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Prednisone is too dangerous to be used long-term. Just look at these 2 pages showing the long-term impact it can have: Prednisone Side Effects
I agree with an earlier poster. Research the cause of the problema and eliminate the cause. It is probably a food allergy. First thing I would do is upgrade the diet.
I realize that the OP is quite dated, still, for anyone else in a similar situation, here's my own experience with an asthma diagnosis...
Are you absolutely certain that its asthma? Before you commit yourself and your pet to that diagnosis, run blood work again.
Nearly three years ago, I adopted two stray kittens. One of them presented with a phlegmy cough, ocassional vomitting of bile, and was generally not thriving. These 'spasms' would last maybe 10 to 20 seconds, 2 or more times a day, and exertion at play time nearly always triggered an attack. His whole body would convulse with major heaving, rapid coughing and gasping. I spent a year and about $1,500 trying to diagnose and remedy the problem. I got the allergy diagnosis, but allergic to what? I tried litter, food, bedding, cleaners, etc. You name it, I did what the vets suggested. Poor little guy must've been tried on a half dozen meds. Nada, nothing worked.
When the vets said that they'd run out of other possibilities, and its time to use an asthma med via a mask inhaler, I tried a new highly recommended vet and insisted on doing yet another full blood workup. Bingo! -It was Bartonella all along. He'd been tested for it twice before, and each time it had been negative. After that, one month of Azithromycin treatment and he was a changed creature. Completely cured and thriving ever since, bless his strong lil heart.
Last edited by BCW; 06-07-2010 at 04:24 PM..
Reason: Corrected the name of the med.
I realize that the OP is quite dated, still, for anyone else in a similar situation, here's my own experience with an asthma diagnosis...
Are you absolutely certain that its asthma? Before you commit yourself and your pet to that diagnosis, run blood work again.
Nearly three years ago, I adopted two stray kittens. One of them presented with a phlegmy cough, ocassional vomitting of bile, and was generally not thriving. These 'spasms' would last maybe 10 to 20 seconds, 2 or more times a day, and exertion at play time nearly always triggered an attack. His whole body would convulse with major heaving, rapid coughing and gasping. I spent a year and about $1,500 trying to diagnose and remedy the problem. I got the allergy diagnosis, but allergic to what? I tried litter, food, bedding, cleaners, etc. You name it, I did what the vets suggested. Poor little guy must've been tried on a half dozen meds. Nada, nothing worked.
When the vets said that they'd run out of other possibilities, and its time to use an asthma med via a mask inhaler, I tried a new highly recommended vet and insisted on doing yet another full blood workup. Bingo! -It was Bartonella all along. He'd been tested for it twice before, and each time it had been negative. After that, one month of Azithromycin treatment and he was a changed creature. Completely cured and thriving ever since, bless his strong lil heart.
My Cat has wheezing episodes every other day or so and my Vet had given her prednison and took an xray and her lungs were only irritated. She also told me to keep the windows close due to pollen etc. and so far it is not a everyday thing.
My cat developed asthma, but I refused to put her on steroids because my english bulldog suffered with years of steroids. I was not going to do that to her. Steroids lower the immune system and cause several other issues, including obesity, tumors, heart problems. My dog died at the age of 5 years old. Google Amazapet, you can find several reviews from other pet owners. Crushing the pill and putting a little water on your finger works the best to get it in their mouth.
Check this website out:
[url=http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/products/amazapet-maintain-easy-breathing-respiratory-health.html]AmazaPetâ„¢ - Remedy for Cats and Dogs to Support Respiratory Health[/url]
Here is a clipping:
The respiratory system
The respiratory system consists of the airways (trachea, larynx, mouth and nose), lungs and respiratory muscles. The main function of the respiratory system is to take air in and out of the body, transporting essential oxygen into the blood and expelling carbon dioxide and other gaseous waste from the body. As in humans, a healthy immune system can play a vital role in helping to promote respiratory health in pets. A strong immune system will help to keep the respiratory tract healthy and strengthen the body's defenses against environmental toxins and other stressors.
JJ has asthma. I'm just going to summarize some general notes.
First, in some cases asthma can be diagnosed with x-ray. It shows up as a doughnut hole pattern. However, a negative x-rays does not mean the cat does not have asthma (while a positive one would mean that he does). The gold standard diagnostic test is a lung wash, in which fluid is put into the lungs and then tested to see what cells are present. A negative test there does typically mean the cat does not have asthma. It is a procedure that requires sedation. This is how JJ was diagnosed.
JJ started off having small attacks of wheezing that rarely lasted more than ten seconds. We did x-rays at that point (which were negative). At that time no treatment was given and he would go as long as eight months between attacks. Early this year he had a severe attack where he woke from a sound sleep wheezing. For half an hour after the attack he continued to gulp and make gagging sounds. We were able to catch this on tape, which aided in the diagnosis as well (so if you suspect your cat has asthma, keep a camera ready). We did x-rays, which were again negative. We then did the lung wash, which was positive for asthma and showed bleeding in the lungs. This illustrates that even severe asthma can be negative on x-ray and can cause damage even if the cat is not constantly having attacks or showing symptoms.
JJ now takes two inhalers twice a day. The first is to open his lungs. The second is an inhaled steroid. Inhaled steroids do not affect the entire system as much, making them much safer for long term use. Also, it is important to remember that steroids do NOT affect cats like they do dogs or people. Felines metabolize pred differently, and the side effects do not tend to be as severe or as dangerous for cats.
JJ will use the inhalers for the rest of his life. The lung wash cost about $1,000 and was done as a specialty center. The inhalers cost about $380 for a two month supply at a domestic pharmacy. However, you can cut this in half or more by ordering from a Canadian pharmacy.
We are also changing his environment. He has an air purifier (non ionic...the ion ones are actually bad for asthma). His room is vacuumed daily and any extra fabric (I had a tapestry on the wall) was removed. The final and most important step will be pulling up the carpet and putting in new flooring.
Clearly all of this is expensive and a lot of work. But asthma causes damage to the lungs and having witnessed a serious attack, I never want to see it again. I can't describe the feeling of dread and horror while I was watching him arch his back and struggle to breath. Keep in mind that before that point JJ's attacks were very, very mild and spaced far apart. Uncontrolled asthma can turn deadly fast.
There's a great group of yahoo for owners of asthma cats, which I highly suggest checking out if your cat does have asthma or you suspect he does.
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