Re: steroids and moods
True. I know how hard it is. I've never had a negative cat live 18 years. That is a long life. I think the sick ones tend to find me (which I don't mind.I will take care of them). I have lost one to fatty liver disease, one to kidney failure, one to cancer, and one to the other kind of liver disease. All of them were negative and maybe between 10-15 years tops. I know it doesn't help how you feel right now, but it is something to make you feel a little better at least. Buddha has had a long and happy life with you. Not many cats have that. tonya[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:This may be true. But someone on the lymphoma list-serve (which you might want to join, though some of the people on it can be kind of mean if you are not doing chemo, though there are some people on there who don't do chemo) had a cat who was 17, I think, when diagnosed, and I think lived to 18.5 years on chemo and steroids and did pretty well. But that cat did not have FeLV. When you are beating yourself up about your decisions, you need to keep reminding yourself that Buddha has lived longer with FeLV than almost any cat I have heard of, and that everyone on this list wants our cats to live as long and as well as Buddha. While that does not temper the pain of seeing him ill now, please remember that it is a testament to your having made some pretty damn good decisions in the past. Michelle In a message dated 12/16/2005 5:01:55 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have to keep remindingmyself that he is 14 and not 3 or 5 or even 7 yearsold. Everything is probably affecting him even harderjust because he is so old.
Re: steroids and moods
I know the only time I ever took steroids they made me absolutely crazy! I couldn't take them. I guess they don't have the same effect on cats though, because I've used them with several cats and there was no difference I could tell besides them seeming to feel better. tchandra simms <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: My vet did say that he would SEEM to feel much betterfor a few days right after the steroid injection. Sheactually described it as a false feeling of wellbeing. She said he would feel much better than hereally was and that the feeling would wear offeventually. She was right Buddha felt better rightaway, even before we made it home. She also gave us herbal stress relieving drops whichnow make a lot more sense. I asked her at the time ifit was a kind of kitty Valium to help keep him calmand she said that it was just to make him feel betterbecause the cancer and the steroids are rough on thebody and on the kitty mind. I have to keep remindingmyself that he is 14 and not 3 or 5 or even 7 yearsold. Everything is probably affecting him even harderjust because he is so old.--- Dudes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:> Agreed, I have heard it IS different in cats. And> for cats, I'm very glad. I would hate to wake up in> the middle of the night to find my kitty glaring> down at me from the nightstand with a tiny knife. > (boo, hiss~I'll be here all week!)> > Eh-hem, anyways, I did not realize that dogs also> get GI upset, but it's good info to know, since I do> have dogs in my little fuzzy family as well. > Often something like Zantac is prescribed to human> patients along with steroids to combat this> unpleasant side effect. > > But perhaps since steroids have been longer> prescribed for humans, and is considered rather non> traditional therapy for cats, I wonder if cats do> experience other side effects that are unreported or> more subtle. Might be something good to ask the> vet, should my Cotton need to be on steroids. > Sandy > > think it is really different in cats. They actually> have a way, way higher tolerance for steroids than> humans or dogs do. The amount of steroids I gave my> cats with lymphoma would not be possible,> proportionally, to give a human or a dog. Cats just> have a phenomenally high tolerance for them for some> reason. When Simon's oncologist was hesitant at> first to do the kind of shots I wanted (dex and dep> together), he did some research on how much steroids> cats can get and told me that he was astounded at> what studies have shown they can handle, like dex> shots every day fairly long-term for bad skin> conditions. After reading these studies he said he> did not think the dex and dep shots could hurt and> gave them, and Simon responded really well. The> other thing that happens with humans and dogs, but> not cats, from steroids is GI problems like ulcers. > Cats do not tend to get GI reactions to steroids,> due to their high tolerance.> Love is not necessary to life, but it is what makes life worth living.__Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: steroids and moods
In a message dated 12/16/05 5:16:44 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: While that does not temper the pain of seeing him ill now, please remember that it is a testament to your having made some pretty damn good decisions in the past. VERY WELL STATED!!!
