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Old April 5th, 2008, 06:48 PM
LaurieC LaurieC is offline
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Question Cat vomitting - possible prednisone connection - Answered by Dr. Lee

I'm so happy to have for this site! All the members seem to truly care when a pet isn't feeling well.
My 7 year old cat, Max, has a problem with vomitting bile. It might be once a day & then nothing for 2 weeks. Sometimes, there is a fur ball along with the bile. I saw the vet, he ran a blood test which was within the normal range. He sent me home with natural fiber capsules. This didn't seem to help so on my next visit, he gave me an antibotic & some nutritional supplements. I can't see a difference. I've confined both Max & his litter sister, Abby, to the kitchen/family room, removed my silk plants, changed his food to IAM's Digestive Care for sensitive stomachs, but he still has this problem! Now his sister is also showing the same symtoms!! Other than this one issue, both cats act & play the same.
I've even looked for worms, but found none.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to what I might have missed or what I might try to help poor Max & Abby!!
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Old April 5th, 2008, 07:07 PM
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MOOSEDRY MOOSEDRY is offline
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mine too

hi there.

sorry to hear about your kitty. my cat, patsy, has a sensitive stomach that flares up every now and then. she'll be fine for quite a while, then she'll start to vomit frequently (daily). the vet puts her on prednisone and that seems to take care of it (she gets one pill a day, 5mg, for about four days, then a pill every second day to wean her off it). ask your vet. it's what works for her...

hope this helps!
tracy
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Old April 5th, 2008, 07:54 PM
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Dr Lee Dr Lee is offline
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I am sorry to hear about the problems Max is having. Before we go onto prednisone I think some more testing sounds in order. If your vet is not interested in further diagnostics, then we need to find someone who is. Prednisone is a steroid and should not be used lightly. Also FYI Prednisolone (notice the extra syllable) is generally accepted as being safer and better for cats. Prednisone is an inactive form, prednisolone is the active form. Dogs and people can easily tranform prednisone to an active form, cats have a much harder time. One of the problems with steroids at this juncture is the fact that it may mask a more serious problem and can make certain problems such as chronic pancreatitis, infection or foreign body diseases worse. Disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases are common in cats and are readily responsive to steroids. However food allergies will also be and can be more easily treated.

So what diagnostics can be done?

1) Fecal parasite screening by centrifuge to rule out parasites.
2) Empirical deworming may be beneficial regardless of test results.
3) Radiographs to look for organ enlargement, kidney stones, bladder stones (yes, these could cause recurrent vomiting), foreign bodies, masses, etc...
4) Urinalysis and culture. I have had several patients, both dogs and cats which have urinary infections and have presented with on and off vomiting.
5) Food trial - a hypoallergenic diet (not available over the counter) needs to be used for a minimum 8 week trial. The antibodies can remain in the gut for at least 8 weeks so it takes a while to know if a hypoallergenic diet is working. These are available either by prescription or home made diets (I am sure there are plenty of people here in the forum to help offer hypoallergenic receipies).
6) Additional blood testing such as in depth viral screens and a feline specific PLI test to look for a chronically inflamed pancreas.
7) If these either do not solve the clinical signs or lead to an answer, then I would recommend an ultrasound with an internal medicine specialist.
There are other diagnostics available but they can be recommended as your veterinarian and you get further involved into the case. Each patient's workup will be slightly unique.

I hope this helps! If you are looking for some options without going to a veterinarian, then I would suggest over the counter deworming, a food trial for 8-12 weeks and perhaps a trying pepcid (famotidine) - your vet can give you an exact dose based on weight.

Good luck.
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Old April 5th, 2008, 09:57 PM
LaurieC LaurieC is offline
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Smile Thank You

Thank you for your valueable advise!! I've already tried several over-the-counter cat foods as well as ones purchased from the vet. I'll try the deworming & pepcid 1st. Less costly & it might just work!! Again thank you for the good advise! Laurie
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Old April 10th, 2008, 08:26 PM
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MOOSEDRY MOOSEDRY is offline
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Bump!

hi all. bumping this thread because dr. lee offers some really valuable advice for owners with "pukey" cats (i have one - patsy - it's very frustrating). please take the time to read his response, as it is very informative. it was also interesting for me because i finally learned the difference between prednisolone and prednisone. will definitely determine how i treat patsy for this affliction next time!

thanks, dr. lee!

tracy (mama) patsy cline punkin and jimmy (daddy)
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Old April 11th, 2008, 02:26 AM
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Dr Lee Dr Lee is offline
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Thank you Moosedry! I am so glad that it was helpful.
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Old April 11th, 2008, 06:16 AM
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MOOSEDRY MOOSEDRY is offline
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back at you

no, thank you, dr. lee. it most certainly was!

tracy
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