My cat is itchy and scabby. Is it safe to restart his prednisolone?

Question

Hello. I have a cat who goes through phases of being really itchy and ripping his fur out, getting all scabby, etc. He was put on prednisolone in Aug/sept which was working. I irresponsibly fell off of giving it to him as I lost my dog and kind of lost track of time. I still have some left. Is it safe to start giving it to him until I can get him to my vet? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 13 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

No, I don't recommend to start giving him the medication again. It may not be good anymore. Also, long term steroids are not ideal as they can cause problems in the body. There are other methods to address itching. Ideally, you would figure out the underlying cause. The four main causes of itchiness are allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Comfortis. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. There is a drug called Atopica that is better for allergies. There is also the option of immunotherapy. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the itching should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Tucker wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

My cat is itchy and scabby. Is it safe to restart his prednisolone?

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