From:
TLFarahja7@aol.com
Date: 2003-05-31 14:02:26 UTC
Subject: Long-term pred use
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <155.1fa414e3.2c0a0ff2@aol.com>
Hi!
Pippin (now 18 months old) has been on pred since last August. He had begun
to vomit/loose stools/drop weight. Was anexoric and lethargic. We did a barium
series and blood panels. Found what we thought was a blockage; did an X-lap
and found nothing in his digestive track. We then tried Reglan, which did
nothing; then Prednisone, which stopped all symtoms immediately. So, we're treating
it like Inflammatory Bowel Disease, but a biopsy was not taken during the
x-lap.
Recently, Pip has had some thinning of his tail hair, starting at the tip of
his tail and moving back toward his butt. He gets 5 mg of Pred a day (1/2 in
a.m., 1/2 in p.m.) mixed in chicken baby food; attempts to stop pred or to cut
dosage have resulted in a complete return of his symptoms. When on pred, he's
perfect, eats well, very active.
My vet suspects that longterm usage of pred has caused his adrenal glands to
decrease in their function, causing a pred-induced adrenal gland disease. Is
this accurate? Could something else be going on with Pip?
Thanks in advance!
Jacie, Pip, Leroy, Min, and little Lea