Why is my cat chewing her legs? Is it a side effect of her meds?

Steroids can be indicating is allergic dermatitis but have extreme side effects when used at high doses or long term. I would not recommend this as a long term course. Any steroid over time leads to a resistance where it just won't work anymore and can lead to liver problems and diabetes in cats. Prednisolone is better tolerated and seems to work better in generally in cats compared to dexamethasone. There is a medicine called Atopica or Apoquel that is made for allergic skin disease and does what the steroids do just without the side effects and resistance, so you may be better trying one of those instead. All are prescription medicines so you will have to call your vet to see if they can fill this since they already have a medical report on her. I would stay on the hypoallergenic diet as this can take 2-3 months for max affect and treats count as far as food allergy go, so make sure those are hypoallergenic or don't give any. I would consider a treatment for mange and fleas also. It is not common in cats but causes them to be itchy and it is hard to prove and super easy to just treat to be safe.

You will have to have the prescription sent to your vet for approval and it would be a good thing to talk with them about how to give it and how much it has taken in the past to keep the sign ms controlled since the dose can vary. I would be cautious if this plan long term since he is so young. This is a strong steroid that becomes less effective the more you give it and can have side effects such as diabetes, liver or kidney damage or heart failure in cats. I would look into other treatments for your allergies such a diet change or Apoquel daily

Hi and thanks for using PetCoach! Sorry to hear about Darby. Definitely looks like an angry lesion that itches a lot. Not 100% sure what this is but it looks like part of the Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex. Here is a link- http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/eosinophilic.cfm Otherwise this could be a bacterial skin infection, a skin mite infection, external parasite problem (fleas, ticks, etc), allergic reaction, among other things. You should take Darby to your vet and let them examine her. Your vet will gather a detailed history and evaluate Darby. They will then propose a diagnostic/treatment plan based on their clinical findings. Possible tests include skin scrape, skin cytology, etc. Treatment could include antibiotics, anti-itch medicines, an Elizabethan collar to prevent licking, etc. The licking has to be stopped or this will never heal. Cats tongues, as you probably know are very rough and will continually irritate the area when she licks it. Good luck

Hi, I think one of the first conditions to rule out here would be eosinophilic granuloma complex (EGC) which refers to a group of inflammatory skin problems in cats. The skin lesion on the picture may be an eosinophilic plaque. Common sites are the hind legs and the stomach. The lesions can be large and may be itchy, and the cat may frequently tries to licks and even bites at the affected site which can make it worse. Most cases of ECG are due to allergies ( fleas /food/ atopy=environmental). Flea control is very important in the treatment. Most cases respond well to medical treatment with corticosteroids (prednisolone commonly) and antibiotic if infected. She will need to be checked by a vet to confirm and to be treated. Hope this helps

Hello. The last time I saw a situation like this, we x-rayed the leg & saw a BB shot pellet ( & no, these little shot pellets of leave no or a very tiny wound ). Once removed, the chronic irritation & infection completely cleared up. So get this x-rayed to see if something is indeed there. If not, it could be some other foreign material that may respond well to antibiotics. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm so sorry to hear that Sadie is not doing well. Cats very rarely develop the side effects of increases in thirst and urination that dogs and people do while they are taking Prednisone, so I would be suspicious of another problem going on. I would recommend having your veterinarian check urine and blood samples on Sadie to evaluate for another problem before considering stopping Prednisone. Hopefully your veterinarian is able to find a solution to the problem! Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. This can also be a traumatic injury in which case it should improve. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!