Re: steroids and moods
This may be true. But someone on the lymphoma list-serve (which you might want to join, though some of the people on it can be kind of mean if you are not doing chemo, though there are some people on there who don't do chemo) had a cat who was 17, I think, when diagnosed, and I think lived to 18.5 years on chemo and steroids and did pretty well. But that cat did not have FeLV. When you are beating yourself up about your decisions, you need to keep reminding yourself that Buddha has lived longer with FeLV than almost any cat I have heard of, and that everyone on this list wants our cats to live as long and as well as Buddha. While that does not temper the pain of seeing him ill now, please remember that it is a testament to your having made some pretty damn good decisions in the past. Michelle In a message dated 12/16/2005 5:01:55 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have to keep remindingmyself that he is 14 and not 3 or 5 or even 7 yearsold. Everything is probably affecting him even harderjust because he is so old.
Re: steroids and moods
What kind of shot did she give him? What she said is right in that steroids do increase feelings of well-being but do not cure cancer. But they do shrink the cancer quite a bit sometimes, and this actually causes them to feel physically better. With my cat Simon, the steroids even made his liver count come way down and his red blood cell count go way up, from shrinking the lymphoma in his liver and in his bone marrow and letting his body get back to normal for a while. The steroids did this when the chemo had stopped doing it. Having lower bilirubin and higher hematocrit is not a false sense of well-being, it is actually being more well from having less cancer. It just is not permanent. But nothing is at this point. If he can feel better for a few days or weeks or months before he passes, even if some part of that feeling better is "false," why not give that to him? With my cat Buddy, the steroids kept him running around and being silly even when his hematocrit was so low the vet thought he should not be able to stand. That may have been a false sense of well-being. But I am sure glad that he felt that way rather than feeling like he could not stand. Warm thoughts, Michelle In a message dated 12/16/2005 5:01:55 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My vet did say that he would SEEM to feel much betterfor a few days right after the steroid injection. Sheactually described it as a false feeling of wellbeing. She said he would feel much better than hereally was and that the feeling would wear offeventually. She was right Buddha felt better rightaway, even before we made it home.
Re: steroids and moods
My vet did say that he would SEEM to feel much better for a few days right after the steroid injection. She actually described it as a false feeling of well being. She said he would feel much better than he really was and that the feeling would wear off eventually. She was right Buddha felt better right away, even before we made it home. She also gave us herbal stress relieving drops which now make a lot more sense. I asked her at the time if it was a kind of kitty Valium to help keep him calm and she said that it was just to make him feel better because the cancer and the steroids are rough on the body and on the kitty mind. I have to keep reminding myself that he is 14 and not 3 or 5 or even 7 years old. Everything is probably affecting him even harder just because he is so old. --- Dudes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Agreed, I have heard it IS different in cats. And > for cats, I'm very glad. I would hate to wake up in > the middle of the night to find my kitty glaring > down at me from the nightstand with a tiny knife. > (boo, hiss~I'll be here all week!) > > Eh-hem, anyways, I did not realize that dogs also > get GI upset, but it's good info to know, since I do > have dogs in my little fuzzy family as well. > Often something like Zantac is prescribed to human > patients along with steroids to combat this > unpleasant side effect. > > But perhaps since steroids have been longer > prescribed for humans, and is considered rather non > traditional therapy for cats, I wonder if cats do > experience other side effects that are unreported or > more subtle. Might be something good to ask the > vet, should my Cotton need to be on steroids. > Sandy > > think it is really different in cats. They actually > have a way, way higher tolerance for steroids than > humans or dogs do. The amount of steroids I gave my > cats with lymphoma would not be possible, > proportionally, to give a human or a dog. Cats just > have a phenomenally high tolerance for them for some > reason. When Simon's oncologist was hesitant at > first to do the kind of