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What's an alternative medicine or therapy for a cat that is on Prednisone for Asthma?

  • Hello, One of my cats is on the medicine Prednisone (I'm not sure if I spelled that right) for Asthma. Right now he's on 05 mg once daily. He's been on this dose for about 3 weeks. Prior to this he had been taking it once everyday (until symptoms improved) then went to every other day, every two days, and every three days. When he started taking the every three day dose, his symptoms worsened and so so now he's back to every day. Prior to that he had been on and off of prednisone for months, and in some cases the dose was lower. I am highly aware that this kind of medicine is not the best to be taking (even for adults) especially at the highest dose. I don't feel comfortable continuing to give my cat this, as I am worried about long term side effects. I have talked with my vet, and I have been told that there is no guarantee that something won't happen but that there's no guarantee that something will either. They pretty much told me its hard to say. I myself have noticed my cat tilting his head and making a weird slosshy noise when he eats. Its almost as if something is stuck in his teeth and he's trying to suck it out. He first started doing this months ago along when I noticed his coughing. Please note, the times when he wasn't taking the Prednisone he didn't do this thing with his head. However, my little buddy has been having trouble off and for months, and I can't really remember if he was doing the head tilting/slosshy noises prior to the medicine or after. I'll have to check the vet records in order to be certain. To be honest, I'm not sure why the tilting thing has happened and or why Asthma began in the first place. I just want what's best for my cat, and I don't like the idea of keeping him on this medicine. Does anyone know of any alternatives to treat Asthma, and or what I could do? My cat is about 5 years old and he's on a strict wet diet food only. He's on EVO. I did change his food from dry to wet months ago. I am aware of all of the effects of what dry food can do, and my cats health is really important to me. I keep his area clean and installed an air purifying system in the house so he would have the healthiest air. I just don't know what to do for him, and the vets tell me he has to be on this pill probably the rest of his life. Does vaccines have anything to do with cats getting Asthma? My cat has always been vaccinated and I feel I've done something wrong. Please help. My little buddy needs help.....

  • Answer:

    Asthma in cats can be from the following >>> pollens, mold & mildew, smoke, household products, cat litter, dust & dust mites, vaccines, chemical flea treatments, stress, exercise, cold & dry air and food. My cat's asthma, severe muscle weakness, neurological problems, bizarre behaviours, extremely poor appetite and daily vomiting was due to monthly chemical flea treatments over 2 years - a nice poisonous mixture of frontline, advantage and revolution. Alternative for getting rid of fleas - up to 1 teaspoon of brewer's yeast in cat food whenever you see fleas. Make sure there is plenty of water as this makes the cats thirsty. I've only had to do this twice in 3 months. This works by far better than flea chemicals and since i've ceased using the chemical flea treatments, almost all the symptoms have resolved. :) Thankfully, i realised what the problem was and the asthma was diagnosed in the early stages. I feel my cat's asthma will also improve or disappear now that the cause has been removed. As for vaccines>>>> "Once your cat has been diagnosed with asthma, many holistic vets recommend that you never vaccinate them again. Vaccines are designed for healthy cats, and it states this on the insert that comes with vaccines." This article has various ways to help with your cat's asthma. Dealing with Feline Asthma Naturally>>> http://www.brighthub.com/pets/cats/articles/27451.aspx http://www.felineasthma.org/triggers/index.htm http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/pestcontrol.htm

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If you want what's best for your cat, then don't inflict alternative medicine quackery on it. Its bad enough that humans get sucked into it; your cat doesn't get a say. Stick to the science and evidence based treatments. You have done the right thing by vaccinating your cat. ------- EDIT: @Dr G, you said, "homeopathy has been demonstrated to have a beneficial effect beyond that of placebo in the majority of the trials." Perhaps in low quality, uncontrolled, rubbish trials conducted by homeopaths. But proper trials, and the overwhelming weight of scientific data, shows that homeopathy is a placebo only. Furthermore, homeopathy has zero plausibility. major sellers of homeopathy have admitted there is no evidence to support it's use, and for that reason, the UK Government is withdrawing funding for homeopathy across the UK. Any effect from homeopathy on animals is placebo by proxy: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=263 If the asker uses homeopathy in place of the proper prescribed treatment, he risks the life his pet. Placebo will not work for asthma. Homeopathy; there's nothing in it. http://www.1023.org.uk/

Gary Y

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear about your little friend and I hope that you get some help soon. I suspect that you really need the advice of a vet for this and I'm not sure that there will be many on this forum. However, as you are looking for alternative medicine you may wish to contact the "British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons". This is their website: http://www.bahvs.com/ They have lists of vets who are also trained in veterinary homeopathy and many of them provide a holistic service with various other complementary approaches including homeopathy. I'm sure it would do no harm to have a chat with one of them and see what they could offer you. The added advantage is that they are all proper vets so you will have the reassurance of knowing that your little friend is getting proper advice from a vet, and nothing irresponsible - but yet able to get some other advice regarding complementary treatments as well. I hope this is helpful for you and best wishes. Finally, the comment that complementary medicine is unscientific or non-evidence based is in itself a non-evidenced based and factually inaccurate statement. As regards homeopathy, in the research which has been done to date, homeopathy has been demonstrated to have a beneficial effect beyond that of placebo in the majority of the trials. Some of this has been in animals and you can read about the studies on the website.

Dr Gary Smyth

As with human health, alternative medicine for animals is a disturbing fad. Homeopathy is a well known scam that evolved from a once misguided belief. Some less reputable vets use this as a way of generating extra income from worried owners. It's unlikely that they'll take your cat off medication but they might advise to take it 'in conjunction' with an existing treatment, for 2 reasons: 1) All homeopathy consists of nothing but water, so it won't interfere with the medication. 2) It's another revenue stream for the vet. I would say that any vet who is so untrustworthy to try and scam you out of unecessary and ineffective treatment should be completely avoided and not trusted.

dave

Allergies and asthma are related to diet in humans, so I'm pretty sure that applies to cats as well. Specifically, Omega 3 oils tend to be very anti-inflammatory and reduce immune system responses (including asthma) while Omega 6 oils tend to be highly inflammatory and cause more immune reactions. Omega 3 oils are unstable and react with oxygen quickly to form free radicals. If you can even buy a cat food with omega 3 oils in it at all, it isn't going to be fresh by the time it gets to the store shelf. One way to give your cat more omega 3 oils is to include some ground flax seeds in your cats diet. Simply grind up some flax seeds in a coffee grinder, then mix into a paste, then give this to your cat mixed in with the cat food. Note, however, that while humans can survive on a vegan diet cats cannot - they need Taurine which is only found in meat. Most of your cats diet will still need to consist of meat and/or cat food so don't give your cat too much ground flax seed it should be no more than 10% of your cats diet. You can also grind up hemp seed and supplement your cats diet with this as well. Don't buy liquid hemp/flax seed oil or capsules...they are worthless... omega 3 oils are unstable, rapidly reacting with oxygen, and such supplements are rancid by the time you can buy them. The only way to get fresh omega 3 oil is to get it in a form where the seed shell has naturally protected the oils from oxygen. You can also give your cat fish, but then you're giving your cat a whole new set of problems due to all the bioaccumulated mercury in the fish. Finally, don't overlook what else may possibly be causing your cat's asthma - dust mites. Shampoo your carpets regularly, and vacuum every day as well

Crocoduck

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