was Prednisolone at 5mg.

My cat got severely worse over the next week and a bit.

I called my vet, made an appointment and in the meantime I did some research into Prednisolone, something I should have done to begin with. Immediately, I found articles that say never give a diabetic cat this medicine. I called my vet and let her know I will be taken the cat off his meds.

Later that night, he died.

Is there a connection? Must be.

Devestated.

 

[BJM]

So sorry to hear that.

Whenever a diabetic cat has a second condition, our rule is to adjust the insulin around that condition. Both asthma and diabetes are fatal in untreated. Without a necropsy, there is no way to know if your cat died due to diabetic ketoacidosis from uncontrolled diabetes, or from an asthma attack, or from something completely unrelated.

And for future reference, if a cat has been receiving steroids for a while and you suddenly stop them the adrenal glands may not kick in again. For safety, steroid doses should be slowly tapered if the cat has been on them for a while. That was what the vet was having you do.

 

[tallmomof2]

When my cat was diagnosed with asthma I talked it over with the vet and decided to use Flovent (an inhaler) for preventing attacks and an Xopenex or Albuterol inhaler for acute attacks. I use an Aerokat spacer with a kitty sized mask when I administer the med. I don't like using steroids except where necessary. My cat is allergic to tree pollen so I start the Flovent in mid-March and continue until mid-June. Since she lost a lot of weight, her asthma improved greatly and this year I'm going to discontinue the Flovent once the pollen levels are out of the ridiculously high range.

 

[byoh20]

Our diabetic tabby just celebrated his 19th birthday !!!
His quality of life has greatly improved since we started him on Prednisolone last month.
He was no longer able to "cope" with his advanced arthritis pain so the vet started him on the steroid with great caution. It has affected his diabetes a bit and we have had to increase his insulin half a unit. It is a balancing act but the steroid has reversed his joint stiffness and swelling dramatically and his quality of life is so so much better! :razz: