Steroid use Calcium Oxalate prevention cat

RE: Steroid use Calcium Oxalate prevention cat

Richard Carter — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 18:42:16 GMT

we are talking Ca oxalate? because the c/d diet may be a cause of Ca oxalate stones

I generally like preds post op for urinary crystal cases especially repeat obstruction cats - if have steroid polydipsia then unlikely to have high SG which is needed for most of crystals to form in first place and a polyuria to reduce bladder sediment and the preds reduce post obstruction stenosis/ fibrosis changes.

RE: Steroid use Calcium Oxalate prevention cat

Anthony Todd — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 17:40:15 GMT

Kate's obviously got the better answer.

Wouldn't it be funny if a change of diet [different allergens completely!!] fixed both problems together!

Another possible win for modern information exchange; who would I ask in 1970?!!

RE: Steroid use Calcium Oxalate prevention cat

Kate Richardson — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 15:46:52 GMT

It would make sense to try changing the cat over to ciclosporin in this situation. You say presumed non food allergy- why presumed- did the cat have a diet trial previously? If not, I would try to persuade them to try a hypoallergenic diet such as Purina HA, or preferably a wet hypoallergenic diet (only ones I am currently aware of are z/d which is yuck, and Dechra Specific Allergen management plus (hydolysed salmon)) - wet food has to be the better option, or maybe feed dry plus flavoured water or sc fluids administered at home?

But if you can't manage the skin without pred, then wet low calcium diet and close monitoring of the urine and as much fluid intake as you can

RE: Steroid use Calcium Oxalate prevention cat

Beats — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 15:12:41 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]

[quote user="Beats"]it was (and still is) itchy any day they didn't give it 5mg prednisolone.[/quote]

Strange; is it a very big cat? Does 10mg daily work well [short term] Does a jab of steroid work? Is there some irritant somewhere [as opposed to an allergen]? Are the owners bathing it or something?

Try Betsolan or another steroid but intermittently?

[/quote]

It is 4.3kg

Given that 5mg daily controls the pruritus and ensuing lesions, I suspect that 10mg daily also would. Whether 10mg alternate days would be as effective as 5mg daily I'm not sure, however both would still involve giving systemic prednisolone, while my question is whether avoiding steroids is still recommended to reduce calcium excretion in urine if cat has calcium oxalate stones.

I don't think there is a contact allergy - it spent 2 to 3 weeks in a fairly clean kennel with obstructive FLUTD and flared badly when not receiving its daily pred.

The owners do not bathe the cat and I don't feel that would be a reasonable option.

Topical steroids are an option to consider I guess, but I don't think likely to be either well-tolerated or effective as sole treatment.

Could use dexamethasone oral suspension (or injectable given orally) twice weekly would be perhaps effective, I'm not sure that calcium excretion varies with steroid choice though? Assuming this is still considered an issue, then I reckon ciclosporin a better choice than change of corticosteroid?

RE: Steroid use Calcium Oxalate prevention cat

Anthony Todd — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 14:44:27 GMT

[quote user="Beats"]it was (and still is) itchy any day they didn't give it 5mg prednisolone.[/quote]

Strange; is it a very big cat? Does 10mg daily work well [short term] Does a jab of steroid work? Is there some irritant somewhere [as opposed to an allergen]? Are the owners bathing it or something?

Try Betsolan or another steroid but intermittently?

RE: Steroid use Calcium Oxalate prevention cat

Beats — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 14:36:43 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]

I consider it bad form to give continuous daily pred to any animal for anything "allergic"

Give it at normal dose rates only when it is necessary, but not daily, even at low dose rates as I've said many times before...

[/quote]

it was (and still is) itchy any day they didn't give it 5mg prednisolone.

RE: Steroid use Calcium Oxalate prevention cat

Anthony Todd — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 14:21:37 GMT

[quote user="Beats"]is it still considered bad form to give prednisolone to an animal[/quote]

I consider it bad form to give continuous daily pred to any animal for anything "allergic"

Give it at normal dose rates only when it is necessary, but not daily, even at low dose rates as I've said many times before...