shots I wanted (dex and dep > together), he did some research on how much steroids > cats can get and told me that he was astounded at > what studies have shown they can handle, like dex > shots every day fairly long-term for bad skin > conditions. After reading these studies he said he > did not think the dex and dep shots could hurt and > gave them, and Simon responded really well. The > other thing that happens with humans and dogs, but > not cats, from steroids is GI problems like ulcers. > Cats do not tend to get GI reactions to steroids, > due to their high tolerance. > Love is not necessary to life, but it is what makes life worth living. __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: steroids and moods
Agreed, I have heard it IS different in cats. And for cats, I'm very glad. I would hate to wake up in the middle of the night to find my kitty glaring down at me from the nightstand with a tiny knife. (boo, hiss~I'll be here all week!) Eh-hem, anyways, I did not realize that dogs also get GI upset, but it's good info to know, since I do have dogs in my little fuzzy family as well. Often something like Zantac is prescribed to human patients along with steroids to combat this unpleasant side effect. But perhaps since steroids have been longer prescribed for humans, and is considered rather non traditional therapy for cats, I wonder if cats do experience other side effects that are unreported or more subtle. Might be something good to ask the vet, should my Cotton need to be on steroids. Sandy think it is really different in cats. They actually have a way, way higher tolerance for steroids than humans or dogs do. The amount of steroids I gave my cats with lymphoma would not be possible, proportionally, to give a human or a dog. Cats just have a phenomenally high tolerance for them for some reason. When Simon's oncologist was hesitant at first to do the kind of shots I wanted (dex and dep together), he did some research on how much steroids cats can get and told me that he was astounded at what studies have shown they can handle, like dex shots every day fairly long-term for bad skin conditions. After reading these studies he said he did not think the dex and dep shots could hurt and gave them, and Simon responded really well. The other thing that happens with humans and dogs, but not cats, from steroids is GI problems like ulcers. Cats do not tend to get GI reactions to steroids, due to their high tolerance.
steroids and moods
I think it is really different in cats. They actually have a way, way higher tolerance for steroids than humans or dogs do. The amount of steroids I gave my cats with lymphoma would not be possible, proportionally, to give a human or a dog. Cats just have a phenomenally high tolerance for them for some reason. When Simon's oncologist was hesitant at first to do the kind of shots I wanted (dex and dep together), he did some research on how much steroids cats can get and told me that he was astounded at what studies have shown they can handle, like dex shots every day fairly long-term for bad skin conditions. After reading these studies he said he did not think the dex and dep shots could hurt and gave them, and Simon responded really well. The other thing that happens with humans and dogs, but not cats, from steroids is GI problems like ulcers. Cats do not tend to get GI reactions to steroids, due to their high tolerance. Michelle In a message dated 12/15/2005 11:11:34 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I think that is a more accurate way to refer to it, Michelle. I remember once my hubby was on them for a bad case of poison ivy, and he was like the Tazmanian devil, he was a whirlwind of energy! On the flip side, he had terrible insomnia while on it. I also knew someone who took it for an acute asthma episode, and while she was on it, she flew into a rage and threw a knife at her own husband! She avoided steroid therapy because she knew she became a wild-eyed rather violent, short tempered person on it! I wonder if in cats it's different, especially if they take high doses for longer periods of time to treat cancer, as it is in Buddha's case. The euphoria is mainly seen in short term, tapering doses in humans, and peaks with the highest dose and decreases as the dose tapers. I do believe that cats are very sensitive beings to changes in our energy and mood, especially if we worry or have changes in our stress level. I feel like they may even be able to smell or detect the chemical changes in our bodies as a reaction to mental stress or anguish. My opinion, only. However I do wonder if it is instinct for them to want to be alone when they are not feeling well. I hope Buddha recovers from this episode and has many happy moments for you to share with him, Chandra. Sandy Cotton's mom
