Cat steroid side effects: Should I wean off prednisone after 6 days?

Question

My cat is having a lot of side effects from a steroid he was put on for tummy cancer. He is like a zombie and breathes heavy and is loopy and looses his balance here and there, Very tired. He is eating and drinking and going to the bathroom. He has only been on it for 6 days 5mg 1ML twice a day. I was thinking about weaning him down to a lower dose like a half a ml a day only. Do you have to wean them off after only 6 days? I am worried about heart issues. Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 10 years and 4 months old | 14.5 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

Cats are normally very resistant to the side effects of Prednisone, so the signs you are describing are very usual to see in cats. Was Elliot started on any other medications that may be causing these symptoms? I would definitely discuss any changes in his Prednisone dosing with his veterinarian. Sometimes we can get away with lower doses, but need to decrease the amounts carefully. We normally do not recommend decreasing the amount by more than 50% at a time, so decreasing from 1 mL twice daily to 0.5 mL once daily would be decreasing the dose by four times, which might be too extreme for Elliot (even after only 6 days on the steroid). The good news is that we do not tend to see heart problems with oral steroids (only injectible steroids), so you do not need to worry about heart problems with oral steroids. I hope that answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Cat steroid side effects: Should I wean off prednisone after 6 days?

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